Fran's Sourdough 2.0

Equipment

Large mixing bowl

Bread Whisk

Spatula or Bowl Scraper

Banneton Basket

Banneton liner / Kitchen roll can also be used instead

Proofing Cover / Cling film 

Dutch Oven

Silicone Bread Sling / Greaseproof paper cut to fit your dutch oven

Bread Lame / Sharp Knife

Cooling rack

Method

Mixing the dough: 

1. Add your active starter and water into a bowl and whisk until frothy, using a bread whisk. 

2. Add the flour and mix with the bread whisk until a shaggy dough forms. Then stretch and fold lightly until the dough is a little less shaggy and sticky. (It should stick more to itself than your hands)

3. Leave covered with a proofing cover / cling film for 30 - 60 mins until the dough has doubled in size.

Stretch and fold the dough: 

4. Add the Salt at the first stretch and fold (4-6 stretch and folds) 

5. Cover and leave for 30 mins and repeat the stretch and folds again

6. Cover and leave for 30 mins and then start coil and folds (4-6)

7. Cover and leave for 30 mins and then do the last round of coil and folds. 

8. Cover and leave to bulk ferment for 6-8 hours (dependent on Room Temp) to bulk ferment until the dough is bubbly/jiggly and tripled in size.

Shape and cold proof: 

9. Scrape dough onto clean counter (do not flour counter).

10. Stretch the dough into a sheet, fold it lengthways into thirds, and roll up the dough to start the first rough shaping. 

11. Leave on the counter covered with the bowl for 30 minutes 

12. Repeat Step 10 and shape into the shape suitable for your floured (plain flour) banneton basket, and place it in the basket and gently flour (plain flour) the top of the dough in the basket. 

13. Cover your dough loosely with clingfilm or a banneton bonnet and put in the fridge overnight to cold proof (minimum 12 hours). 

Scoring and baking: 

14. Preheat the oven with the dutch oven inside it to 220 Fan and preheat the dutch oven for 20 mins after temp is reached 

15. Take the dough out of the fridge just before baking, dust with rice flour, score and put into the dutch oven to bake from cold. 

16. Bake for 30 minutes covered 

17. Uncover and bake a further 20 minutes or until the right colour is achieved

18. Remove from dutch oven immediately and leave to cool on rack for at least 3-4 hours. 

Top Tip: Knock on the bottom of your loaf, if it sounds hollow it is a very good indicator it is done. Your loaf will make cracking sounds as it starts to cool this is normal and the sign of a good crust.