Prep Time : 30 Minutes | Cook Time : 30 Minutes | Total Time : 18 hours | Difficulty : Moderate
Hello my lovelies! This recipe is kinda part two of the sourdough introduction. My basic everyday loaf. A jumping off point. A canvas. This is a simple overnight sourdough that is baked the following afternoon. It’s the right balance of flavour and convenience for me. I have very limited fridge space so chilling dough over a second night is almost never an option for me. The first step is to make a pre-ferment the night before. This step has a lot of names depending on country and style. For ease I will always call the step you do the night before the pre-ferment. If you see names like poolish or biga in other recipes they are referring to the pre-ferment step of the recipe. Refer to this post about maintaining your starter so it’s always ready to go.
This recipe makes one good sized round or oval loaf but you can easily double it if you wish to make two at a time. We are baking in a cast iron casserole dish with a lid for this and many of the other sourdough recipes that will follow it. It is a worthwhile investment if you want to make sourdough a regular part of your life. Refer to this post for more on equipment for baking breads and what to look for. I recommend one that is around 5 litres in capacity. This post will be a bit word heavy as I cover off all the basics. Bear with me. There’s toast at the end..
First up is making the pre-ferment. It’s super easy. It involves fermenting part of the flour and part of the water with the starter overnight to develop flavour and get the starter going on a smaller portion of the dough so its ready to ball the next morning. The pre-ferment shouldn’t be more that 30% of the total flour because the fermentation slowly breaks down gluten and your final dough won’t have much structure. If your loaf includes a ‘flavour flour’ like some rye or some barley or some buckwheat you should put that flour in the pre-ferment as it will develop the flavour more. In this loaf we are putting the whole wheat part into the pre-ferment.
Just before bed mix the ingredients for the pre-ferment in a large bowl. It will look like a pasty goo in the bottom of the bowl. If the weather is cold use warm water for this step to give it a head start. If it’s warm just use cold water. Cover the bowl and leave it overnight.
In the morning it will have risen up and when you look underneath there will be bubbles all through it.
Measure the flour on top of the pre-ferment into the same bowl. I deliberately proportion my pre-ferment so that it will all be used in the recipe. Because I maintain my starter separately since I use it for all sorts of things I don’t need to retain a portion of it to be my new starter. And it just saves mucking around weighing it in the morning.
Divide the warm water into two bowls one with 180 grams in it and one with 35 grams in it. Dissolve the malt syrup in the larger amount and add it to the bowl. Dissolve the salt in the smaller amount and set it aside for now.
Mix everything in the bowl together to make a dough. Work it in the bowl with your hand for 2 to 3 minutes until it starts to resist you a bit. This is a minimal bit of kneading. This dough doesn’t need as much kneading as the long ferment develops gluten as well. Gluten is formed and strengthened by the presence of water but it takes time. So we are looking for a balance of active and passive to suit how long our dough will ferment for. Cover the bowl and leave it for about 30 minutes. Salt affects gluten a bit and if your starter isn’t robust it’s good to give it a chance to start feeding on the fresh flour without having to deal with the salt straight away. My starter is a beast so sometimes I just throw it in with the flour if I’m in a hurry.
Add the water with the salt dissolved in it and knead to distribute it thoroughly. This gives you a few more minutes of kneading to round out the process.You will notice that the dough has lost it’s stickiness because the flour has absorbed the water.Cover the bowl and leave it to ferment for 2 hours in a warm place. If you leave it for 3 because you got busy that’s fine. If you leave it for 90 minutes because you need to be somewhere later that’s fine too. It will affect the final result a bit and you can experiment to see what you like over time. Err on the shorter side in warm weather.
After 2 hours is up you need to start stretching. This wakes the gluten back up and traps pockets of air in the dough so that when you bake the loaf it will have a lovely open structure. You need to do four sets of folds in all. Do them around 20 to 30 minutes apart. No one will die if you are distracted and one of them is a bit later. To do a set of folds moisten your hand and reach under the dough on the side of the bowl furthest from you. Pull a handful up and fold it down towards yourself onto the rest of the dough.
Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Go all around the bowl doing four folds in all. Cover and leave for 20 minutes and then repeat until you’ve done four sets. Cover and leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes or so.
Put the oven on to 250C (485F). Put your clean cast iron casserole dish in the oven including the lid to heat up. If you have a cane or pressed conifer proving basket then dust this liberally with flour. Rub it it well so it coats the surface. If you don’t then dust a linen tea towel heavily with flour and lay it into a medium bowl.
To shape a loaf I like to dust the bench heavily with flour and then turn the dough out onto the flour. I then use my fingers to pinch the dough together on top. This will create a taught surface on the bottom of the dough which is also well floured. Shape the loaf to fit your basket or bowl. Don’t handle the dough more than you need to. We want to retain the air bubbles that are in there so they can expand into a lovely open crumb when we bake.
