We've been trying out lots of sour dough recipes recently. Some of them are a huge faff. Others slightly less. I like the Bake with Jack recipe here https://www.bakewithjack.co.uk/blog-1/2018/7/5/sourdough-loaf-for-beginners, but I also wanted a recipe that doesn't need as much attention through the day and doesn't need an overnight proove. This one is loosely based on this King Arthur Flour baguette recipe.https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-baguettes-recipe. It is quicker than other sour dough recipes and it does have a little instant dried yeast in it to help speed it along. I'm experimenting with less and less yeast and will try leaving it out all together. You do get a slightly less open crumb from this one, but it is still really good.
You will need a lively sour dough starter to make this. Check out Bake with Jack for how to do that. I got some sour dough starter from my son Tom. I keep its descendants in the fridge (and have an insurance one in the freezer). I get it out of the fridge the afternoon before I want the loaf and feed it up ready to use the next day. Take 30g starter, add 60g organic strong flour and 60g room temperature water, stir and leave in a warm place. A few hours later feed again with 100g each of flour and water, leaving it again in a warm place overnight and checking that it is bubbling well, preferably doubling in size by the morning. Once you've got a bubbly lively starter that's doubled in size, you can be eating this loaf in about 4 hours with minimal faffing during that time.
For a roughly 900g loaf:
320g lively sour dough starter
190g lukewarm water
400g strong bread flour (all white, or a mix of white, wholemeal or granary)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp instant dried yeast
Method
1. Mix all the ingredients together with a rubber spatula. The dough should be quite wet.
2. Knead in a stand mixer for 7 minutes.
2a. Optional step, but I think it improves the texture of the bread: Turn the dough onto a wet work surface and stretch and fold it (see Bake with Jack video to get folding technique).
3. Put the dough into an oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm place.
3a. Again optional step, but as above you get a better texture. Repeat the fold after about 60 minutes, leaving it to rest for another half hour.
4. Shape the dough into your chosen form (if you haven't done the extra folds, this will be about 90 minutes after you kneaded it; you'll need to gently deflate the dough and gently shape it) - I put it into a well-floured round proving basket, but you could just put it in a loaf tin for a sandwich loaf, or you could shape it into baguettes.
5. Leave to proove for another 90 minutes to 2 hours, preheating the oven towards the end of the prooving time. You want the dough to have risen, although not necessarily to have doubled in size. It should look slightly puffy and be about a third bigger than before.
6. For a nice crusty loaf, heat a large Dutch oven (Le Creuset) in the oven set as hot as it will go (around 230 C). When it is up to temperature, carefully transfer the loaf into the Dutch oven (I struggle with this, as it's hard to get the wet dough not to stick to the basket. I turn it out onto a floured bendy silicon chopping bard and try and slide it into the Dutch oven without burning myself. It usually manages to flip over on one side and I lose the nice round shape, but it still tastes great). Replace the lid and bake for 20 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid and bake for a further 15 - 20 minutes. Turn out to cool on a rack.
Example timing:
Day before - feed up the starter in the afternoon, give it another feed before bed and leave in a warm place
8am - Mix and knead the dough/fold if folding
9.30am - Fold again if folding
10am - Gently shape and place in prooving basket or loaf tin
11am - 11.30am Preheat oven and Dutch oven with lid
11.30am - 12pm Bake the loaf
12.30 - 1pm Eat the loaf!
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