No Knead Artisan Sourdough Bread

This is where the sourdough romance began for me. This was my first sourdough recipe.

Note this is not my recipe, though I have made a few tweaks to it.


The original recipe is here, at the previously mentioned kitchn.com site.

My main change was cook times. I found I was burning my bread using the give cook times and temps. Perhaps it has to do with altitude, or accuracy of oven temp.

First  a couple notes from my personal learning. The numbers are the steps in the recipe they coincide with:

6. If you have not worked with a high hydration dough before, you will be uncomfortable with how wet, shapeless, shaggy and sticky this dough is at this point. You will be tempted to add more flour. Don't. Just trust the process. It will turn out just fine.

You can use whole wheat flour for up to half the amount of flour. I find I prefer approximately 1/3 whole wheat to 2/3 white flour. I have tried both all purpose and bread flour. I apparently am not sophisticated enough to tell the difference, but bread flour has a higher protein content, and should therefor give you a slightly sturdier bread.

7. For the rest, I have found longer is better. Aim to let it rest for the full four hours if you can. Time is the magic ingredient in this bread. I have a bowl which is the right size for me to use an upside-down plate as a cover, This works very well.

9. Before each fold, I wash  my hands, then pat them dry, leaving a little moisture behind. This seems to help keep the dough form sticking so much. Again, resist the urge to add flour, the dough will become smoother, easier to work with after each folding session.

12. I might try to create and add a video of the scraper process - at least the way I do it. I haven't been able to find one. Basically, you work your way around the dough ball, using the scraper to tuck the dough under the ball as you go. The "skin" of the ball with become taut.

14. I have one proofing basket which I received as a gift, for the other, I use a melamine bowl, roughly 8 inch in diameter and quite close to a half-sphere. I really wish I had too proofing baskets, they are much easier to work with and produce a generally better looking loaf. I highly recommend them. Flour the insert and drop the loaf in.

17. I usually let the dough rise overnight in the fridge. I start my levain Friday night, do all the mixing, folding, resting and shaping Saturday, and then bake Sunday. If you are doing it this way, I strongly recommend giving it an hour or two rise time at room temperature before moving to the fridge. Maybe my fridge is set too cold, but the overnight rise really doesn't suffice. I do think the dough is easier to handle cold though, so better to rise and chill than to chill overnight, and then bring to room temp to rise just before cooking.

18. Dutch oven: This is a crucial tool for baking this bread. The dutch oven gives you the moisture control and temperature consistency which gives you the amazing crust. Also note you are preheating the dutch oven, not just the oven. Give it 15-20 minutes. The originally recipe call for 500 F, I reudce this by 10 degrees. You  may want to experiment.


21. The original calls for 20 minutes. I reduced to 18. Again, you may want to play with this.

24. My bread is usually done by this time, so I don't bake the additional 15 to 25 minutes they recommend. It is okay to have a bit of charring on the bread, as it does boost the flavor. The one in the picture above is a tad lighter than I usually go.

There you have it. Enjoy!

Ingredients

For the leaven:

1 tablespoon active sourdough starter

75 grams (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour or bread flour

75 grams (1/3 cup) water

For the dough:

1 tablespoon salt

525 grams (2 1/2 cups) water

700 grams (5 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour or bread flour

