Whole Grain Sourdough

Directions

1. 11:00 pm: Build your levain in a bowl by mixing Starter: 15 grams, Room Temperature Water: 75 grams, Flour (50% white, 50% whole wheat). Cover the bowl and leave in the oven, turned off, with the light on.

   
   

2. 7:00 am: Mix flour, water and salt. You can use a mixer or mix by hand in a large bowl. When the flour and water has been thoroughly mixed, cover and set aside.

3. 8:00 am: Mix in 151grams of Levain. This can be done in the mixer or if you're mixing by hand, add the levain and use your fingers to dimple in the starter as best you can and then fold the dough over top from four corners to create layers.

   
   

4. 8:30 am: Stretch and Fold the dough. Each set of stretch and folds consists of 4 folds, one at the North, South, East, and West sides. Wet your hands with a little water to prevent sticking, and then lift one side (North) of the dough with two hands. Stretch the dough up high enough just so that you can fold it completely over to the other side of the dough in the bowl. Rotate the bowl 180° and do the other side (South). Finish the other two sides (East and West) to complete the set.

   
   

5. 9:30 am: Stretch and Fold the dough every 30 minutes for a total of 3 times.

   
   

6. 12:00 pm: Divide the dough in half and shape the two halves into dough balls. Dust the dough balls with a bit of flour and cover them with a tea towel.
   

7. 12:30 pm: Shape the dough balls to fit either a bread tin or a bread basket. For a tin, place the shaped loaf right side up but if you're using a basket, place the loaf upside down in the basket. Transfer the tin or the basket to an extra large Ziploc bag and place in the fridge. You can bake this later or in the morning. I usually leave the dough in the fridge for 36+ hours.
   

8. Baking: When you're ready to bake the bread, preheat your oven with one or two large dutch ovens to 500F. If you don't have a dutch oven, there are numerous articles online with techniques for sourdough bread. Make sure your bread tins fit inside the dutch ovens. When the oven has preheated for an hour, take the bread out of the fridge. If you're using a sandwich style tin, you can add it straight to the dutch oven with an ice cube. Replace the lid and put the dutch oven back in the oven. If you're making an artisan style loaf, add a piece of parchment paper to the bottom of the dutch oven and carefully tip the basket upside down into the dutch oven. Using a razor blade or a sharp knife, score the top of the loaf to your liking. Add an ice cube, replace the lid, place the dutch oven into the oven. Change the temperature of the oven to 460F and set the timer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the lids and bake for an additional 10 minutes. When the bread is fully baked, remove it from the oven and place on a rack for at least an hour before cutting into it.