Farm Dream Sourdough Bread Recipe by Claire Fagin
(makes 2 loaves)
The night before, make your leaven by mixing
-50-80g (basically a heaping spoonful) of sourdough starter
-200g purified, warm (70-80°) water
-200g unbleached, organic all-purpose flour
Stir to combine, cover with a moist paper towel with a kitchen towel over that, and store in a warm place (I store mine in the oven that’s OFF but has the light ON) overnight.
The next morning, make your dough by mixing
-200g of your leaven
-700g purified, warm (70-80°) water
-1000g unbleached, organic all-purpose flour
Mix with your hand to combine. At this point, your dough will feel shaggy, super sticky, and a little bit dry. That’s okay! You’re doing it right. Once mostly combined, cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm spot to sit for 30 minutes.
When the 30 minutes has passed, mix
-50g purified, warm (70-80°) water
-25g salt
together, dissolving as much of the salt as you can into the water, and add this saltwater to your dough (making sure to scrape all of the salt into your dough). Using your hands, mix your dough, squeezing all of the salt water into your dough. Your dough will start to feel moist, fluffy, and easy to combine. Once everything is fully mixed together, cover your dough and place in a warm spot for the first bulk fermentation.
The first fermentation will take a total of 4 hours, but every half hour for the first three hours, you’ll perform stretch and folds on your dough. Wet your hands before handling the dough at this stage, so they don’t stick too much! Aim to perform 4 stretch and folds per 30 minute mark. To see a visual of the stretch and fold method, refer to the video. Here is the schedule of when your stretch and folds should happen during your first bulk fermentation:
0:00 place dough in warm spot for first fermentation
0:30 take dough out of warm spot, stretch and fold 4x, and place dough back in warm spot
1:00 take dough out of warm spot, stretch and fold 4x, and place dough back in warm spot
1:30 take dough out of warm spot, stretch and fold 4x, and place dough back in warm spot
2:00 take dough out of warm spot, stretch and fold 4x, and place dough back in warm spot
2:30 take dough out of warm spot, stretch and fold 4x, and place dough back in warm spot
3:00 take dough out of warm spot, stretch and fold 4x, and place dough back in warm spot
For the last hour of the 4 hour rise, you will leave your dough alone!
After the bulk rise, it’s time to divide and shape your dough to prepare it for it’s final fermentation.
On a clean, floured surface, turn out your dough and divide it into two equal parts using a bench scraper.
Flour your hands at this stage, so they don’t stick too much! The first step in shaping your dough is to tuck the sides underneath the dough to create a round shape. Once you have a round shape, you will knead your dough by pushing away from yourself with your palm, and pulling in towards yourself with your fingers. Refer to the video to see a visual of this! This kneading motion will help your dough build tension, which is what gives you a springy, spongey final product. Once both loaves are rounded and kneaded, let them sit out on the counter for 30 minutes to rest.
Once the 30 minutes has passed, stretch each loaf into a rectangular shape. Fold the top and bottom of your rectangle of dough in towards the center, and roll the right side of your dough over to the left side. Refer to the video for a visual! Now that your dough is back into a ball shape, place it seam side down into generously floured proofing basket (or a colander lined with a kitchen towel!), and place in your warm spot for 4 more hours, untouched.
When you have 30 minutes left of your final, 4 hour fermentation, preheat your oven to 500° with your dutch oven inside (lid on). When your four hours is up and your oven/dutch oven are both at 500°, turn your dough (one at a time- it’s okay if one loaf sits while the other bakes!) out onto a piece of parchment paper. Using your lame, score the top of your dough so steam can escape during baking, and place the dough (on the parchment paper) into your HOT dutch oven! Use caution, but also work quickly during this stage as you don’t want your dough to flatten too much between the time its turned out of the proofing basket to the time it’s in the dutch oven baking!
Place your bread/dutch oven into your 500° oven, and immediately reduce the temperature to 425°. Bake for 20 minutes with the dutch oven lid ON, and 25 minutes with the dutch oven lid OFF.
Once baked, remove your bread from the dutch oven, and repeat for the second loaf.
Remember! I know it’s so hard to wait to cut into your bread, but the cooling of the bread is still a part of the baking process! Allowing your bread to cool gives you a fluffier, more moist bread. If you cut it open too quickly, it can become gummy, and a bit too chewy! Once cooled, slather with a BUNCH of butter, sprinkle with salt, and ENJOY! You did it!
To store, allow your bread to sit out on a cooling rack or a cutting board overnight with a kitchen towel over it so it can cool completely, and the following morning, place it in a ziplock bag or a tupperware to preserve its freshness.
Woohoo! You’re a bread baker!