Assuming you have grown your own sourdough starter, you are now on your way to a delicious boule of bread!
I follow Jim Lahey’s no-kneed recipe for bread but I substitute my starter for the yeast and I subtract our 100gm and 1/2 cup of water for the flour and water in the starter. The recipe is quite simple:
- 400 gm flour
- 1/2 cup starter (100gm flour, 1/2 cup water)
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 2/3 cup water
Simply combine the starter, flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl. You will want to add the water slowly to get a sticky dough that is not too slimy and wet but is also not dusty with dry flour. Let the dough ferment for 12 hours in a warm place. You really want a good ~72 F. If it is cooler in your home, ferment closer to 18hrs. The dough should expand to almost fill the bowl(choose a big bowl!)
The dough is then folded into a boule. Flop the dough onto a well floured towel and fold it into itself until you end up with a nice round boule with a somewhat taunt top and the seam on the bottom. If your dough is too wet, keep adding flour to the towel as you fold it into the dough. You will let this boule rise for another 2 hrs covered.
About 30-min prior to the end of this second rise, preheat your oven to 475 F. The bread is baked in a dutch oven. The Lodge Combo-Cooker is a great option as is one of several Le Creuset to Lodge dutch ovens. Place the dutch oven in while you preheat. After 30-minuted carefully remove the hot dutch oven from the oven and invert the boule into into it. The seam should now be up.
Bake covered for 30-40 minutes. Uncover and allow the outside to lightly brown for a few more minutes. Remove before anything starts to get too brown or burnt.
Resist the urge to cut into the hot bread. Allow it to cool for an hour or more.
For more detail, you can check out Jim Lahey’s no-kneed recipe or check out King Arthur’s sourdough recipe.