No-Knead Sourdough Bread

Short Instructions:

Make the dough the evening before and plan to let it sit about 8 to 12 hours before making bread in the morning.

Stir water and starter together. Stir flour and salt together. Mix liquid into dry. Stir thoroughly for 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to form a shaggy ball, and cover with a plastic bag and kitchen towel for 15 minutes. Use a spatula to move edges to the middle in 4 to 6 places as you rotate the bowl (stretch and fold). Repeat 15 minutes later, covering in between. Put to rest covered on the counter.

In the morning, oil a piece of parchment paper and sprinkle with cornmeal. Scrape the dough into a circle and place the paper sling in another bowl and place in the fridge for about an hour. Preheat the oven with your Dutch Oven in place.

Take the cold dough out of the fridge, score the top in an X and sling into your hot Dutch Oven, cover, and place in the oven for 1 hour.

Take the temperature of the middle of the dough.

• If <200 degrees, place it back in the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes.

• If >200 but <208 degrees you can remove the lid and place it back in the oven to brown for 10 minutes

• If >208 degrees you can remove the lid and place it back in the oven to brown for 5 minutes or if you like a softer crust, remove and cool

Once the bread has reached 208 degrees, remove from the Dutch Oven and place on a cooling rack. Serve warm or wrap in cloth and place in a ziplock bag for up to a few days.

Long Instructions:

About 8 to 12 hours before you want to start working with the dough, in a large bowl combine flour and salt together. Mix sourdough starter and water together in a separate container. Pour the starter-water into the flour and incorporate well using a spatula or wooden spoon. The dough will be shaggy and sticky - but mix for 1 to 2 minutes even though it is hard to mix. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes. After allowing it to rest, using a wet hand, reach into the bowl and grab one end of the dough and stretch it upwards and fold back on itself. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and do three more stretches of the dough allowing for about 30 seconds of rest (for the dough) in between each stretch. This encourages the gluten to form. You can do a few more stretch-and-folds if you want, but next you need to let the dough proof for about 8 to 12 hours. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and allow it to rest at a warm room temperature, about 68 to 70 degrees F (if your space is warmer, then check your proofing after 6 to 8 hours; if colder, it may take up to 18 hours).

After 8 to 12 hours, check the dough. It should have expanded and have a slight springy dome to the top. Do a poke test with a floured finger or knuckle to see if it is slow to spring back (ideal). If it springs back quickly, it may need more time to rise; if it feels loose, runny, or indents too easily or doesn't spring back, if may have over-proofed (but you can bake it anyways). Prepare a some parchment paper to be your oven sling by oiling and adding cornmeal for added texture to the bottom of your bread. Perform a second set of stretch-and-folds (see above) using wet hands (you can do a second set of stretch-and-folds 15 minutes later if desired). After you have completed at least one set of stretch-and-folds, tuck the dough into a ball with the seam underneath and place seam side down on your parchment paper and pick up the corners and sling it into a bowl for the final proof. Dust the top of the dough with flour, if desired. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 1 hour, uncovered (if you need to you can keep it in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 hours if you want to bake later). Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and place your pot (dutch oven) in the oven to heat for 1 hour (during the time your dough is proofing in the fridge).

When your pot has been heating for at least 1 hour, pull it out and take off the lid. Remove the dough from the fridge and using a sharp knife, score the dough 3/4 - 1-inch deep across the top of the dough to create an opening for steam to vent. Lift the parchment by the corners and sling the dough into your hot pot, place the lip back on and slide into the oven.

Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on. Then take the pot out and check the internal temperature of the bread -- it should read 200 degrees (if it is below 200 degrees, put the pot back in for another 10 minutes and check the temperature again). Remove the lid and bake another 15 minutes. This time the internal temperature of the bread should read 208 to 210 degrees (if it is below 208 degrees, place it back in the oven and bake another 5 minutes before checking the temperature again).

Remove the bread from the oven and let cool on a rack for 1 to 4 hours before slicing.

Notes:

Sourdough starter: Using your starter after its peak will ensure your bread rises sufficiently. Make sure your starter is healthy, hungry, and strong, able to double in size 4-8 hours after feeding. If you store your starter in the fridge and last fed it over a week ago, make sure to feed the morning before making bread. If it has only been 3-7 days since the last feeding (and you keep it in the fridge), it is OK to make bread without feeding. Use a 1/3 cup starter for your bread dough and place the remaining back in the fridge and feed a week after the last feeding. BUT if it has been a week after your last feeding, pull it out of the fridge, discard (or save for pancakes, waffles, or give away) all but 1/2 cup. Feed it. Let it metabolize the flour for 4 - 8 hours before mixing up the bread dough. Use a 1/3 cup of starter (90 grams) for the bread, place the remaining back in the fridge, and feed in a week. For a more “sour” flavor, use a starter that has been in the fridge for 4-6 days. Do not feed before using it. The sourdough starter is the sourest the longer it goes without feeding.

Sources:

• https://www.feastingathome.com/sourdough-bread/