I finally managed to develop a non-rye starter. I didn’t put any rye flour in it. The only thing I can figure is that current house conditions disproportionally favored the rye yeast. With my starter in hand, I was finally able to make my favorite sourdough recipe.
Prior to making the dough, the starter needs to be refreshed. Add 3/4 of-a-cup of water and 3/4 of-a-cup of white flour to 1/4 cup of the starter. Allow it to work for about 10 hours. As much as 12 is OK. I typically get it going just before going to bed the night before making the bread. Don’t toss the remaining old starter. It’ll get used in the bread recipe as well.
In addition to the old and refreshed starter, here’s the list of ingredients:
- 2 cups of white flour
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour- I use stone ground
- 1/4 cup rye flour- I use finely ground
- 1/4 cup of water
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Other stuff: + Cooking sheet + Cast iron skillet + Parchemnt paper + Ice cubes (for the baking step) + Clear plastic container- 6 quarts is about the right size + Olive oil + Your favorite wet and dry measuring implements
I typically have about 1 cup of old starter to work with and I add it all to this recipe. If there is significantly less than this amount, the amount of white flour and water must be increased. As a gauge, if no starter is used then the amount of extra flour and water is 3/4 of-a-cup. Consider this a max.
Mix the old starter, all the flour, salt and water together. It will be clumpy. Allow it to rest. Assuming that a mixer is being used, use the dough hook attachment.
Take 1/4 cup of the refreshed starter and refresh THAT as described above. That’ll be for the next batch of bread. After about 15 minutes add the remaining starter to the mixing bowl and turn the mixer on at a low speed. Increase the speed up to a medium speed as the mixture comes together.
The dough will likely go through a puddle phase where the majority of it sits on the bottom of the bowl. Be patient- the dough will gradually gather up until it completely clears the sides of he bowl. It takes about 10 minutes. When this stage is reached continue kneading until the dough repeatedly wraps itself around the bowl and collapses to the bottom where the dough hook picks it up and starts the process over again.
Now put the dough into a tall, clear plastic container (at least 6 quarts) that’s been lightly coated with olive oil. Cover the container and allow to rise for at least 2 hours. The rise time can go as long as 5 hours before the proofing stage is adversely affected. The dough should at least double in this time.
When the rise is completed, prepare a cooking sheet by lining it with parchment paper and then sprinking the parchment with flour. Next, pour the dough onto a well floured surface (not the cooking sheet!) and shape it into a rough rectangle. Then bill fold it. Don’t work the dough anymore than is necessary to shape it. The more it’s messed with, the heavier the final product will be. Place the shaped dough onto the cooking sheet, dust with flour and cover lightly with plastic wrap. I also like to put rolled up dish towels under the parchment paper on either side of the dough to keep it from spreading out. The dough is done proofing when it is puffy and noticably increased in volume. Sorry, I can’t specify a time any better than at least 25 minutes and as mush as an hour.
As the proofing nears completion, preheat the oven to 425. Put a cast iron skillet on the bottom rack. When all is ready, remove the plastic wrap (I can’t stress how important this step is) and slice the loaf about 1/4″ deep. Don’t try to cut that deep in a single pass. Throw a handful of ice cubes into the skillet and then put the dough into the oven. The ice in the skillet will simulate the steam created when dough hits the hot stone in a traditional stone oven.
The bread is done when the loaf is a dark brown. Typically about 25 to 30 minutes. After removing it from the oven, remove the bread from the cooking sheet and allow it to set and cool, covered with a dish towel for about 25 minutes.
This bread makes an excellent sandwich bread, but it is also excellent with cream cheese in the morning. It stays fresh for about 4 days if kept in plastic bread bags. Given the yield for this recipe, that’s about right for a family of four that enjoys bread.
Enjoy.