Probiotic Food Series: Sourdough Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

•  4 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1 ¾ cups of water (75 – 80 degrees F)
• ½ tablespoon salt
• 1 ½ tablespoons sourdough starter, unfed/discard

Instructions: 

1. Prepare Dough: In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. You can use your sourdough starter straight from the fridge if it's been fed within the past week.
2. Initial Mixing: Mix by hand until the dough forms a rough, shaggy mass and the flour is hydrated. Cover and let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
3. First Fold: Wet your hand and fold the dough by lifting a section from one side, pulling it up, and pressing it down into the center. Repeat this folding on each side. Cover and let rest for another 15 minutes.
4. Two Additional Folds: Perform two more sets of folds with 15-minute rests between each, totaling three sets of folds over 45 minutes. The dough should become smoother and more elastic with each fold.
5. Bulk Fermentation: Cover the dough tightly after the final fold and let it rise at room temperature (around 72°F) for about 12 hours. Mark the dough's height to track its rise.
6. Divide and Pre-Shape: Remove the dough and place it onto a lightly floured or greased surface, seam side down, and gently shape it into a round dough ball. Cover and let them rest for 10 minutes.
7. Prepare for Final Rise: Generously dust a towel-lined bowl with whole wheat flour. Shape the dough into a tight round and place it seam-side up in the prepared forms. Cover with a plastic bag.
8. Final Proof: If the dough doubled during bulk fermentation: Place it in the refrigerator immediately.
9. If the dough was slower to rise: Let it rest at room temperature for 30–60 minutes before refrigerating.
10. Refrigerate for 8–12 hours.
11. Preheat the Oven: Place a dutch oven on a rack in the lowest third of the oven. Preheat both the oven and Dutch ovens to 500°F for 45 minutes.
12. Prepare Loaves for Baking: If you want to shape your loaf into a pumpkin - cut four pieces of cooking twine long enough to wrap the dough with room to spare. Line them together and tie them all together in the middle with a single knot (soak the twine in olive oil to help them not stick). Place the knot in the center of the loaf while it’s still in the bowl and evenly space the strands in a pinwheel fashion. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the bowl, dough and strings, then place a cutting board on top and flip the bowl over. Remove the bowl and lightly dust the top of the dough with flower. Two at a time, grab strings from opposite sides of the sourdough ball and tie them in a knot at the center of the dough ball. Try to keep all the knots in the same spot near the top. The strings should be fairly tight against the dough, but not causing it to pinch in.
13. Otherwise, just turn each loaf onto a piece of parchment paper and score the tops with a sharp knife.
14. Bake: Carefully transfer the loaf into the preheated Dutch oven using the parchment paper. Cover with lids, place in the oven, and immediately reduce the temperature to 450°F. Bake covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 20–25 minutes until golden brown.
15. Cool: Remove loaf from the Dutch oven and cool on racks.

Eat and enjoy :)

Visit @CulturelleProbiotics on Instagram for our easy Sourdough Starter Recipe!