Wheat Sourdough Bread With Old Bread
Like my last recipe, this one is all about flavour. While the crust has an important influence on the smell, mouthfeel and flavor, the crumb depends on the sourdough and the grain used.
The crust can be influenced by the baking temperature, the crumb by the ingredients. A great trick to enhance flavor is to use stale bread in the dough. There is nothing better than toasted, stale bread. Not only can it bind more water in the dough, but it also gives a crazy flavor profile.
I used 20% of it in this loaf. But I would say 10% is quite enough. Otherwise the flavour is too intense.
| Ingredient | Weight | % |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 80g | 100 |
| Water | 80g | 100 |
| Sourdough Starter | 8g | 10 |
Levain
- Fermentation Time: Overnight at room temperature
Combine the flour, water, and sourdough starter. Mix well and let it ferment overnight on the countertop.
| Ingredient | Weight | % |
|---|---|---|
| Old Bread | 160g | 100 |
| Water | 160g | 100 |
Toasted Bread
- Cooling Time: Let the toasted bread and water mixture cool down before use
Toast the old bread, blend it, and mix it with water. Let it cool down before using.
| Ingredient | Weight | % |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 640g | 100 |
| Toasted Bread Mix | 320g | 50 |
| Levain | 168g | 26 |
| Water | 600g | 94 |
Main Dough
- Mixing Time: 10 minutes at low speed
In a mixer, combine the flour, toasted bread mixture, levain, and water. Mix for about 10 minutes at low speed.
| Ingredient | Weight |
|---|---|
| Salt | 16g |
| Remaining Water | g |
Add Salt and Remaining Water
- Mixing Time: 5 minutes at maximum speed
Add the salt and the remaining water little by little. Increase the speed to maximum and mix for 5 more minutes.
Bulk Fermentation
- Fermentation Time: 6-8 hours with coil folds every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours.
Transfer the dough to a greased container and perform a set of coil folds every 30 minutes for the first two hours. Bulk ferment for about 4-6 hours afterwards until the dough nearly doubled.
Shaping
- After Pre-Shaping: Rest 20 minutes, than final shaping
Divide the dough into two balls and shape them with tension using a dough scraper. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes before placing them into proofing baskets.
Cold Proof
- Refrigeration Time: Overnight
Place the shaped dough into proofing baskets and let them cold proof in the fridge overnight.
Baking
- Preheat Temperature: 250°C/482°F
- Baking Time: 10 minutes at 250°C / 482°F with steam, then 35-40 minutes at 230°C/446°F
Preheat the oven. As you see in my video I'm using 2 pizza steels. There is one where the bread goes on and another one that will help to trap some steam. You can also use an upside down baking tray. I've placed another baking tray on the bottom of the oven. To create steam, put boiling water on top. Score the loaves and place them onto a pizza steel.
Add steam and bake for 10 minutes at 250°C/482°F. Then remove the second pizza steel trapping the steam and bake for another 35-40 minutes at 230°C/446°F.
Let the bread cool down before enjoying!
