Sourdough Bread - Head 'Em Straight

Yield: 1 4” high x 8”wide loaf

Ingredients:

Reactivating Starter:

5 tablespoons distilled water

5 tablespoons whole wheat flour

1/2 cup sourdough starter

Making Sourdough bread:

3/4 cup reactivated starter

1 cup whole fat buttermilk

1/2 cup distilled water

3 2/3 cups bread flour

2 teaspoons salt

1+ Tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Remove 1/2 cup of sourduogh starter froms the icebox and allow it to come to room temperature for an hour.

At the end of the hour, add the distilled water to the starter.

Stir with a wooden chopstick or wooden spoon handle. Add whole wheat flour and stir with the wood chopstick or wooden spoon handle until fully incorporated.

Place the starter in a warm area and allow to double in size.

When starter has doubled, warm the buttermilk and distilled water to 115° F. in a saucepan.

Remove the saucepan from the head to a heat resistant surface.

Add 3/4 cup the starter to the warmed liquids. Whisk to combine.

Return the remaining started to the icebox.

In a glass or ceramic bowl, use a clean whisk to stir together the bread flour and salt until the salt is equally distributed throughout the flour.

Add the warm liquid to the flour and stir with a wooden spoon or chopstick until well combined. The dough will be slightly sticky.

Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes to fully incorporate the liquid.

Fold the dough: Lift the dough and pull it in all directions. Don’t worry about any holes that might develop. Fold the dough in half and half again.

Rotate the dough a quarter turn and again pull it to spread in all directions. Fold the dough in half and half again.

Place the dough back in the bowl and place it in a warm area. Cover the dough and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

At the end of the 30 minutes, perform another round of stretching and folding. Cover the dough and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

At the end of the 30 minutes, perform another round of stretching and folding. Rotate the dough to form a ball.

Brush olive oil over the top of a piece of parchment paper that is large enough to line the interior of the Dutch oven and cover the top of the dough.

Place the ball of dough on the parchment paper. Place the parchment paper in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Fold the edges of the parchment paper over the exposed dough.

Place in a warm area until double in bulk.

Pre-heat oven to 500° F. Place the bottom of the Dutch oven in the oven for 30 minutes on the middle rack. Do not heat the lid.

When ready, place about an inch of crumpled parchment paper in the bottom of the Dutch oven.

Score the dough down the middle with a razor or very sharp serrated knife to a depth of 1/2 inch. Add any desired decorative scoring. Beginning designs could be a cross or feather.

Use a kitchen brush to distribute olive oil over the entire exposed surface of the dough.

Gently place dough on the oiled parchment paper on top of the crumpled parchment paper in the Dutch over.

Fold the parchment paper over the top of the dough. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and carefully place the Dutch oven in the oven. Remember, the bottom of the Dutch oven is very hot.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Use oven mitts to remove the lid. Place lid on a heat resistant surface.

Turn the oven temperature down to 450° F.

Bake the loaf for an additional 15-20 minutes or until hollow sounding when tapped on top. Remove from oven.

Remove bread from the bottom of the Dutch oven and place on a clean plate. Test the bottom of the loaf. It should also sound hollow. If not, place back on the parchment paper in the oven upside down for 5 minutes or until hollow sounding.

Remove the bread from the oven and place on a clean plate.

Allow to cool slightly before slicing.