Homemade Bread

My dear friend Krista taught me how to make for real sourdough bread.  She gave me some of her starter and lessons.  I took full page front and back lined notes.  She also ground all my wheat berries with her amazing Vitamix.  The thought of making (real) bread was super intimidating to me.  Only because I didn't know what to do.  I only texted her about 56 times the day I made it...but I made it.  The idea of making your own starter and making the bread over the course of the day is that the fermenting also decreases the amount of gluten in the flour.  With my fancy new low-gluten flour and the fermentation process this bread doesn't bother me at all.  After you make the 850g levain and let it rise for 4 hours, you are supposed to do the float test.  Take a small piece of levain and see if it floats in a bowl of water.  If it (mostly) floats you are good to go.  If not, continue to let it rise.

It floated!

After the float test you have to add the rest of the flour, water, salt and honey (which is optional and I have since removed).  You are supposed to use your hands to mix everything.  The bacteria off your hands is good for the dough.  Tasty thought, eh?

After you mix all the ingredients you have to do a series of rises and turns, 3-4 times.  Letting it rise for 45 minutes and turning the dough 6 times, letting it rise for 45 minutes etc.

Not doing a whole lot..

Still not doing a whole lot..

And here's when I wised up and tossed it in the oven with the light on.  With this terrible weather, the house has been extra cold and it just wasn't rising/bubbling like it should.  You can see in this picture it's looking more elasticy and bubbly.

I let it go one extra turn since it didn't get too much action out of the first 2 turns.

All set to proof for the final hour before it goes in the oven!  After it proofs for an hour you have to take this lumpy bowl of heavily floured bread and somehow, magically turn it into a screaming hot pre-heated 475 degree dutch oven.  That was stressful, to say the least.

You have to let it bake for 30 minutes with the cover on.

And 30 minutes with the cover off to get it to brown up.  When I pulled out the thermometer to get the temperature of the bread Eric was astonished.  He said after all that I really have to get a temp read on it?!  Yes sir.  190 degrees.

This is the finished product, first time around.  There were a couple things I would do differently next time but nothing major.  I am quite proud.  It took about 10 hours start to finish.  The whole loaf lasted about 9 days.  I cut it in quarters and froze them until I needed them.

I have made it one more time since then.  My plan is to make it once every 7-10 days.  We all loved the taste of the bread.  It was much less stressful making it the second time and it turned out just as well.  YUM.