During this time of quarantine, so many of us have dived into the art of bread making. There is something so meditative about it, it engages your senses, it is rhythmic, repetitive and incredibly emotional. You have an overwhelming sense of joy, creating something from nothing... 

What we have learnt from endless experiments - there is no "one way" to create sourdough bread and that's the beauty, each round of baking brings a new discovery. 

You can read hundreds of recipes, but eventually you have to find your rhythm, work with all the elements and the variables within your surrounding to create your perfect loaf. It takes time and patience but we promise, it's worth it! 

SERVING SIZE

Makes 2 Loaves 

THE LEVAIN INGREDIENTS

• 35g Home Made Starter (Click for Recipe) 

• 35g Whole Wheat Flour

• 35g All Purpose Flour

• 70g Water - 32°C

THE DOUGH INGREDIENTS

• 804g Bread Flour

• 75g Whole Wheat Flour

• 740g Water - 32°C

• 18g Fine Sea Salt

TIMING 

3 DAYS 

•  DAY 1 - Levain: 5-6 hours

•  DAY 2 - Dough: 7-9 hours

•  DAY 2 - Resting: 12-15 hours (Overnight)

•  DAY 3 - Baking : 30-45 mins

THE KITCHEN ESSENTIALS

• 1 Small glass jar with lid 

•  2 Large metal or glass mixing bowls

• 1 Small mixing bowl 

• 1 Sharp Kitchen knife or Bread Scorer

• 1 Scraper

• 2 Kitchen Towels

•  2 Bread Baskets

•  2 Plastic bags 

• A 6-quart enameled cast-iron Dutch oven

• Kitchen Scale

• Baking Paper

• Cling Film 

• Oven Mitt

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DAY 1

THE LEVAIN PREPARATION

Mixing: 5 mins

Resting: 5-6 Hours

1. Mix all ingredients in the small glass jar with a loose fitting lid

2. Leave to ferment for 5-6 hours (Start early in the morning or let it rest overnight)

DAY 2 

THE DOUGH PREP (Autolyse) 

Mixing: 5 mins

Resting : 1.5 Hours

1. Mix by hand in a large bowl - 804g bread flour and 75g whole wheat
2. Pour 575g water at 32°C into the bowl 
3. Gently mix by hand until everything is hydrated
4. Do not over mix
5. Cover with cling film
6. Let it rest for 1.5 hours at 25°C

THE DOUGH MIX

Mixing: 5 mins 

1. When the leaven is ready, pour directly onto your dough mix
2. Use your hands to splash the 40g of water into the dough
3. Use hands to integrate salt and water into dough thoroughly for approx. 1 min
4. The dough will begin to pull apart, but continue mixing; it will come back together.
5. Prepare a clean kitchen surface (no flour) and drop the dough out from the bowl

THE SLAP + FOLD TECHNIQUE

Prep: 5 mins

Rest: 25 mins

1. For 3-5 mins start splashing your dough against your kitchen counter
2. Pick up the dough and slap it down and fold it over and onto itself
3. This technique takes practice - we advice watching the below video for visual guidance
4. Once the dough becomes smooth and its not sticking so much transfer dough back to bowl
5. Cover with cling film
6. Let it rest for for 25 mins at 25°C

THE MIXING

Mixing: 5 mins

Rest: 15 mins

1. After resting, sprinkle 18g of fine salt over the top of the dough and add in the remaining water
2. Just like before, mix the ingredients together with your hands 
3. Perform another set of “slap + fold” for about 2-3 mins until it's smooth
4. Place the dough back in your bowl + cover with cling film
5. Let it rest for 15 mins

THE BULK FERMENT

Folding: 2.25 hours

Resting: 2.25 hours

1. Grab your dough from within the bowl (don’t remove) and stretch one edge of the dough up as far as it will go without tearing
2. Release and fold it onto itself
3. Repeat this action all around the perimeter of the dough creating “folds”
4. This action will equal 1 set of folds 
5. Cover and rest for 15 mins 
6. Repeat this action 3 more times in 15 min intervals
7. Cover and rest for 30mins
8. Repeat this action 3 more times in 30 min intervals
9. Cover and rest for 2.25 hours 
10. Note the dough should always be resting through this process in a warm spot at 25°C

THE SHAPING

Prep: 30 mins

Resting: 20 mins 

1. After resting, the dough should have risen up to 80%
2. Gently remove the dough from the bowl using help from a silicon spatula and place on an un-floured kitchen surface
3. Divide the dough into two halves using your scraper
4. Gently reshape the dough into two loose balls
5. Let the balls rest for 20mins on your kitchen surface - uncovered
6. Lightly flour the entire surface of your ball
7. With a scraper gently flip the ball over
8. Stretch the bottom of your dough and fold in an upwards motion to the center
9. Stretch and fold the left side 3/4 over towards the right
10. Stretch and fold the right side over the left side
11. Stretch and fold the top part up down over the center
12. Pinch and stretch along the sides of the dough and fold the edges over itself
13. Finally roll it from bottom to top
14. Gently seal the fold on the bottom
15. This "shoe lace" technique takes practice
16. We advice clicking here and watching a video for visual guidance - start watching @ 5:03 mins
17. Re-read the above instructions and practice the technique 

THE BASKETS

Prep: 10 mins

Resting: 12-15 hours 

1. Prepare two bread baskets lined in kitchen / tea towels 
2. Lightly dust the surface with flour
3. Gently place dough into basket with the “seam” facing up and the smooth side facing down
4. Repeat with other dough
5. Individually place each prepared dough into a plastic bag and close tightly with a rubber band or knot 
6. Rest in the fridge - 3°C for 12 - 15 hours (overnight)

DAY 3

THE BAKING

Pre heat: 1 hour

Prep: 15 mins

Baking: 30-45 mins

1. Preheat oven to 260°C with empty cooker inside for 1 hour
2. When you are done Preheating, take one of your plastic bag-wrapped loaves out of the fridge + unwrap it
3. Sprinkle flour on the dough before removing from basket
4. Score a cut of 0.7'cm with a sharp blade down the center
5. While wearing your oven mitt, and with caution, pull out your cooker from the oven
6. Prepare a sheet of parchment paper to slide your dough into the cooker
7. Seal the pot with the lid
8. Leave in oven for 20 mins for 260°C
9. After 20 minutes, use your oven mitt to carefully remove the top of the cooker
10. Reduce temperature to 232°C and cook for 20-30 mins
11. Cook until golden
12. When done, carefully use your oven mitt to remove the bread from the cooker by grabbing a corner of the parchment paper and drag the cooked bread out of the cooker
13. Cool on a wire rack
14. Place the cooker back in the oven and bring the temperature back up to 260°C for 15 mins
15. Repeat process for the second loaf

RECIPE ADAPTED FROM: 
The Ultimate Homemade Sourdough Bread by Joshua Weissman  
Tune in to his You Tube video for a tutorial. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJpIzr2sCDE&feature=youtu.be