Baking Sour Dough Bread

Just joining? You can catch up:
Sour Dough Starter Day 1
Sour Dough Starter Day 2
Sour Dough Starter Day 3,4,5,6
Sour Dough Starter Day 7
Maintaining Sour Dough Starter



Now that your starter is ready it is time to actually bake a loaf of bread.
There are two things I must emphasize before we get started.

1) Sour dough bread takes a bit of time. Do not bake on a day when you are out running errands. Plan  baking on a day when you are home. There are a few rise times involved so baking this bread is great for days when I am home cleaning or doing laundry.

2) This is an artisan bread. If you want to bake a plain loaf then you can certainly bake this like you would any other dough, but it truly is best when you bake it artisan style. For this you will need a hearth-like oven. You can accomplish this by baking on a stone if possible and adding steam. Placing an empty cast iron skillet on the very bottom rack of your oven will work. You will add some water to that skillet just as you start baking the bread and the steam will create an authentic artisan loaf.

Let's get started!

Sour Dough Bread or Pain au Levain

5 C all purpose flour
3/4 C whole wheat flour
1 3/4 C water
2 1/2 C starter
2 1/2 tsp salt

Combine the flours in a bowl. The whole wheat flour gives the starter a little extra nutrition!
In another bowl combine the starter and the water. Add the flours and mix until combined but not smooth.
Cover with plastic wrap loosely and let rest 20 minutes.

Add salt to the dough and knead until it's smooth. Try not to add flour, you want the dough to be slightly sticky. Adding too much flour will ruin the texture of your bread.
Cover loosely with plastic and let rest 1 hour.

 

Gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

 



Gently flatten the ball of dough out with your fingers. Be gentle so that you do not push all of the air pockets from the dough.

Now that you have a flatter piece of dough, you want to fold it up. Fold one side over, then the opposite side. Repeat with other two sides until you have folded your dough. Be gentle:-)

Your dough should look something like this. Now return it to the bowl, keeping the seam side down. Allow to rest and rise  for an hour. Cover loosely with plastic wrap.

Now it's time to take the dough and form a ball. Gently turn the dough out and fold the sides under until it's a ball shape. Be gentle and do not stress too much about the shape:-)

Now the dough needs a final rise. You can allow it to rise on a lightly floured surface or you can place it in a bowl to rise. The advantage to a bowl is that it will keep a more rounded shape. I use a brotform bowl, which is a bowl  made up of bamboo. Before I had the brotform I would line a bowl or basket with a floured tea towel.

Which ever method you use, you will need to flour the surface. Now the dough will rest for 2 hours. It's time also to prep your oven . Place a cast iron skillet on the bottom rack so that you can place water in it later. Preheat oven to 450.

Turn your dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. You will need to place two slits across the top of the dough. Be quick and decisive and try not to smoosh the dough. These slits will allow the dough to rise and expand while baking.

Place the dough in the oven. Pour about 1 cup or so of water into your skillet or whatever pan you have on your bottom rack. Close the oven door! Steam will be released immediately and this will give your bread a nice, hard artisan crust.
Allow bread to bake about 50 minutes. This is a large loaf and will turn a nice rich color when finished.

Allow bread to cool on a rack. Pat yourself on the back for baking a wonderful loaf of bread from scratch!!!!

Time for an egg in a blanket! Don't forget to feed the little bit of starter you had left! Give it 1 C of warm water and 1 C flour! It will be ready tomorrow for another loaf if you are ready.

I'm a Pastry Chef

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Also, Katie has updated her blog and you can the read the latest HERE!


Now,I am not a fancy, shmancy cook or baker, BUT I do love to eat so I  have a few great recipes up my sleeves. in my arsenal.
Today I will start with that Bread in 5 Minutes a Day book. I really do love the book, and I am the mom who grinds wheat and bakes that healthy stuff a few times a week. There is something about the ease of the book that makes me want to sing. Don't worry, I won't sing. I really do not sing all that well but I can do the Moon Walk. Ask my kids. They LOVE when I do the Moon Walk for them.:-)

Remember a while back I posted on the Artisan Bread? If not, you can read about the yummy stuff HERE. I am using the same book as the basis for my fancy, schmancy bread today.

This bread is what I picture a French pastry to be, especially if you were in France. Perhaps I should say that it is more like the yummy pasrties I see at Sam's Club and Costcos, but I truly believe that we need high goals to reach for so I am going to keep it fancy and French.
***Disclaimer: I know nothing about French food or culture or even language, except what I have learned while watching "Beauty and the Beast" with my children.***

Let's start with dough, and the dough I am using is the Brioche dough in this book.

Brioche is French and it has tons of butter and eggs in it. What's not to like???

