A Sourdough Series
Who knew there were so many things you could do with sourdough, right?! I get it…Sourdough is a large topic so I thought I would tackle this in baby steps! Here is the breakdown:
✰ How I am Gluten Intolerant and Enjoying Bread Again
✰ Sourdough Basics ~ What is a sourdough starter and what is sourdough bread
✰ A Beginners Organic Sourdough Bread Recipe {Organic and GMO-Free}
✰ Organic Sourdough Hamburger Buns Recipe {Organic and GMO-Free}
✰ A Traditional San Francisco Sourdough Bread Recipe {Organic and GMO-Free}
✰ Organic Sourdough Bagel Recipe {Organic and GMO-Free}
I highly recommend that you start with the first post and work down the list in the order that I have them. I have posted them within the level of difficulty. Beginners sourdough being the easiest to organic sourdough bagels being the most challenging.
All can be achieved. And as always, ask away in the comment section below this post!
A Closer Look at San Francisco Sourdough
While sourdough starters and bread made from starters have been around for thousands of years, the term “sourdough” has a pretty short history. It is a US term that came into use during the California Gold Rush days of the late 1800s.
Many gold miners obtained provisions in the booming coastal town of San Francisco before heading up into the mountains, and a good bread starter would have been a vital necessity. Starters from that area produced bread with a unique and particularly sour tang. Thus, the starters and bread from that area became known as “sourdough.” (source)
What is the difference — say to my beginners organic sourdough bread recipe? WATER or in bread terms — hydration! There is less water in this dough which will create a stiffer dough and a crackly harder crust with a good crumb. It also rises considerably more than my beginners recipe.
Crust & Crumb
Often, when people talk about sourdough, they talk about the crust and crumb.
A great sourdough loaf has a tangy aroma, a chewy crust and a crumb full of irregular bubbles.
Do you see it in this picture. The crust is chewy, harder in texture. The bread is airy and full of bubbles.
Sourdough ~ The Holy Grail of Breads
Sourdough is truly the holy grail of bread. Once you master this, you will have truly have mastered the art of bread making.
It isn’t hard to make, but it does take time and a bit of technique. With practice, you will get a feel for your sourdough starter and for your sourdough in general. Yes, they all have different personalities and characteristics. Get to know yours, what it likes and dislikes.
Learn to trust your instincts and remember it is a process. Enjoy the process! It really is quite rewarding and absolutely delicious!
San Francisco Sourdough Bread Recipe
Are you ready to tackle this recipe? Great! Couple quick tips. Get a scale! Bread making is a science and measuring should be exact.
Next, purchase a true San Francisco sourdough starter. It makes a difference.
Finally, don’t overthink this. It should be fun and remember it is a learning process. Enjoy the process and give me a shout out if you should have any questions. 🙂
A Traditional San Francisco Sourdough Bread Recipe {Organic and GMO-Free}
Prep Time: 4 hours- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves 1x
- Category: bread
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: american
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A Traditional San Francisco Sourdough Bread Recipe!
Ingredients
- 150 g active organic San Francisco sourdough starter – I buy mine here
- 250 g filtered water
- 25 g organic olive oil
- 500 g organic bread flour (do not use all purpose flour, use bread flour)
- 10g sea salt
- cornmeal for dusting
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix together the sourdough starter, filtered water, olive oil and bread flour. Do not add the salt. Leave in the bowl for 1/2 hour to rest. This is called the autolyse phase.
- After the rest time is over, add the sea salt. Knead until well incorporated (about 2 minutes).
- The dough will not be elastic, it will easily break apart. After the bulk fermentation, the gluten will break down so do not worry about this.
- Put the dough back into the bowl after kneading the salt in cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel and allow to rise in a warm place until dough doubles in size. Mine took another 3 hours.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, remove the dough from the bowl and onto a floured surface. Cut the dough equally into 2 pieces. Each piece will make 1 loaf. The dough will deflate in this process so no need to punch down.
- Form the dough into a tight round circle by patting the dough into a rough circle and then folding the edges into the center and tightly forming a ball. Place seam side up into a banneton that has been floured with cornmeal. You can also place your dough seam side down into a dutch oven that is dusted with cornmeal.
