Extra-Tangy Sourdough Recipe: How to Make Tangy Sourdough

• 35 grams freshly fed sourdough starter
• 700 grams whole wheat flour
• 300 grams all-purpose or bread flour
• 200 grams rye or spelt flour
• 1,000 grams lukewarm water (80–100 degrees Fahrenheit)
• 25 grams sea salt

1. 1

   Make the leaven (leaven is the term for when active starter meets dough): in a large mixing bowl, combine 35 grams freshly fed sourdough starter with 100 grams of whole wheat flour, 100 grams of all-purpose flour, and 200 grams of warm water. Cover with a plate or plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, then place in the refrigerator to rest overnight.

2. 2

   Soak your grains. In a large bowl, combine 600 grams of whole wheat flour, 200 grams of all-purpose flour, 200 grams of rye or spelt flour, and 750 grams of warm water. Cover with a plate or plastic wrap and let rest overnight.

3. 3

   The next morning, add half of the leaven to soaked grains, stir to combine with a spoon or your hands, and let rest for 20 minutes. (This step is called an autolyse, and both aids in the production of both gluten and adds flavor.) Set aside the leftover leaven—this can become your new sourdough starter for the next time you want to bake.

4. 4

   Combine the remaining ingredients, 25 grams of salt with 50 grams of warm water, and add to the dough. Allow to rest for 20 minutes.

5. 5

   Fold the dough using a wet hand to reach under the dough, pulling the bottom of the dough up, and folding it up over itself. This technique will give your sourdough loaf a better texture than kneading with a mixer or by hand. Rotate the bowl in four quarter turns, folding after each turn. Repeat this process every 30–45 minutes for 4–5 hours. A smooth dough should form.

6. 6

   Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and divide in two using a bench scraper. Cover with a clean towel and let dough rest for 20 minutes.

7. 7

   Flip dough over and shape. Using floured hands, gently pull dough towards yourself and fold upwards over itself, folding in half in half. Pull on the non-folded side to fold in half again. Fold a third time. Rotate 90 degrees and fold a fourth time. Rotate 45 degrees, pull towards yourself, and fold a fifth time. Pull the dough towards yourself in the other direction and fold a sixth time. Rotate 90 degrees and fold a seventh time. Fold in the other direction, for a total of eight folds.

8. 8

   Place in proofing baskets or cloth-lined bowls dusted with flour and cover with a clean cloth or tea towel. Let dough rest for 2 hours at room temperature, then overnight in the refrigerator to make a tangier bread.

9. 9

   Place the Dutch oven in the oven and heat to five hundred degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven and gently add the dough to the pot. You can use a baking sheet to bake sourdough, but the high walls of a Dutch oven aid in hydration and yield a crunchy crust.

10. 10

    Score the bread with a razor blade, cutting a 2–3 inch slash in the top of the bread. Place the lid on your Dutch oven, and return to the oven. Reduce temperature to four hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit and bake bread for 20 minutes.

11. 11

    Remove the lid of the Dutch oven and bake bread for another 23–25 minutes, until the crust is a deep golden brown. Cool your loaf of bread on a wire rack.

12. 12

    To make the second loaf of bread, add the remaining bread dough to the Dutch oven, score it, and bake for 20 minutes.

13. 13

    Remove the Dutch oven lid and bake the second loaf for another 23–25 minutes, until golden brown. Let the bread cool.

Inactive time: This recipe includes 18 hours of inactive time.

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