sourdough

Concise Sourdough

Thank you Seamus Blackley (‪@seamus.bsky.social‬) for the original recipe (@ThreadReader version of the recipe thread).

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Main Ingredients List
  • Bangin’ Starter
  • Dough
• Step 1: Make a bangin’ starter (10pm start time)
  • Ingredients
  • Activity
• Step 2: Wait until the starter from step 1 is “very active”
• Step 3: Make Dough (8AM)
  • Ingredients
  • Equipment
  • Activity
• Step 4: Wait 30 minutes (8:30AM)
• Step 5: Incorporate salt (9AM)
  • Ingredients
  • Activity
• Step 6: Wait 30 minutes
• Step 7: Folding #1 (9:30AM)
  • Activity
• Step 8: Wait 30 minutes
• Step 8: Folding #2 (10:00AM)
• Step 9: Wait 30 minutes
• Step 10: Folding #3 (10:30AM)
• Step 11: Wait 30 minutes
• Step 12: Folding #4 (11:00AM)
• Step 13: Wait 30 minutes
• Step 14: Proofing (11:30AM)
  • Ingredients
  • Equipment
  • Activity
• Step 15: Wait until the dough doubles in volume.
• Step 16: Prep the oven (1:00PM)
• Step 17: Turn out the dough and score the top of the loaf (1:25PM)
  • Equipment
  • Activity
• Step 18: Initial Baking (1:30PM)
  • Equipment
  • Activity
• Step 19: Further Baking at 220C (430F) (1:40PM)
  • Activity
• Step 20: Move the loaf from the oven to a cooling rack (2:05PM)
  • Activity
• Step 21: Photograph and consume bread (2:35PM)

Introduction

This recipe is intended to be text-only and easy to follow. While there are no pictures there are links to clarifying source material and the original tweets with pictures and videos.

This description assumes you’ve made bread before. Equipment like spoons, small bowls and baking paper are not always listed ahead of each step.

The wall clock times on some steps are very rough guides for how the process of making your bread could fit into your day. The conceit of this recipe is that the whole process starts with accelerating the starter you will use at 10PM the night before. Then you awake before 8AM for a bit of mixing and folding and you’re eating warm fresh bread at 2:35PM.

Your flour, water, room temperature, oven and yeast are going to be different than those used for this recipe so make sure you adapt to your own conditions.

Feel free to raise issues and send suggestions to me at BlueSky

Main Ingredients List

Bangin’ Starter

• 20g (1Tbsp) of your favourite starter
• 80-90g (3oz) flour
• Enough water to make the starter the consistency of a thickshake (120ml (1/2 cup) more or less)

Dough

• 500g (1.1lb) flour (+ a little (~150-200g) more for dusting)
• 250ml (1 cup) water
• 10g (1tsp) salt
• 25ml (1.5Tbsp) olive oil (a splash or two)

Step 1: Make a bangin’ starter (10pm start time)

Ingredients

• 80-90g (3oz) of flour
• 20g (1Tbsp) of your sourdough starter
• Some water

Activity

In a small bowl or jar:

• Add 80-90g (3oz) of flour
• Add 20g (1Tbsp) of your sourdough starter
• Stir in enough water to bring the starter mix to the consistency of a thickshake.

Cover and keep warm until “very active.” Very active is when the bubbles push up the top of your starter mix to become “3D.”

On a cool day this might take 6-8 hours. If the starter is in a cool place then consider starting your very active starter last thing before bed.

Step 2: Wait until the starter from step 1 is “very active”

Step 3: Make Dough (8AM)

Ingredients

• 500g (1.1lb) flour
• 25ml (1.5tbs)olive oil
• 250ml (1 cup) water

Equipment

• Big bowl
• An insulating lid for your bowl (e.g. plate, wooden board + tea towel)
• (optional) A 2nd big bowl

Activity

In a big bowl:

• Add 250ml (1 cup) water
• Splash ~25ml (1.5Tbsp) of olive oil
• Add all of your bangin’ starter from step 1 (It should float with all the CO2 it contains)
• Add 100g (3.5oz) of your 500g (1.1lb) of flour and stir to a paste with as much aeration as you can manage, then thoroughly incorporate the remaining 400g (0.9lb) of your flour with a spoon or hands

The dough should now be a ball that’s a bit crumbly looking and not wet or too sticky. Add a little more water or flour if needed and incorporate thoroughly by kneading the dough in the bowl.

Add a little extra oil to the bowl if you’re worried about sticking or transfer to another big bowl that has enough olive oil to give the inside a sheen.

Put an insulating lid or cover on top of the bowl.

