No-Knead Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 1/4 C Sourdough starter 50 grams
- 1⅓ C Water, room temperature 300 grams
- 3 C Bread flour, high protein 400 grams
- 1¼ tsp Salt 1 ¼ teaspoon
- Cooking oil spray 8 grams
- Rice flour
Instructions
- Place pinch bowl on digital scale and measure 8 grams of salt. Set aside.
- Place mixing bowl on digital scale and add 50 grams of starter.
- Leaving the mixing bowl on the scale, turn scale off and back on again to zero out the weight, or use the Tare feature. Add 300 grams of water. Stir with wooden spatula to dissolve.
- With mixing bowl still on the scale, turn scale off and back on again to zero out the weight. Add 400 grams of bread flour and the 8 grams of salt. Mix with wooden spatula until you have a sticky dough.
- Cover bowl with towel and put in a non-drafty place until it has more than doubled in size and bubbles are visible on the surface, about 8 hours in a warm place and up to 14 hours in a cooler environment.
- After this first rise, remove towel from bowl and gently grasp the edge of the dough to one side and pull up, stretching the dough and folding it to center. Repeat three times, one on each remaining side until dough is centered in the bottom of the bowl and is smaller. This stretching and folding strengthens the gluten development.
- Cover the bowl and allow to sit for another hour or so.
- Sprinkle rice flour on a clean work surface and gently turn out the dough, using the dough scraper if needed. For the first shaping, roll the dough up into itself. Turn it 90 degrees and roll again. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes.
- While dough is waiting for final shaping, spray loaf pan with cooking spray and dust with rice flour. Set near dough.
- Final shape the dough by pulling the edges of the dough underneath to tighten the surface of the dough into a round. Do this by pulling the mound of dough toward yourself, using the friction of your work surface to pull the edges underneath. Prick any large air bubbles which come to the surface. Pull to shape two or three times.
- Gently place in prepared loaf pan. Place the cover on the pan and cover all with the towel. Allow to rise a second time for 2-3 hours. Dough is ready for baking when it has almost doubled. If you poke it gently with your finger and it holds the impression, then it is ready. If it springs back right away, let the dough rise longer.
- Half an hour before the second rise is over, preheat your oven to 475 degrees. (If you have a baking stone, place it in the oven on the lowest rack to preheat also.)
- When ready to bake, you may slash a 1/4-inch-deep cut into the top of the dough with a sharp knife, but it is not necessary. When you slash, it will allow you to control where your loaf crust splits and will produce an ‘ear’.
- Place lidded loaf pan on a rack just above baking stone, if using, or lower third of your oven. Bake at 475 for 30 minutes. Remove lid and continue to bake for an additional 15 minutes. Bread is done when it reads 208-210 degrees on instant read thermometer. I play around with my times to see if I can get a different crust color and texture, but this is the starting point.
- Remove loaf from pan.
- Cool completely before cutting or freezing.
- May be frozen in air-tight bag for up to one month.
Notes
Helpful hints:
I keep my starter in the fridge. To get the best, bubbly starter for baking, I take it out early in the day and allow it to reach room temperature. There may be a dark or yellowish liquid on top. I stir this back in because it increases the sourdough tanginess. It is the by-product released when the bacteria feed on the flour. If you want a milder flavor, just pour the liquid off before you feed your starter. The day I plan to bake, I run a large glass measuring cup full of tap water and set it on my counter to allow the chlorine to evaporate. Chlorinated water will not allow the fermentation process to occur because it kills the bacteria. To feed your starter, first you need to discard some. I hate to throw stuff away, so I found a recipe for sourdough crackers that uses discarded starter. Look for that recipe on our Recipe page. I typically discard (or use) 200 grams of starter. Once you have discarded, place the jar of remaining starter on the digital scale and power it on. Add water until you reach 50 grams. Then add 50 grams of flour. Stir to blend thoroughly and allow to sit at room temperature. You can tell the bacteria are feeding when bubbles appear. Wait at least 5 hours and feed again. Feed 1 or 2 times prior to baking, allowing the starter to produce bubbles. Your starter is now ready for bread making. If the liquid on your starter turns pink, toss it and start over. Pink is not good but otherwise, keeping a starter is kind of fun.
I keep my starter in the fridge. To get the best, bubbly starter for baking, I take it out early in the day and allow it to reach room temperature. There may be a dark or yellowish liquid on top. I stir this back in because it increases the sourdough tanginess. It is the by-product released when the bacteria feed on the flour. If you want a milder flavor, just pour the liquid off before you feed your starter. The day I plan to bake, I run a large glass measuring cup full of tap water and set it on my counter to allow the chlorine to evaporate. Chlorinated water will not allow the fermentation process to occur because it kills the bacteria. To feed your starter, first you need to discard some. I hate to throw stuff away, so I found a recipe for sourdough crackers that uses discarded starter. Look for that recipe on our Recipe page. I typically discard (or use) 200 grams of starter. Once you have discarded, place the jar of remaining starter on the digital scale and power it on. Add water until you reach 50 grams. Then add 50 grams of flour. Stir to blend thoroughly and allow to sit at room temperature. You can tell the bacteria are feeding when bubbles appear. Wait at least 5 hours and feed again. Feed 1 or 2 times prior to baking, allowing the starter to produce bubbles. Your starter is now ready for bread making. If the liquid on your starter turns pink, toss it and start over. Pink is not good but otherwise, keeping a starter is kind of fun.
PRODUCTS USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
Nutrition
Calories: 118kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 4gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 244mgPotassium: 31mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gCalcium: 5mgIron: 1mg
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