Gravity & Grain

Listen, I bake. Don’t get me wrong.

But Sourdough baking excitement? I assume when people say they can’t wait to meet their firstborn, it is a feeling akin to this.

After having 3 days of consistent rises with Mother Barloaf, the time had arrived. We were ready to make our first loaf of sourdough bread.

And let me tell you, I definitely had no idea what the (expletive) I was doing.

The Recipe:
100 g starter
350 g water
500 g Robin Hood AP flour
10 g salt

Steps: Mix starter and water till foamy – Add flour – Mix well until fully combined into a dough – 30 minute rest – Set 1 Stretch & Fold – 30 minute rest – Set 2 Stretch and Fold – 30 minute rest – Set 3 Coil and Fold – 30 minute rest – Set 4 Coil & Fold – Counter Bulk Ferment (5 hours) – Boule – Fridge Sleep for 9 hours – Baked at 450 in a dutch oven – 25 minutes lid on – 20 minutes lid off.

That seems easy! Why did you cry?

I learned a lot during this experience. More than anything, Sourdough baking is all about time management. Which is great because I struggle with managing everything including time.

I fed my starter at 11:15 am, and it was ready by about 4pm. I decided to use a giant tub to make the dough. (Because that’s what the cool kids on the internet do) ((those are professional bakers making 30 loaves not a microbaker making one loaf))

What I did not realize was though this would make stretch and folds easier, it would take 99,000 years for the dough to properly proof.

I forgot to add salt until the third stretch & fold, at which point I just put the salt all over the dough not realizing I should have dimpled it in. (As of March 18, I have baked over 12 loaves and forgotten the salt almost every time).

By the time all the folds were done, and the dough was ready to bulk ferment, it was around 6pm.

Because it is WINTER, and I used a giant TUB, and I left it to ferment on my COUNTER, I checked the dough at 11pm and it was cold to the touch and not bulking properly.

I decided to gently move the dough into a stainless steel bowl, check the temperature of the dough (68 degrees which is on the cooler side for fermentation), and move it into my oven with the light on.

That took another hour and then it rose much better, the dough temperature came up within 30 minutes and I was able to put it in the fridge to rest overnight.

I used rice flour to dust the boule, and put ice in the oven to create steam to get a good oven spring and create that speckled crackling on the dough at the top.

It was a great first experience, but definitely the most nerve-wracked I have ever been cooking/baking something.

Fin.