Traditional sourdough

Based on NYT Cooking & Sarah.

Day 1 Prepare the active mixture  

If your sourdough starter is in the fridge and decant approx. 100 grams of it into a clean, clear container. Stir in 100 grams of room-temperature water until the starter is evenly mixed then stir in 100 grams of white flour until you have a smooth paste – you have fed your starter.

Cover the container loosely with a lid and let sit at room temperature. It will bubble a lot and usually doubles in volume so make sure there is room for that! Normally this takes 4 or so hours depending on your kitchen’s temperature. Leave out overnight.

Day 2: Mix and Rest Your Dough

2 loaves

700g bread flour
300 g mix of whole grain flours
200 g ripe starter
750 g lukewarm water
20 g salt

1 loaF

400g bread flour
100 g mix of whole grain flours
150 g ripe starter
325-350 g lukewarm water
20 g salt

If your starter is on the counter you can feed it first thing in the morning the day you make your dough, as above.

Once your starter is bubbling, about 4-5 hours later, weigh out white bread flour and mix of whole grain flours (rye, ancient grain, red fife etc.). Add lukewarm water to the flours & mix. It is very sticky & called an autolyse. Mix until there are no dry spots. Cover with a damp dish towel, and let sit at least 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Add your active starter to the bowl with the flour-water mixture. Stirring it or pinching it with your hand and rotating the bowl with the other. Mix until the starter is completely incorporated.

Put any leftover starter back in with the mixture in the fridge – that means you have fed your mixture. This mixture is sometimes called the ‘mother’.

Sprinkle 20 grams salt across the dough, and pinch/mix to incorporate. You can mix the salt with a touch of water to dissolve it. Sometimes this is easier to incorporate. Cover with a damp towel and let sit for 10 minutes.

Mix the dough: slide a wet hand down along the inside of the bowl and underneath the dough. Grasp a handful and stretch it upward until you feel resistance, then fold it back onto the dough mass. Repeat this motion continuously for 10 minutes, rotating the bowl about 90 degrees each time. As you work the dough, it will progress from very slack and sticky to smoother and more elastic. This can be done in a stand mixer with a dough hook on the slowest setting.