Foundational Sourdough and Easy Tray Breads

Welcome to Flour*Water*Salt*Magic* Volume 2: Foundational Sourdough and Easy Tray Breads.

This is a complete list of equipment that is used in this course/book. Bread baking is a simple task. You may already have many of these items.

This lesson is the equivalent of pulling back the curtain on the Wizard of Oz. You are about to have a clear understanding of the principles underpinning Sourdough Bread recipes. Armed with this information you will be able to dissect any bread recipe you come across and understand how to adjust it to your preferences or environment.

Introduction.

Learn how to use refrigeration to slow down your Starter. This is an excellent way to take a break from Sourdough and safely store your Starter for 7-10 days. This method of managing your Starter is also great for weekend bakers.

Shrink your Starter down with the Micro Method. Minimize discard. Get to know its behavior and life cycle to know exactly how long it takes to reach peak activity. Be ready at a moments notice to build it up for next day dough making.

One of the best ways to shorten the long learning curve of Sourdough is to make bread daily. This naturally lends itself to keeping your Starter out and managing its volume by using it.

Learn how to use different feeding ratios to predictably get your Starter to peak activation. Getting to know the behavior of your Starter will help you create a bread baking timeline that fits seamlessly into your life.

Temperature has a significant effect on your Starter and it is a tool that can be used to give you control over its activity level and time to peak activation.

Sometimes you put your Starter into hibernation mode in the refrigerator. Slowly it gets pushed to the back of the fridge and gets forgotten. Even if it has been neglected for 3-6 months, you can bring it back to life. This is how to do that.

How sour do you want your Sourdough? Learn how to adjust the volume on the sourness of your bread.

A quick side bar to address the Float Test. Does your Starter need to Float?

The Do-it-All Dough will be the foundation of your Sourdough baking life. In this section we will cover Mixing Dough, The 4 Stretch & Folds, and Bulk Fermentation. You will use this Dough Recipe for all of the variations in this course/book. It truly is one dough to do it all.

You will learn how to Shape, Cold Proof, Score, Bake, Cool, and Slice a Sourdough Oval/Batard.

How to do Shaping, Cold proofing, Scoring, Baking, Cooling, and Slicing for a Sourdough Round.

Use the Do-it-All Dough to make Sourdough Sandwich Bread. This is a great same-day project. Learn how to Shape, Final Proof/Rise, Bake, Cool, and Slice.

Sourdough Sandwich Buns are a great same day bread that requires minimal equipment. They have a thin crsip crust and a light fluffy texture. Learn the math behind calculating how much dough to make. You are using the Do-it-All Dough for this Sourdough variation. Learn how to Shape, Final Proof, and Bake these Sandwich Buns in this section.

Learn how to Portion, Shape, Final Proof, Bake, and Serve Sourdough Pull-Apart Rolls. This is a great same-day bread project and another easy tray bread. Pull-Apart Rolls have a nice balance of crisp crust and soft crumb/fluffy interior texture.

Up to this point you have used the Do-it-All Dough for all of the Sourdough variations. In this Focaccia recipe the Do-it-All Dough is the foundation, but with the addition of olive oil, you will get to have a very different experience. Consider this a simple progression in your dough handling skills. This Focaccia has a light crisp crust and a fluffy crumb/interior texture.

This is a pretty self explanatory title. Learn how to take a big beautiful Round or Oval and bring it to the table sliced, toasted, and warmed through.

We have been through this in the Do-it-All Dough lesson, but here are a few more tips and thoughts on the Stretch & Fold process.

Learn how to use the Do-it-All Dough to make Whole Grain or Multi-grain Sourdough Bread. By replacing a percentage of your Bread Flour with a Whole Grain or a blend of Whole Grain Flours, you can produce some excellent Sourdough variations. This is a fun and easy way to experiment and customize your bread.

Learn how to add other ingredients to the Do-it-All Dough. The neutral flavor profile of the Do-it-All dough makes it possible to incorporate savory or sweet inclusions. Follow the 9 guidelines and use your creativity to create endless varieties of bread.

Sourdough Baking requires very simple tools. This is an inexpensive tool that I have come to really appreciate. Find out why.

This is an alternative timeline to help you see a different way to fit sourdough bread into your life. Your environment will play a significant role with this method.

There are many polarizing topics in the world like politics and religion. In the world of Sourdough Autolyse is a polarizing topic. Is it necessary? Can it be skipped? Here are some possibilities.

Generally, a Sourdough Oval or Round is cold proofed in a banneton for 8-48 hours prior to baking. But, what if you want a Sourdough Oval or Round tonight? Learn how to bend the rules to produce a beautiful Round or Oval as a same-day bread.

How often do you need to change out the jar your Starter lives in? How do you keep the jar clean and are Mason jars the best choice?

There are many ways to develop the elasticity of your dough. Here are some reasons why the airborne Stretch & Fold is my go-to method.

Just a few thoughts on flour.

Measuring in grams is important to a consistent result. Here are a few tips regarding a digital scale.

There are many variables in Sourdough baking, including your oven. Is it 27” or 30”? Is the heating element in the back or the bottom. Is it gas or electric? All of these factors will effect how you bake bread. Let’s address some of these variables.

Your Sourdough Starter is full of microbes, bacteria, and yeast. It is a living breathing organism. Good sanitation is important to maintaining a healthy population of microbes.

There are only two ingredients in your Soudough Starter. Flour and Water. The quality of your water can have a huge impact on the behavior of your Starter and Dough. You environment can also provide you with some challenges. When you understand your environment you can make the necessary adjustments along the way.

Making a beautiful loaf of Sourdough Bread the main course. There is a time and a place for everything.