Step 4: Wait 30 minutes (8:30AM)

Step 5: Incorporate salt (9AM)

Ingredients

• 10g (1tsp) salt
• Some dusting flour

Activity

• Add some dusting flour to be bottom of your bowl
• Flatten the dough in the bowl into as much of a pancake as you can.
• Use your fingers to make lots of craters all over the dough pancake’s top
• Sprinkle 5g (0.5tsp) or your 10g (1tsp) salt evenly into the craters in the dough
• Slowly roll the dough into a cigar shape (still in the bowl)
• Fold the cigar shape in half and then press the dough out into a pancake again.
• Use fingers to make lots of craters all over the dough pancake’s top
• Sprinkle the rest of the salt evenly into the craters in the dough
• Roll the dough into a cigar (still in the bowl)
• Knead the dough until it stiffens slightly
• Shape the dough back into a smooth ball and place back in bowl with a cover

The dough should be “a bit tacky, but not sticky.”

Step 6: Wait 30 minutes

Step 7: Folding #1 (9:30AM)

Activity

This is a fold technique that we will repeat in the next few steps:

• Pick up the dough ball with your “off” hand or rest the dough on a flour-dusted surface and gently pinch one edge with your primary hand
• Pull the edge out and up over the top of dough ball and press it into the ball
• Fold the dough ball 4 to 8 times total, rotating a little each time
• Turn the folded side of your dough down and form it back into a ball
• Place your dough back in the bowl

See also here

Step 8: Wait 30 minutes

Step 8: Folding #2 (10:00AM)

Step 9: Wait 30 minutes

Step 10: Folding #3 (10:30AM)

Step 11: Wait 30 minutes

Step 12: Folding #4 (11:00AM)

Step 13: Wait 30 minutes

Step 14: Proofing (11:30AM)

Ingredients

• Enough flour to line a tea towel or proofing basket
• A small amount of dusting flour

Equipment

• Proofing basket or bowl and tight-weave tea towel
• A dry tea towel or waxed paper to cover the loaf as it proofs

Activity

• Prepare the proofing basket or bowl:
  • Choose one of these options:
    • Pretty easy mode: Flour your proofing basket with enough flour to make it non-stick
    • Slightly risky mode: Place tea towel in a bowl and use plenty of flour to make the tea towel non-stick
    • Easy mode: In a bowl or proofing basket shape your baking paper so the loaf will rise in a circular shape on the middle of the baking paper. The baking paper should be of sufficient length and positioned so you can hold the ends of the baking paper to carry your fully-proofed loaf in a baking paper sling to the surface it will be baked on
• Dust the loaf with flour
  • In a different large bowl, or by sprinkling over the loaf in the main bowl, coat your loaf all over in a light dusting of loose flour
• Place the dusted dough gently in the proofing basket or bowl.
• Drape the dry tea towel or waxed paper to cover.

Step 15: Wait until the dough doubles in volume.

Step 16: Prep the oven (1:00PM)

• Get your oven to 240-260C (465-500F). If you are baking in a dutch oven then warm the oven with the dutch oven already inside
• When the thermostat tells you it’s at the right temperature wait another 10-15 minutes

Step 17: Turn out the dough and score the top of the loaf (1:25PM)

This is getting your loaf ready to easily put in the oven for baking. You are choosing a surface that will help you gently get the dough into the oven and preserve the shape of your loaf.

Equipment

• If you have proofed your loaf on baking paper you do not need more baking paper
• A very sharp knife like a razor blade or a sharp paper cutting knife
• Either:
  • A length of baking paper that is long enough for you to carry your loaf in a sling to put in your dutch oven, or
  • A baking tray with baking paper lining it, or
  • A baking tray with a layer of semolina (enough to help prevent the loaf’s bottom from sticking during baking)

Activity

• Carefully turn out your loaf onto your pre-baking surface of choice (if necessary)
• Use the knife to score the surface of your loaf. Try to make sure the cuts will open in a way that lets the loaf expand without cracking.

Step 18: Initial Baking (1:30PM)

Equipment

• If you are baking in an open oven and not using a dutch oven, you will need an oven-proof tray to throw a few ice cubes in or some cold water to help develop a good crust. You should put in enough to provide humidity for the first 10 minutes of the bake: a handful of ice cubes or about half a cup of water

Activity

• (If required) Place the ice cubes in a tray the oven. Try not to put the tray immediately underneath where the loaf will bake or the steam will cool the bottom of your loaf and the base may undercook
• Move your loaf into the ~250C (480F) oven # Set a 10 minute timer. (The oven remains set at 250C for 10 minutes then we’ll turn it down to 220-230C (430-445F) in the next step)
• You should not open the oven again until the baking steps are complete

Step 19: Further Baking at 220C (430F) (1:40PM)

Activity

• After 10 minutes at 250C (480F) turn the oven down to 220C (430F)
• Set a timer for 25 minutes
• Do not open the oven until the 25 minutes has passed

Step 20: Move the loaf from the oven to a cooling rack (2:05PM)

Activity

• Turn off the oven
• Move the loaf from the oven to your cooling rack
• Set a timer for 30 minutes. Do not cut the loaf before this timer goes off. The cooling/drying process is important.

Step 21: Photograph and consume bread (2:35PM)

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