Dutch Oven Sourdough Starter Recipe That I Use Every Week.
There are a few homemade bread baking tricks that can make the difference between a dull loaf and a spectacular one. One has a powerful baking surface for a beautiful bottom crust, while the other creates a steamy atmosphere for a tall loaf. Satisfying these demands may seem like a daunting task or may require expensive equipment, but in fact, you can accomplish both tasks with one common kitchen utensil: a Dutch oven.
Why you should bake bread in a Dutch oven
A durable baking surface, such as a baking stone, is easy enough to find, but a steam-injected oven, such as those found in bakeries, is not as common in the home. The steam is needed to ensure that the loaf of bread rises completely and cracks exactly where you cut it. The moist air allows the oven to warm up, and that’s the last time your bread will rise after all that proofing. Without moisture, the bread will immediately form a dry crust, which will hinder the oven spring. This can slow down the rise of the loaf and also cause it to tear at an unintended seam as the inside of the bread begins to rise after a few minutes. Moist air in the first five to ten minutes of baking ensures that the crust does not form too early and the dough can expand as much as possible.
There’s an old pot of water trick where you pour water into a hot pan in the oven in hopes that it will steam while the bread bakes, but I find that this isn’t always enough because the oven takes up such a large space and the steam escapes quickly. If only you had a small enclosed space made of durable material to trap the bread’s natural moisture and distribute the heat evenly. Oh. Right.
A Dutch oven is a baking stone and a steam generator rolled into one. (And if you don’t already have one, here are some affordable options .) The Dutch oven makes a huge difference in the rise of my sourdough starter compared to the stone and pot baking method.
How to Bake Bread in a Dutch Oven
You can bake any yeast bread in a Dutch oven (and a ton of other things ), just make sure the loaf isn’t too big for your pan. A round loaf of bread, fully proofed and ready to bake, should have an inch of clearance all around and a few inches at the top. We’re looking at a lot of lift, so we don’t want the space to be cramped.
Once the bread dough has proofed and shaped, place it on a large piece of parchment paper for a second proof. Then start setting up your oven.
My Dutch oven is quite tall, so I place the rack in the second position from the bottom so I have enough space. About 30 minutes before the bread has finished proofing, cover the Dutch oven and place it in the oven to preheat. Set the oven to the temperature you want. For the starter, I will set the temperature to 450°F. Keep in mind that most Dutch ovens are oven safe at temperatures up to 500°F or higher, but sometimes the handle on the lid does not. Check your brand to be sure. If your lid is not oven safe, cover it with a baking sheet. It’s not ideal, but it’ll do.
When the bread is ready to bake, cut it however you like. I’m partial to square counting. Using oven mitts, carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Remove the cover. Lift the bread by the corners of the parchment paper and lower it into the pan. Cover with a lid (if you are using a pan “lid”, cover it once the pan is in the oven) and place the entire Dutch oven back into the regular oven. Bake for as long as the recipe calls for, but when there are 10 minutes left in baking, remove the lid to allow the bread to brown. Carefully remove the bread from the pan to cool on a wire rack.
My Dutch Oven Sourdough Recipe
This recipe, of course, uses sourdough starter for flavor and leavening. However, if you’re not into storing your starter (and if you want to, but it keeps failing, read this ), then you can simply stir one teaspoon of active dry yeast into a measured amount of water before adding the flour and salt.
Ingredients:
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7 ounces water at room temperature
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4 ounces starter
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10 ounces high gluten flour
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0.25 ounces salt
1. Combine water, starter and flour in a mixer bowl. I use a dough hook and mix until the dry bits are moistened and the dough is shaggy. Leave for 15 minutes. This short autolyse will help hydrate the flour and strengthen the gluten.
2. Install the dough hook and bowl on the machine and run it at first speed. Sprinkle with salt as you stir. Shift the machine to second speed for three minutes, and then to third speed for another three minutes. The dough may stick to the bottom a little at first, which is normal, it will come together by the end.
3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap, a plastic bag, or a hotel shower cap . Place this bowl in a warm place or my favorite mug warmer . Every 45 minutes, fold the dough in half and turn over. This is especially useful for sourdough starters, but if you used active dry yeast, you can leave it as is.
4. Once the dough has doubled in size (usually two to three hours, depending on how active your yeast is), turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough in half to knock out the air. Form the dough into a square and pinch the edges together to make a pouch. Brush off the flour and turn the bag over. Use your hands to tighten the dough skin and form into a ball. Here is my video on shaping the dough . (This is very useful in my opinion.)
5. Place the loaf on a large piece of parchment paper, cover it with a kitchen towel, and cover it with the same piece of plastic you used before. Give this test about 45 minutes or until the fingerprint comes back halfway.
6. While proofing, heat the broiler in a conventional oven. When the bread is ready to bake, score it with a sharp serrated knife or knife. Remove the pan, grab the corners of the parchment paper and lower the loaf into the pan. Cover the roasting pan and place it in the oven to bake for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and leave the bread in the oven to bake for another 10 minutes. Cool the finished loaf on a cooling rack.