San Francisco Sourdough

San Fransisco Sourdough Bread

This recipe takes about 3-4 days from the start until you can eat your first loaf of sourdough but once you have made the initial starter you can save some starter for the next batch of bread. The starter can be kept in the fridge until you want to make another batch of bread. Do this every time and you will always have fresh starter bubbling in your fridge. Note: you can substitute any of the flours as long as you use plain flour

For the Starter

Step 1 - The Starter

• 50 grams Wholemeal plain flour
• Pinch of ground cumin
• 15 ml milk
• 15-30 ml cold water
  

Mix all of the above ingredients together to form a dough. Knead the dough for about 6-8 minutes until soft and smooth. Place the dough in a bowl and cover with cling wrap and leave in a warm place about 24-26 degrees C for about 2 days. The dough will form a gray crust and be bubbly in the middle (this is good!).

Step 2 - 1st Refreshment

• 30 ml very warm water
• 115 grams wholemeal plain flour

Remove the crust from the stater at the end of step 1. You should end up with a small amount of sweet smelling dough. Place this in a clean bowl and mix in the water and flour from the 1st refreshment stage. Cover with cling wrap and place in a warm place for about 1-2 days.

Step 3 - 2nd Refreshment

• 60 ml water
• 115 grams plain flour

Discard the crust from step 2 starter and gradually mix in the water from step 3. By now the dough should have a nice sharp sour smell to it (this is also good!). Gradually mix in the flour from step 3 wrap the dough again and leave in a warm place again for 8-10 hours.

For the bread

Step 4 - 1st refreshment

• 75 ml very warm water
• 75 grams plain flour

For the bread starter mix the starter from step 3 with the ingredients in step 4. knead for about 6-8 minutes, wrap and place in a warm place for about 8-10 hours or until double in bulk.

Step 5 - 2nd refreshment

1. 175 ml warm water
2. 200-225 grams plain flour

Gradually mix the water into the starter from step 4. add enough of the flour to form a soft, smooth and elastic dough. Cover and leave in a warm place for about 8-10 hours.

Step 6 - The Sourdough

• 280 ml warm water
• 500 grams plain/bread flour
• 15 grams salt
• extra flour for dusting
• ice cubes for baking

Gradually stir in the water for the sourdough. Gradually work in the flour and salt this should take about 10-15 minutes. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and very elastic (add more flour if you need to. I did because the dough kept on sticking to the surface). Place in a large lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for about 8-12 hours or until double in size.
Divide the dough in half and shape 2 round loaves by folding the sides over the centre and sealing. Place seam side up in a flour dusted couronnes. Recover and leave for 4 hours.

Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees C and place an empty roasting tin in the bottom of the oven.
Dust another tray with flour and turn your loaves onto the trays. Turn the bottoms of the loaves in to make the loaves tall and not flat and large rounds. Using a sharp knife cut deep slashes in the top of the loaves in a crisscross pattern.
place loaves in the oven. At the same time place the ice cubes in the other baking tray at the bottom of the oven and close the door. Bake for about 25 minutes then reduce the oven to 200 degrees C and bake for another 15-20 minutes. You can tell when they are cooked if you top the bottom of the loaves they sound hollow. Cool and eat.

Additional notes:
This is a long process but like I say. If you save some of the starter from step 5 you can begin your next loaf from step 4 next time which means that you bread will take only about 1 day. Just make sure that your store the starter in the fridge where it will remain dormant for days ready to be re-activated.