What's the best and subsequently worst part about sourdough bread all at the same time? That's right, the time consuming labour of love that is the sourdough starter. A vigorous leavening agent that helps to aerate and develop deeper flavours that frankly, some of us just ain't got time for. Corentin Esquenet, head pastry chef and owner of Butter Pastry teaches us how he makes his version of a hearty sourdough-like bread in a dutch oven from start to finish.
Find out more about Butter here: https://www.butterpastry.nz/
To make this in a single day, ready for dinner, start at 9am.
Ingredients
Makes 2 loaves
- 1000g all purpose flour
- 720g water, 32-35°C (not warm or cold to touch)
- 21g salt
- 4g, or 1 teaspoon instant yeast
Instructions
Step 1
Roughly mix the flour into the water by hand in a large tub, until there are no dry clumps of flour left in the dough, about three minutes. Rest for 20 minutes, and sprinkle the salt and yeast over the dough and use your thumb and index finger like a claw to repeatedly pinch the dough, until the salt and yeast are fully incorporated. This will take about five minutes. Rest for a further 30 minutes.
Step 2
Once the dough has tripled in volume, tip out onto a counter and cut in half using a bench scraper or a dull knife. Fold each corner of these portions into the middle, then flip it over, and pull the dough towards you while dragging it on the counter to tighten the surface area. Place the dough seam side down into a proofing basket, or a tea-towel drenched in flour. Place the loaves in a plastic bag, and proof them on the bench for one hour.
Step 3
Meanwhile preheat your oven, with the dutch oven inside it, to 245°C. Once the hour has passed, place one of the loaves in the fridge, still in it's basket. Carefully tip the remaining loaf from the basket or tea towel onto a floured surface. Use floured hands to pick this dough up and place into the hot dutch oven. Bake with the lid on for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to bake until deeply golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Carefully take the loaf from the dutch oven and cool on a baking rack. Repeat the same steps for the second loaf straight from the fridge. Cool for at least an hour before cutting into the bread.
