EZ Starter
You need: filtered, no-chlorine water and whole wheat flour.
Mix 1/4 cup of 99-degree water and 1/2 cup whole wheat (or rye) flour.
Make sure to stick to a thick paste and cover loosely.
Once it becomes bubbly (around 1-2 days), or if liquid floats on top (or both), it's time to feed it again.
So give it another 1/4 cup of water and 1/2 cup of flour and wait for it to grow.
The next day, remove half and repeat the water and flour.
Do this for the next four to five days.
If it doesn't get hungry, wait a day or two before feeding again.
To make some bread:
- Add 1/2 cup of starter (120 grams) to a large bowl.
- Add 310 ml or 1/3 cup of 90-degree water
- Stir to distribute the starter
- Add 4 cups or 520 grams plus 2 tbsp bread flour
- Add 2 tsp fine seasalt
- Mix until it forms a shaggy dough and there is still some flour showing
- Dampen a towel (squeeze out excess), cover and sit at room temperature for 1 hour to hydrate (it may still seem floury)
- After an hour, wet your hands and begin the folding process: Lifting the dough like a clock, starting at the edge top, or at noon, and moving around clockwise, tucking into the middle; this is an under and over motion and should bring a little height into play.
- Cover with damp towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
- Repeat the stretch and fold 2-4 more times, with 20 minute rest periods in between.
- Pull out and place in a clean bowl and sit on the counter for 6-8 hours and up to 12 hours (it can be proofed in the oven but keep an eye on it- you do not want to over-proof)
- Wet hands again and lift up the dough, placing it on the counter and sprinkle with a little flour; turn into a ball, shaping under to create a ball with a flat bottom by rotating it and tightening it
- Place in bread bowl or patterned bread basket (floured) to rise: cover with plastic and place in fridge for up to 24-36 hours
- When ready to get baking, set out at room temperature and turn into a parchment-lined cast-iron pot (not one that has ceramic) and bake at 400 on middle rack for 20-30 minutes
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Another Recipe
This is not a true sour dough but it is tasty.
- Place your Dutch oven in the oven and preheat both to 450 degrees (around 1/2 hour)
- Using a higher protein (3%) flour (like Gold Medal) begin mixing:
- 4 cups flour and 2 cups plain Kefir until a shaggy dough forms.
- Cover tightly and refrigerate at least four hours.
- Wet your hands and fold using the above process, doing it in the bowl as above
- Keep doing this until the pull and fold method renders the dough smoothe.
- Lightly flour a surface and turn out seam down
- Flour hands and form into a tight ball.
- Place on sheet of parchment and lower into the Dutch oven
- Lid up and cook at 450 for 30 minutes-make sure it covered!
- Remove lid and bake 15-20 minutes more.
- Allow to cool in the Dutch oven before removing.
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Small batch starter
In a small container, add together 1 tbsp water (warm) and 1 tbsp flour
Leave covered for 24 hours
On days 2 and 3 add the same amount of water and flour and stir and wait for another 24 hours one time a day
On days 4-7, add 1 tbsp water and flour two times per day
By day 8 it should double with each feeding
Use and feed, no discarding necessary