Lift it gently into the proving basket or bowl and lay it flour side down. You will be inverting this later so the smooth side that is on the bottom now will become the top later.
Cover and leave to rise for between 40 minutes and an hour. It shouldn’t double in size but will be about half as big again. You will get to know what this looks like with practice. I know that a loaf this size is ready to bake when it crests out of the basket I use by about an inch.
Cut a piece of baking paper big enough that as several inches clearance in either side of your unbaked loaf. You need room for handles. Lay the paper over the top of your dough.
Support the dough with one hand and use the other to gently tip the basket/bowl over. Do this near the bench surface so the dough doesn’t fall.
You will feel the dough release from the surface of the basket/bowl. If it doesn’t just give it a few seconds to let go. Don’t pull on the basket or tea towel.
If you wish to slash your loaf you can. It helps control how the loaf will rise and adds some flair. We could all do with some flair. Use the very sharpest serrated knife you have or a razor blade with a sticking plaster on one side. I have tried all sorts of other craft knife and Stanley knife blades and they aren’t a patch on a razor blade. Please keep a dedicated container out of reach of small hands to store them in.
Right now we need to quickly do a thing. Put a wire rack on the bench next to the oven. Open the oven door and take out your pan and set it on the rack. Remove the lid and set that on the rack next to it. Quickly lift your loaf by the baking paper and lower it gently into the pan.
Put the lid back on and put it back in the oven and shut the door. Bake for 15 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid and behold your beautiful well risen loaf.
Bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes with the lid off. I always go for the longer time to get a good dark crust. The malt syrup/honey we put in will help the crust develop as well.
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. You should let the loaf cool completely before slicing. I know I know. Cooking is still happening in the middle of the hot loaf. Cutting it while it’s warm can squish the crumb and let excess moisture escape so the un-eaten part will be drier.
Now go make some toast.
Like this recipe? Pin for later or Print for right now:
30% Whole Wheat Sourdough
Prep Time : 30 mins | Cook Time : 30 mins | Total Time : 18 hours | Difficulty : Moderate
Makes : 1 medium loaf
Crispy outside, soft nutty inside with a classic open sourdough crumb – the perfect everyday loaf.
Ingredients:
For the preferment:
- 150 grams whole wheat flour
- 160 grams tepid water
- 50 grams sourdough starter
For the dough:
- All of the preferment
- 350 grams bread flour
- 215 grams tepid water, divided
- 10 grams fine salt
- 1 teaspoon malt syrup or honey
– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients –
Equipment:
- Bowls and spoons
- Electronic scale
- Large cast iron casserole dish with lid (approx. 5 litre capacity)
- Proving basket or bowl lined with a linen tea-towel
- Baking paper
Directions:
First up is making the pre-ferment. It’s super easy. It involves fermenting part of the flour and part of the water with the starter overnight to develop flavour and get the starter going on a smaller portion of the dough so its ready to ball the next morning. The pre-ferment shouldn’t be more that 30% of the total flour because the fermentation slowly breaks down gluten and your final dough won’t have much structure. If your loaf includes a ‘flavour flour’ like some rye or some barley or some buckwheat you should put that flour in the pre-ferment as it will develop the flavour more. In this loaf we are putting the whole wheat part into the pre-ferment.
Just before bed mix the ingredients for the pre-ferment in a large bowl. It will look like a pasty goo in the bottom of the bowl. If the weather is cold use warm water for this step to give it a head start. If it’s warm just use cold water. Cover the bowl and leave it overnight.
In the morning it will have risen up and when you look underneath there will be bubbles all through it.
Measure the flour on top of the pre-ferment into the same bowl. I deliberately proportion my pre-ferment so that it will all be used in the recipe. Because I maintain my starter separately since I use it for all sorts of things I don’t need to retain a portion of it to be my new starter. And it just saves mucking around weighing it in the morning.
Divide the warm water into two bowls one with 180 grams in it and one with 35 grams in it. Dissolve the malt syrup in the larger amount and add it to the bowl. Dissolve the salt in the smaller amount and set it aside for now.
Mix everything in the bowl together to make a dough. Work it in the bowl with your hand for 2 to 3 minutes until it starts to resist you a bit. This is a minimal bit of kneading. This dough doesn’t need as much kneading as the long ferment develops gluten as well. Gluten is formed and strengthened by the presence of water but it takes time. So we are looking for a balance of active and passive to suit how long our dough will ferment for. Cover the bowl and leave it for about 30 minutes. Salt affects gluten a bit and if your starter isn’t robust it’s good to give it a chance to start feeding on the fresh flour without having to deal with the salt straight away. My starter is a beast so sometimes I just throw it in with the flour if I’m in a hurry.
