I’ve had a long hiatus from baking sourdough bread. Last year’s chaotic schedule and my dormant starter sitting in the fridge kept me from fitting baking into my routine. However, with my summer class now over and a renewed interest in self-sufficiency, I found the inspiration to start baking bread again. Unfortunately, my dormant starter had turned moldy and unusable. I tried to cultivate a new starter using a dry starter mix, but the fermentation activity never took off.
I was about ready to throw in the towel when I was reminded (by a YouTuber) that my success as a bread baker hinges more on having an active starter than on my method and process. After all, I succeeded on my first bake despite having no prior experience! Determined to get back on track, I reached out to an old friend who had given me my original starter (thank you Chance!). On the first feeding, the starter already doubled in size. We are so back!
I used my usual Sourdough Bread recipe, but made a few tweaks to adjust to my schedule over these two days. Instead of bulk fermenting on the counter and proofing in the fridge overnight as I usually do, I did my bulk fermentation overnight in the fridge and proofed at room temperature for 3 hours.
Bake Day: Friday 8/2/24, late afternoon bake
Last Starter Feed: 7/29/24 (3 days ago). Starter resting in fridge since.
Levain – Thursday 8/1/24 3:45pm
- 25g starter
- 25g whole wheat flour
- 25g bread flour
- 50g water
I took the starter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature for 1-2 hours before using it in the levain. To ensure I reached the final levain weight of 95g for the dough, I made a bit more than the recipe called for. After 4 hours of resting in a warm environment, the levain had doubled in size. Satisfied with this level of activity, I opted for a 5-hour rest, as the recipe suggests 5-6 hours.
Autolyse – Thursday 8/1/24 8:00pm
- 283g bread flour
- 57g whole wheat flour
- 301g water
With an hour left in the levain rest, I mixed the autolyse and let it rest for 1 hour.
Mix – Thursday 8/1/24 9:15pm
- 9g salt
- 95g levain
- 25g water
The autolyse rested for 1 hour, and the levain for a little over 5 hours. I used all the levain I made, with little to spare. The dough felt wetter and shaggier than my past doughs, so I added only a splash of water instead of the full 25g. I forgot to take an internal dough temperature before mixing, but my final dough temperature was 76.6ºF, just shy of the recommended 78ºF.
Bulk Fermentation – Thursday 8/1/24 9:20pm
- Stretch & fold #1 – 9:50pm
- Stretch & fold #2 – 10:45pm (lost track of time oops)
- Stretch & fold #3 – 11:10pm
- Stretch & fold #4 – 11:35pm
After the fourth stretch & fold, I placed the dough in the fridge overnight. The next morning, I took the dough out and let it come to room temperature for 1.5 hours.
Preshape – Friday 8/2/24 11:55am
Shape – Friday 8/2/24 12:25am
The dough felt wet, sticky, and slack. After shaping, it gained a bit more structure but still felt looser compared to my past doughs.
Proof – Friday 8/2/24 12:30pm
The dough had big air bubbles on top, was sticky and jiggly, and I couldn’t get a good read with the poke test. I suspect the dough might be overproofed.
Bake – Friday 8/2/24 4:00pm
I baked the bread with the dutch oven lid on for 30 minutes to allow it to rise more, then baked for 20 minutes with the lid off. The top ended up a little overdone.
Final Thoughts
I was pleasantly surprised by the soft crumb and thin, crackling crust. The interior was moist and chewy, with a nice sourdough flavor. This loaf turned out better than I expected, and I’m looking forward to the next one!
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