Artisan Sourdough Made Simple

As a rule of thumb, it’s best to feed your starter with the same flour it’s made of. When you created your starter, whole wheat flour was used to initially jumpstart the fermentation process. Then, it was fed all-purpose flour to foster healthy and balanced bacteria within the culture. You’ll want to continue feeding your starter with all-purpose f

Once the dough has completed the first rest, give it a quick knead in the bowl. The idea is to work the dough, folding it over several times, pressing your fingertips into the center as you go. Don’t worry about technique here. Just keep moving the dough around until the gluten begins to tighten, which will indicate that it’s time to stop. That’s y

Many breads baked in covered pots require the pot to be preheated beforehand. You can skip that step. Although a preheated pot allows for the dough to expand on contact, you’ll get comparable results, avoiding the inevitable wrist burns.

life happens and you run out of time to bake, you can always chill the dough during the second rise. This is also known as retarding the dough.

Bread flour is most commonly used by bread bakers, for its high gluten and protein content. It creates a strong dough, giving better structure and overall height to your bread. It also promotes a more chewy texture.

Not all doughs look the same when the bulk rise is complete, but many share the same characteristics. Here are a few key signs to look for: • An increase in growth, about double in size • Dough no longer looks dense but rather is soft and pillowy • Plenty of bubbles throughout the dough to show aeration • A few bubbles on the surface, typical of we

The bulk rise, otherwise known as the first rise or bulk fermentation, is when most of the gluten development takes place. “Gluten” refers to the protein strands found in wheat, essential for overall structure and height. Rush the bulk rise, and you’ll end up with a brick so flat the squirrels won’t even touch it.

Consider using a smaller mixing bowl, about 8 inches (20 cm) wide, or rising the dough in a tall, clear container with measuring marks. This way you’ll know exactly how much the dough has grown.

In my experience, the second rise is based on the length of the bulk rise. Using our earlier benchmark, at room temperature, the second rise can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour for round and oval-shaped loaves. If you’re making sandwich bread, it can take 1 to 2 hours, or until the dough rises above the rim of the pan. So, the bottom line?