Your First Sourdough Loaf!

First of all congrats! You made your own starter and you believe it is finally ready to bake with after at least 14 days of consistent feeding. I made this recipe specifically for those who are learning to bake sourdough for the first time. The recipe and method may seem like it includes a lot of detail, however I want you to learn these steps so that your first sourdough loaf is great not just "okay".

Because it can be tricky to learn the signs and techniques for your first sourdough loaf, this sourdough loaf will be with AP or bread-flour and is only a 70% hydration recipe. Lower hydration recipes are easier to learn and manage, and as you get more experienced you can increase the hydration in your recipe. Keep in mind the higher hydration you use the  dough will generally ferment faster. 

Because this is a low hydration recipe it will take time to ferment so you will need to starter early in the day. If your home is cold that will add to the time. Try to keep your dough in a warm spot about 22-25 C.

Ingredients:
400 Grams flour
280 Grams water + 5-10 grams during handling.
9 grams kosher salt
70 grams stiff starter at peak

Autolyse
Mix your flour with water until it the water is completely absorbed and there are no more dry spots. Cover and allow it to rest for at least an hour or more. This process is called "Autolyse" it is allows the water to be fully absorbed into the flour, develop gluten which in turn makes your dough strong. 

Fermentolyse
After an hour the dough will appear much more hydrated and smooth. You will take 70 grams of sourdough starter and mix it into the dough. Mix it well, I like to knead mine by hand, if you are mixing by hand spend about 5-10 minutes working the dough and create a ball.

Cover and allow the dough to rest for 30-45 minutes. This is called a "fermentolyse" you are allowing the dough to rest without salt.

Adding salt 
After 30-45 minutes of resting time you may notice a few bubbles, it is time to add 9 grams of salt, I like to sprinkle a little water during this process and wetting my hands. Mix the dough as well as you can until it looks completely even. 

It is normal for the dough to break up during this process and look strange. It is important that you continue mixing it until the looks smooth again, I use the rubaud method for 1-2 minutes after it feels like the salt has distributed well. 

Cover it and allow it to rest for 30-40 minutes. 

Lamination

On a clean surface you are going to stretch your dough out as far as you can with your wet hands. when you see the gluten strands breaking you have stretched too far and need to stop. After laminating you will roll your dough back together i gently, not too tight, into a ball. You will let it rest until it has risen about 60-70% in size this can take 1-2 hours or longer.

Coil folds or stretch and fold
Now you're going to be more gentle with the dough moving forward. You can do a set of stretch and folds or coil folds. I personally recommend coil folds, however they are little tricky with lower hydration dough. 

To do a stretch and fold you will grab the dough at one edge pull it up and over itself, and continue doing this until the dough is "resisting" then you allow it to rest. 

If you are doing coil folds, you will lift the dough up with two hands, and drag it over its own ends. until firm. 

You can proceed with doing  2-3 sets of folds spaced about an hour apart. 

Rest
 Once your dough has risen at least 90 % or more it is ready for shaping. A lot of people will tell you that it has over-proofed if it is more than double the original size, but we are doing a lower hydration dough and it can handle growing. 

That being said if your house is warm and your dough is warm you may want to shape and place it in the fridge sooner, as the dough will continue to rise in the fridge until it is cold.

Shaping
Dump your dough out on a lightly floured surface and shape your dough using a gentle shaping technique such as the caddy clasp or the envelope method. Then place your dough with the seem side up in a banneton. Pinch the seem on the dough or do a "stitch"

See images for the envelope method:

Cold proof
Cover your dough with a tea-towel and place it in the fridge to continue proofing over-night.

Baking
The next day, pre-heat your oven to 500F with your DO inside. Place your dough on a baking sheet large enough that you are able to lift to and transfer it into the DO without burning your hands! use a bread lame or sharp knife to score the dough (this will allow your dough to expand during baking) Transfer your dough into the DO  spritz it with water for added steam if you wish.

Turn the temp down to 450F  Bake with lid on for 25 -30 minutes,

Turn the temp down to 400 F. Remove the lid from the DO and continue baking for approximately 15 minutes until it reaches an internal temp of 210F

Remove your bread. Allow it to rest and completely cool to room temp (4 hours give or take) before slicing into it. 

 

Notes:

I know some people will just mix all the ingredients together at once with minimal mixing and dough work. If you want to do that you can and you will be ok, but I am trying to help you make your first great sourdough loaf, not your first "okay" sourdough loaf.

Lower hydration doughs take longer to ferment and can handle a higher rise. 
Keep in mind what your environment is like and make adjustments as necessary.

If for some reason you follow this recipe but use a different flour, please note that other flours have a different hydration intake. If you choose to use whole wheat for example, you will need to increase the hydration and it will be a completely different recipe with different results!