1-1/2tspsaltThis is optional and you can use more or less salt - I use sea salt
50gramssourdough starter
350gramspurified water
550gramsEinkorn FlourI divide mine into two bowls
Instructions
Start by measuring out your flour 275 grams into two separate bowls350 grams of water into a bowl
Add salt to a large mixing bowl. Place the mixing bowl on your scale and reset, add 50 grams of sourdough starter to salt.
Next mix your pre-measured water with your salt and starter, add flour one bowl at a time, mixing well with a wooden spoon or dough whisk
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit on the counter for one hour.
You are now going to perform a lift and fold process that can be quite tricky until you get the hang of it. I started by having a small bowl of water to dip my fingers into to keep the dough from sticking to my hands. I now have gotten the hang of it and I don't have to do that anymore.
Lift and fold is when you grab the dough from the bottom of one side, lift it up and fold it over the rest of the dough. Then turn the bowl and repeat the process. It takes me four turns to get around the bowl. You will want to lift and pull around 20-25 times. It will start to form a more structured ball in the center. Mine is always a little sticky. (I've added a video for you to see my lift and fold process)
After the initial lift and fold, cover the bowl and let sit for 1 hour. After the hour, repeat the lift and fold but only 10 times. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes, then repeat the lift and fold 10 times. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes, then lift and fold again 10 times. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes and then lift and fold 10 times.
After the fourth lift and fold you will want to cover your dough with plastic wrap and let sit out overnight. About 8-10 hours. (I top my plastic wrap with a towel to keep warm)
In the morning your bread should have doubled in size. It may or may not have bubbles. Mine just has a few.
Now you will want to generously flour your banneton liner, all the way up the sides with flour. I haven't washed my liner so it has become quite "seasoned" like my cast iron skillets and my dough never sticks to my liner.
In the bowl, you will want to gently perform the lifts and folds a few times around the bowl. Maximum 10 times. It is supposed to come to a loose ball at this point. Mine is always very sticky and using a dough scraper I gently push my dough from the bowl into my banneton.
I sprinkle the top of my bread dough with flour so that the plastic wrap doesn't stick to it. You will want to then cover it with plastic wrap and pop it into the refrigerator
You can let your dough sit in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours, up to 24 hours. I actually let my last batch sit in the refrigerator for 3 days before I baked it. It was a little bit on the sour side but it still tasted good. Basically, you want to leave it in the refrigerator all day and then bake it for dinner.
When I'm ready to bake, I put my cast iron dutch oven into the oven and turn the oven on to 450°. I let the pan heat in there for 40 minutes. Please don't forget to use oven mitts. The dutch oven is extremely hot!!!!!
I carefully take the dutch oven out and then flip my dough onto a large piece of parchment paper, take the lid off the dutch oven, and holding all four corners of the paper, set the dough into the dutch oven, replacing the cover.
If you want to make your dough fancy, you can score the top with a very sharp knife and it will make interesting designs when it bakes
Put the dutch oven back in the oven and bake for for 45-50 minutes. Until golden brown. Some people like theirs a very crispy brown. It's all a personal preference and that will determine how long you keep your bread in the oven.
This week I made a sandwich loaf. I preheated the oven to 375° dropped my dough into a greased sandwich loaf pan and baked for 40 minutes, uncovered. It was delish and perfect to slice for sandwiches.