Equipment

Small mixing bowl

Large mixing bowl

Plastic wrap or other covering for the bowls

Spatula

Pastry scraper

Bread proofing baskets, colanders, or mixing bowls

Dutch ovens or large heavy-bottomed pots with lids

Lame, sharp knife, or serrated knife

Instructions

1. Make sure your sourdough culture is active: If your sourdough has been in the fridge, take it out 2 to 3 days before you plan to bake. Feed it daily to make sure it's strong and very active before you make the bread.
2. Make the leaven (overnight): The night before you plan to make the dough, combine a tablespoon of active sourdough culture with the flour and water for the leaven. Mix thoroughly to form a thick batter. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight, for about 12 hours.
3. Test that the leaven is ready: Generally, if the surface of the leaven is very bubbly, it's ready to be used. To double check, drop a small spoonful of the leaven in a cup of water; if the leaven floats, it's ready.
4. Dissolve the salt: Combine the salt and 50 grams (about 1/4 cup) of the water for the dough in a small bowl. Set aside, stirring every so often to make sure the salt dissolves.
5. Mix the leaven and water: Combine the leaven and the remaining 475 grams (2 cups) of water for the dough in a large mixing bowl. Stir with a spatula or use your hands to break up and dissolve the leaven into the water. It's OK if the leaven doesn't fully dissolve and a few clumps remain.
6. Add the flour: Stir the flour into the water and leaven with a spatula until you see no more visible dry flour and you've formed a very shaggy dough. 
7. Rest the dough (30 minutes, or up to 4 hours): Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. This is the autolyse stage where the flour is fully absorbing the water and enzymes in the flour begin breaking down the starches and proteins.
8. Mix in the salt: Pour the dissolved salt over the dough. Work the liquid and salt into the dough by pinching and squeezing the dough. The dough will feel quite wet and loose at this point.
9. Begin folding the dough (2 1/2 hours): To fold the dough, grab the dough at one side, lift it up, and fold it over on top of itself. Fold the dough four times, moving clockwise from the top of the bowl (or giving the bowl a quarter turn in between folds). Let the dough rest 30 minutes, then repeat. Do this a total of 6 times, every half hour for a total of 2 1/2 hours. The dough will start out shaggy and very loose, but will gradually smooth out and become tighter as you continue folding.
10. Let the dough rise undisturbed (30 to 60 minutes): Once you've finished the folds, let the dough rise undisturbed for 30 to 60 minutes, until it looks slightly puffed. This dough won't double in size the way regular, non-sourdough breads will; it should just look larger than it did when you started.
11. Divide the dough: Sprinkle some flour over your counter and turn the dough out on top. Work gently to avoid deflating the dough. Use a pastry scraper to divide the dough in half.
12. Shape the dough into loose rounds: Sprinkle a little flour over each piece of dough. Use your pastry scraper to shape each one into loose rounds — this isn't the final shaping, just a preliminary shaping to prep the dough for further shaping. Shape them into rounds by slipping your pastry scraper under the edge of the dough and then scraping it around curve of the dough, like turning left when driving. Do this a few times to build the surface tension in the dough (it makes more sense to do it than to read about it!). Flour your pastry scraper as needed to keep it from sticking to the dough.
13. Rest the dough (20 to 30 minutes): Once both pieces of dough are shaped, let them rest for 20 to 30 minutes to relax the gluten again before final shaping.
14. Prepare 2 bread proofing baskets, colanders, or mixing bowls: Line 2 bread proofing baskets, colanders, or mixing bowls with clean dishtowels. Dust them heavily with flour, rubbing the flour into the cloth on the bottom and up the sides with your fingers. Use more flour than you think you'll need — it should form a thin layer over the surface of the towel.
15. Shape the loaves: Dust the top of one of the balls of dough with flour. Flip it over with a pastry scraper so that the floured side is against the board and the un-floured, sticky surface is up. Shape the loaf much like you folded the dough earlier: Grab the lip of the dough at the bottom, pull it gently up, then fold it over onto the center of the dough. Repeat with the right and left side of the dough. Repeat with the top of the dough, but once you've fold it downward, use your thumb to grab the bottom lip again and gently roll the dough right-side up. If it's not quite a round or doesn't seem taut to you, cup your palms around the dough and rotate it against the counter to shape it up. Repeat with the second ball of dough.
16. Transfer to the proofing baskets: Dust the tops and sides of the shaped loaves generously with flour. Place them into the proofing baskets upside down, so the seams from shaping are on top.
17. Let the dough rise (3 to 4 hours, or overnight in the fridge): Cover the baskets loosely with plastic, or place them inside clean plastic bags. Let them rise at room temperature until they look billowy and poofy, 3 to 4 hours. Alternatively, place the covered basket in the refrigerator and let them rise slowly overnight, 12 to 15 hours. If rising overnight, bake the loaves straight from the fridge; no need to warm before baking.
18. Heat the oven to 490°F: Place two Dutch ovens or other heavy-bottomed pots with lids in the oven, and heat to 4900°F. (If you don't have two pots, you can bake one loaf after the next.)
19. Transfer the loaves to the Dutch ovens: Carefully remove one of the Dutch ovens from the oven and remove the lid. Tip the loaf into the pot so the seam-side is down. Repeat with the second loaf. (See Recipe Note if your loaf sticks to the basket.)
20. Score the top of the loaf: Use a lame, sharp knife, or serrated knife to quickly score the surface of the loaves. Try to score at a slight angle, so you're cutting almost parallel to the surface of the loaf; this gives the loaves the distinctive "shelf" along the score line.
21. Bake the loaves for 18 minutes: Cover the pots and place them in the oven to bake for 18 minutes.
22. Reduce the oven temperature to 450°F and bake another 10 minutes. Resist the temptation to check the loaves at this point; just reduce the oven temperature.
23. Remove the lids and continue baking 15 to 25 minutes: After 30 minutes of baking, remove the lids from the pots to release any remaining steam. At this point, the loaves should have "sprung" up, have a dry surface, and be just beginning to show golden color. Place the pots back in the oven, uncovered.
24. Bake another 15 to 25 minutes. Continue baking until the crust is deeply browned; aim for just short of burnt. It might feel a bit unnatural to bake loaves this fully, but this is where a lot of the flavor and texture of the crust comes in.
25. Cool the loaves completely: When done, lift the loaves out of the pots using a spatula. Transfer them to cooling racks to cool completely. Wait until they have cooled to room temperature before slicing.