Sourdough Sunday ~ Final Phase

The oven timer pinged before I finished writing my second phase post yesterday afternoon. I had hovered over the publish button many times, but kept finding things to fix and change. Once I heard the timer beep, I had to save a draft and retrieve the first loaf from the oven.

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I’m happy but not completely satisfied with the first loaf results. I think I should have let it rise before shaping it. And I think I need a new lame. My slashes were not deep enough so the loaf did not expand as well as it could have with properly deep slashes. The loaf passed the taste test.

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The dough in my large mixing bowl had doubled so I gently kneaded it and shaped it into an oval, placing it in my largest covered baking dish for yet another rise before baking. I placed the lid on the dish and covered it with my tea towel. Then I checked my starter to see if I could return it to the fridge. The starter was bubbly so I stored it in the fridge until Friday when I’ll feed it and decide if I want to perfect my sourdough bread technique again next weekend.

Since I had at least an hour, probably two, before I could put the second loaf in the oven, I checked my crockpot of chili I had started very early Sunday morning, before I started my sourdough endeavor. I removed a quart of the chili to a glass container and put the four slices of sourdough I had just cut from the first loaf into a plastic bag for transport to my dad’s house. He lives a few miles north of me on the other side of town. We had a nice, if brief, visit since I kept an eye on my wrist timer (smartwatch) to know when to head back home.

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Once back home, I preheated the over to 425 degrees pursuant to the instructions in the Rustic Sourdough bread recipe. Even though I don’t have a ceramic cloche (I’ve added one to my wishlist but will wait for a free or reduced shipping email from KAF before ordering), I opted for the brick oven effect as described in this tip:

Want a brick oven effect? Rather than dividing the dough into two separate loaves, shape it into one large ball, and place it in the base of a round covered stoneware baker, such as a cloche. Put the lid on, and let the loaf rise for 1 hour. Make two slashes on top of the bread, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, removing the lid of the baker for the final 5 minutes of baking.

Rustic Sourdough Bread, King Arthur Flour

And so ended my Sourdough Sunday. Terry and I enjoyed warm bowls of chili and tangy sourdough for dinner. We have plenty of both to last most of the week.

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Next weekend, I think I’ll try the Extra Tangy Sourdough bread recipe, which requires refrigeration overnight (second step of the instructions). Timing will be my first challenge. If I want to attempt this on Saturday, I’ll have to feed my starter early Friday morning. However, I can’t just pull the starter out of the fridge and feed it because it needs to warm up gradually to room temperature. Saturday is also the day I run errands and grocery shop so not the best day to babysit a sourdough baby.