Apparently I was doing something else (working?) while everyone was perfecting their sourdough skills during the pandemic. Late bloomer again. Well, I’m a couple loaves in, and I’ve got a recipe that looks like a winner. My goals here were (a) use a starter straight from the fridge, and (b) minimize the work and mess. This was almost exactly a 24-hour process for me, and I didn’t have to do much during the workday.
I started with this recipe from King Arthur Baking. Lazy goal (a) was achieved by using the cold starter (I have a 100% hydration starter from the Local Breads book). I cut the recipe in half to make only one loaf, but I quadrupled the starter amount (80g instead of 20g) because my starter was pretty old and I was paranoid about not getting a rise. This ended up making a very wet dough, but I think that was a net benefit.
To achieve goal (b), I didn’t do any folding after the first mix. I just let the ingredients sit and ferment.
The loaf came out beautifully risen, super moist, and chewy with a great flavor. It’s a keeper.
So here’s the full recipe:
Ingredients
- 80g cold/unfed starter (100% hydration)
- 225g all-purpose flour
- 225g bread flour
- 50g whole wheat flour
- 400g tepid water
- 20g table salt
Steps
- Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it sit until doubled. In my case, it took about 18 hours at 65˚F.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Fold it over on itself a few times, and shape it into a ball. Put the ball, seam side up, into a floured banneton or bowl.
- Wait until the dough has about doubled. In my case, it took 4.5 hours at 68-70˚F.
- Preheat the oven to 500˚F with a Dutch oven inside. When the oven is ready, turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper, score it, and put it into the hot Dutch oven. Reduce temperature to 450˚F and bake for 20 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes.