When I first took interest in sourdough bread, I researched and researched. Making sure I understood all the things involved in making it and checking to see what items I needed to have in order to make it. Then I dove right in, made my first loaf and ……….. hated it ! It was (of coarse) sour, and the crust was tough. So I tried a few more loaves and didn’t make any more, because we didn’t like it. Then I just continued to research because I knew it would be good for us to eat and finally came across some different recipes and we were HOOKED !!
Below is one of those recipes. Adding Honey seemed to be what we needed. It helps sweeten the bread and also kept the crust nice and soft.
We use His Saving Grains Whole Cell Crushed Wheat #1 and HSG Whole Cell Crushed Whole Wheat which adds to the nutritional benefits of the sourdough bread since it contains LIVE NUTRITION
It is always best to measure ingredients on a scale for accuracy
1 cup (125g) starter
1 1/3 cups (325g) water
2 tsp (10g) salt
2 1/2 cups (390g) Whole Cell Crushed Wheat #1
1 cup (85g) Whole Cell Crushed Whole Wheat (I put this in the blender for 5-10 seconds to make the bran smaller.
(Optional-using only Wheat #1= 3 1/2 c)
2 Tbsp – 1/4 cup (22g – 84g)) honey (I consistently use the 84g and we love it )
- Combine all ingredients, Mix thoroughly. Cover with plastic, let rest for 30 min.
- Then do 4 sets of stretch and folds with WET HANDS every 30 min.
- Cover and let rise (Bulk ferment) 6-12 hours in a warm place until doubled.
- Shape dough with wet hands by folding it onto itself and roll into a ball. Place on a towel in a banneton or bowl, cover with plastic and place in refrigerator (cold ferment) overnight.
- Remove dough from refrigerator, turn over onto parchment paper and score with a sharp knife or lame. Place in dutch oven and add 3 ice cubes on the outside of the parchment paper.
- With lid on place into a cold oven, set temperature to 425° F for 50 minutes (which includes the time it takes the oven to come to temperature). Remove lid and bake an additional 10-20 min or longer depending on how dark you would like your crust. Internal bread temperature should be 205-210° F.
Tips:
- To keep the bread from getting over done on the bottom, use metal trivet or crush aluminum foil and place in the bottom of the dutch oven.
- For extra steam add 3 ice cubes to the bottom of the dutch oven.