Add the water with the salt dissolved in it and knead to distribute it thoroughly. This gives you a few more minutes of kneading to round out the process.You will notice that the dough has lost it’s stickiness because the flour has absorbed the water.Cover the bowl and leave it to ferment for 2 hours in a warm place. If you leave it for 3 because you got busy that’s fine. If you leave it for 90 minutes because you need to be somewhere later that’s fine too. It will affect the final result a bit and you can experiment to see what you like over time. Err on the shorter side in warm weather.
After 2 hours is up you need to start stretching. This wakes the gluten back up and traps pockets of air in the dough so that when you bake the loaf it will have a lovely open structure. You need to do four sets of folds in all. Do them around 20 to 30 minutes apart. No one will die if you are distracted and one of them is a bit later. To do a set of folds moisten your hand and reach under the dough on the side of the bowl furthest from you. Pull a handful up and fold it down towards yourself onto the rest of the dough.
Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Go all around the bowl doing four folds in all. Cover and leave for 20 minutes and then repeat until you’ve done four sets. Cover and leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes or so.
Put the oven on to 250C (485F). Put your clean cast iron casserole dish in the oven including the lid to heat up. If you have a cane or pressed conifer proving basket then dust this liberally with flour. Rub it it well so it coats the surface. If you don’t then dust a linen tea towel heavily with flour and lay it into a medium bowl.
To shape a loaf I like to dust the bench heavily with flour and then turn the dough out onto the flour. I then use my fingers to pinch the dough together on top. This will create a taught surface on the bottom of the dough which is also well floured. Shape the loaf to fit your basket or bowl. Don’t handle the dough more than you need to. We want to retain the air bubbles that are in there so they can expand into a lovely open crumb when we bake.
Lift it gently into the proving basket or bowl and lay it flour side down. You will be inverting this later so the smooth side that is on the bottom now will become the top later.
Cover and leave to rise for between 40 minutes and an hour. It shouldn’t double in size but will be about half as big again. You will get to know what this looks like with practice. I know that a loaf this size is ready to bake when it crests out of the basket I use by about an inch.
Cut a piece of baking paper big enough that as several inches clearance in either side of your unbaked loaf. You need room for handles. Lay the paper over the top of your dough.
Support the dough with one hand and use the other to gently tip the basket/bowl over. Do this near the bench surface so the dough doesn’t fall.
You will feel the dough release from the surface of the basket/bowl. If it doesn’t just give it a few seconds to let go. Don’t pull on the basket or tea towel.
If you wish to slash your loaf you can. It helps control how the loaf will rise and adds some flair. We could all do with some flair. Use the very sharpest serrated knife you have or a razor blade with a sticking plaster on one side. I have tried all sorts of other craft knife and Stanley knife blades and they aren’t a patch on a razor blade. Please keep a dedicated container out of reach of small hands to store them in.
Right now we need to quickly do a thing. Put a wire rack on the bench next to the oven. Open the oven door and take out your pan and set it on the rack. Remove the lid and set that on the rack next to it. Quickly lift your loaf by the baking paper and lower it gently into the pan.
Put the lid back on and put it back in the oven and shut the door. Bake for 15 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid and behold your beautiful well risen loaf.
Bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes with the lid off. I always go for the longer time to get a good dark crust. The malt syrup/honey we put in will help the crust develop as well.
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. You should let the loaf cool completely before slicing. I know I know. Cooking is still happening in the middle of the hot loaf. Cutting it while it’s warm can squish the crumb and let excess moisture escape so the un-eaten part will be drier.
Now go make some toast.
Cook’s Notes:
- Practice practice practice. You will learn what your dough looks and feels like when it’s right for the loaf you want. Every loaf will be delicious on the way.
- This recipe is at it’s best with whole wheat flour which you can order from Wholegrain Organics and get at places like Commonsense Organics but it is still delicious with wholemeal flour – you may find yourself adding a little more water though.
- To bake this dough in a loaf pan, grease a large loaf pan with refined coconut oil and shape the loaf and place it in the pan. Cover and prove and then bake in the tin at 240C for approx. 25 to 30 minutes until well browned on top.
– Keep your sourdough loaf in a cloth bag or wrapped in a tea towel inside a paper bag. If you aren’t going to eat it in 5 or so days freeze the loaf whole or sliced for toasting later –
Adapted from all the bread books ever.
© 2018 Wellington Bakehouse. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.
That is beautiful. I have never baked a bread in a pot before!
Thanks! It traps steam around the loaf which improves oven spring and gives a crisp crust 🙂
I didn’t know that!
It’s a great magic trick – makes a real difference – and you don’t need to faff around putting dishes of water in the bottom of the oven or buying a spendy steam oven!
That looks flipping delicious! I’ve not come across malt syrup before. I bet that makes it taste AMAZING.
Thanks! Its one of those things they used to give kids because it has “vitamins” in it but it’s really good for baking 😀
I’m also thinking that transferring the dough into the casserole dish the way you do might make more sense that my ‘chuck it in direct from the proving basket’ technique I use!! There’s always significant deflation. 😄