high-bar baking

(see what I did there?)

I was going to put together a comprehensive sourdough write-up for a friend I just gave some starter to. Then I realized there was no reason to keep that kind of information just between us. So if you’ve ever been interested, or if you’ve just been gifted a starter, this is your one-stop guide to the easiest sourdough I know how to make. 

Not a cop-out loaf, either. This tastes good. I do not believe in bad bread. 

Starter

This video is your crash course on starters.

The basic idea is, feed your starter so the jar contains equal amounts of starter, flour, and water. For the bread recipe I use (which only calls for discard!) I discard 40 grams, keep 20g of starter, and add 20g of both flour and water when I feed weekly.

If you feed less than weekly… it is ok. Pour off the weird alcohol liquid on top and proceed accordingly.

If it’s been more than a week since feeding, I’ll feed the starter and let it come back to life a day or half a day on the counter before then using that discard to bake. If you’ve really let it go (no shame, this is experience talking), feed it twice with 8+ hours of rest in between. Starter is resilient, but it’s not miraculous. Do you like being put to work without food? Didn’t think so.

Recipe

This is basically bread blasphemy, and I care not. If this recipe is wrong, it’s not worth it to be right. 

Don’t Be a Bread Hostage

Recipe

The recipe calls for unfed discard starter. Hallelu. 

Start a day before you want bread. If you think “oh, I’ll bake bread tomorrow, I’ll have time,” start now. 

You’re on bread’s time. You’re not a bread hostage, but no amount of fudging will get you want you want. The dough needs time, and you need to be ready for that.

Mix everything together, then do the SBFs (Strength! Building! Folds!) as outlined in the recipe. After that hour, stick it somewhere warmish and let it rise for 8-12 hours, whatever. Doubled, ish. Sleep on it. Go to work. live your life. 

The next morning, shape the loaves. My favourite shaping technique is Lagerstrom’s here. They go in their bannetons, and you go about your day. 

Preheat the oven ~1 hour before you want to use it. Score the loaves before they go in with a lame (pronounced LAHM) or with kitchen scissors like this. 

Bake them browner than your American sensibilities dictate. Alison Roman: “Take it there. Take is very there.” The exception to this is if you’re going to slice and freeze a loaf. Then bake them a little lighter; don’t go all the way to gorgeous brown-red, because you’ll be toasting them later and you don’t want burnt crust. 

Let them cool completely before cutting into them. There’s a whole cycle the loaves go through where the steam escapes the center, the crust softens, then the crust reforms. You must let it go all the way. Suck it up, you’ve come this far. 

To freeze, slice a loaf and put the slices on a plate or baking rack in the freezer. Let them freeze as individual units, then later come back and put them in a baggie for long-term freezer storage. If you put them all in a bag shoulder-to-shoulder off the bat, the slices will be impossible to separate. Same principle behind why you don’t freeze a whole loaf. You’re then committed to un-freezing a whole loaf later. 

Other Notes

The recipe can be easily halved if you only want one loaf. 

Bread is like babies and horses — it can sense fear. Move with confidence, even/especially if you’re faking it.

This won’t go perfectly for you the first time, and that’s ok. You’ll learn! The bread will still taste good, and while I know you would love to brag about how Instagrammable your loaf is, calm down for a second, my young Padewan learner. The road is long.

Equipment

• Lodge has a killer combo cooker that’s much cheaper than a Dutch oven (and I use the base as my 10″ cast iron skillet in regular cooking).
• A Dutch oven works great, just make sure it’s cool being heated aggressively and that you’re ok if it’s a little sacrificial (mine is my baby and I do not bake bread in it).
• A lame if you’re feeling fancy; I wanted one with a blade cover because I am a klutz.
• Cambro tubs (6qt) rock, they’re a nice-to-have.
• Bannetons are surprisingly expensive; I’ve heard recommendations to use a collander or a bowl lined with a tea towel if you’re still deciding if this hobby is for you.
• Dough card, forever and always.