In your bread dough container mix these things:
1 1/2 C warm water
1 1/2 TB yeast
1 1/2 TB kosher salt
8 eggs
1/2 C honey
1 1/2 C butter (use REAL butter!)
7 1/2 C all -purpose flour

OK, remember that you need to mix the dough in and incorporate it but DO NOT knead it. This dough is very sticky  and wet. It might also have some clumps in it, but don't worry about it.
Leave it on your counter about an hour and then stick it in the fridge. I HIGHLY suggest you leave it in the fridge overnight. Sticky dough is easier to work with when it is cold.

Now, pretend it's the next day and you are craving a fancy French pastry. Since you are a cultured person who knows how to bake such fancy and wonderful treats you go get your dough out of the fridge.

Now go and get some parchment paper. Actually this Braided Pastry Bread will make 2 loaves so get 2 pieces of parchment paper and sprinkle some flour on it.

Sprinkle some flour over the top of your dough and grab a grapefruit sized portion  and wrap it into a ball around itself. Place it on a piece of floured parchment paper. Repeat these steps for the second loaf.

Now, roll the dough out into a rectangle that measures about 12 inches by 6 inches. It needs to be about 1/4 inch thick. Don't obsess too much over it. Roll out both dough balls. If you need to lightly sprinkle some flour on the dough, go ahead.

BEAUTIFUL!
Now, time to make the filling.

There are 2 items to make.
Raspberry Jam Filling:
Combine 1/2 C raspberry jam with 2 TB flour. Mix well.


Cream Cheese Filling:
Combine
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 TB butter, softened
1/4 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 TB flour
1 egg
Mix these well, until creamy.

Now, take the cream cheese filling and spread half on each rolled dough. Keep it in the middle and about 1/2 inch from the top and bottom edge.

Take the Raspberry filling and put half on each section of cream cheese filling. Again stay in the center.

Now fold the top and the bottom over the filling.

Here comes the fancy braided part. Make slices in the dough all the way down the sides so that you have strips to fold over the filling.

Starting at the top, fold one slice over, then the next slice...alternating between sides. This will give it a braided look.

This is seriously easy but the results are fabulous and it will look like someting even Belle would be proud of!

Let's make it extra special by creating a shiny, sugary crust.
Combine an egg with 1 Tb water and brush it all over the top of the dough then sprinkle some sugar on top.

Okay, this might be a little TOO much sugar, but this is what happens when you let your 11 year old sprinkle sugar. By the way, kids are also this generous with glitter while doing craft projects as well as sprinkles on cupcakes and cookies.

Bake these loaves for about 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Let the crusts get a nice golden brown.

Allow it to cool. It is really good warm as well as cooled off.

French Pastry. You are now an official pastry chef, at I think so. Don't feel like you must only use raspberry jam, either. This would be good with almost any jam or even lemon curd. I once made it with apple pie filling and omitted the cream cheese filling. It was very good.

5 minutes is all it takes to whip up this yummy and rich Brioche dough. Try it!

Artisan Bread Part 2

As promised here is the part where you can bake your bread. If you missed part 1, then READ IT HERE.

Get your dough out of the fridge and also get a piece of parchment paper out to bake your bread on. If you don't have parchment paper, don't sweat it. You will need to flour whatever pan or stone you wish to bake the bread on. Then when you go to the store get some parchment paper! It makes baking tons easier!

Now get a little flour and sprinkle it on top of the dough.

Now reach into the dough with your hand and grab about a grapefruit sized portion of dough.

Now fold the sides down and around to make a smooth ball with the seams at the bottom. This should only take seconds....don't obsess over it:-)

Okay, you are ready to place the dough on the paper or baking sheet and let it rest about an hour. Also, preheat your oven to 450. Yep, 450!

If you feel impatient or very, very hungry you can let it rest only 45 minutes:-)

Now that it has rested you can make three slits into the dough with a serrated knife. Be quick and firm...don't hesitate!

Now, let's discuss the oven. I use an oven stone. It's a stone that I keep on my rack to bake bread on. I bake everyday so it's useful. Before I had an "official" oven stone I kept a rectangular stone in my oven that I bought years ago from The Pampered Chef. You do not have to use a stone. You can bake this bread on a baking sheet or on a stone. The stone lends a more artisan look and texture. Here is my set up.

I have my stone and also have a broiler pan on the rack underneath. Water can be poured into the broiler pan just as the dough is placed on the stone. This creates steam which in turn creates a very hard crust. This crust on the bread will be hard even without the steam..so use what you have and it will be perfect!

 Place your slit dough loaves into the oven. (I always make 2 loaves for my crew at lunch time)

If you are using steam, then pour about a cup of water into the broiler pan just before closing the oven door.


Allow the bread to bake 30-40 minutes. It will smell yummy and will turn a nice golden brown. Do not worry too much about drying this bread out by overcooking. Remember that you started with a wet dough and it is pretty forgiving.

When it's done take it out and allow it to cool on a wire rack.

It's difficult to slice if it is hot, so at least restrain yourself a bit and allow it to get to the warm stage. I speak from experience! As with all homemade breads I recommend you slice it with an electric knife, but any serrated knife will do. Enjoy!!

Let me know how hooked you become:-)