- Allow the dough to do a second shorter rise of 1-2 hours or until the dough becomes springy and slightly puffy. I allowed mine to rise for 2 more hours. It will not double in size again, but don’t worry about this as it will rise quite a bit in the baking process.
- Preheat an oven to 450F.
- If using a banneton, gently flip your dough into a dutch oven or into a la cloche dome baker that has been dusted liberally with cornmeal. Place the lid onto the dutch oven and/or the la cloche dome baker.
- Place the bread into the oven and reduce the heat to 400F.
- Cooked covered for 20 minutes and then remove the lids and bake an additional 10-15 minutes. Check the internal temperature at this time. You want it to be between 200F- 205F.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before slicing. Resist cutting into a warm loaf of bread as it will become gummy in texture.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
I have this recipe measured in grams. It is very important when making bread to measure by weight rather than by cups or tablespoons. This will give you the most accurate results. Invest in a scale. This is the one that I have: my digital scale
Wow, that looks so good… I can’t wait to try it!
did you use gf bread flour? the bread looks like non gluten, made me really crave it 🙂 I was just diagnosed with celiacs and I really want some bread that is GOOD and gf.
thank you!
Hey Pip,
I did not. You really need the gluten to make bread like this however, a lot of the gluten is broken down in the fermentation process. If you were just diagnosed with celiacs, I’d try my gluten free bread…it is fantastic! https://wholelifestylenutrition.com/recipes/best-gluten-free-bread-recipe-ever/
Do you preheat the Dutch oven before putting the bread in it?
I don’t Craig, but I have in the past with a different recipe. It won’t hurt to preheat the dutch oven, will make the outside of the bread nice and crunchy!
I can’t wait to try. I’ve been making Sourdough bread for a while with my own homegrown starter. I was underwhelmed by the flavor so bought the starter you recommend. In a blind taste test, I cannot tell the difference between the bread made from my homegrown starter or the Cultures for Health starter. Any advice?
Also what side Dutch oven do you use, I’ve been using basking sheets. Do you bake both loaves at once?
Thanks in advance,
Jeff
★★★★★
I have read that the longer you let loaves rise in second proofing. The more sour they will be. Also increasing flour:water ratio over time will develop more sour flavor.
Hi, how would you make this in a pan loaf? We buy it from a local baker as a pan loaf and would love to make it at home! Would adding a dish of water in the oven give the same effect as the Dutch oven?
I’d just put this in a loaf pan, if that is the desired shape you want. Just note that the bread might not have that traditional hard crust as you would if it was in a dutch oven. I wouldn’t add water, there is plenty of moisture in the dough. Good luck! 🙂
I make my own sourdough starter, will that work for this recipe?
Thanks!
JP
I don’t see why it wouldn’t work Jackson, just make sure it is good and bubbly before using.
Thanks! My only other question would be about cooking. I only space in the oven for one Dutch oven. Could I let one loaf sit while the other bakes?
Thanks again!
Jackson
You could make one large loaf, rather than 2 small loafs. If you’d prefer the two smaller loafs, you can always put one loaf in the fridge to stop the proofing, while the other is baking. Then just pull out of the fridge once the first one is done cooking, and put it into the oven.
I noticed you don’t score the bread. I really struggle with scoring (usually use a high hydration recipe) but thought it was a must. Can I ask why you don’t? Thanks!
Hi Halle
Will this recipe work just as well with white spelt flour?
Thank you for the recipes we just love the whole spelt flour recipe – works a treat!
I am an avid bread baker but have never been able to get sourdough right … until now. Hallelujah! Thank you for this recipe!
★★★★★
Is the 150g of sourdough starter correct? I bought some from the link you suggested- and the package is $11 for 5.4g….requireing about 30 packets to get to the 150g in the recipe. That seems like a LOT of starter and a LOT money for 2 loaves of bread. Did I miss this?
I can answer this question. First of all, there is an instructional video on the Cultures for Health website that shows how to activate your starter. Check that out first. The starter in your package must be activated to use. Doing that requires that you had the culture in your package to a Mason jar and then add one tablespoon of flour and one tablespoon of water. Mix that and let it sit for at least 12 hours. Add 2 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons water the next day, stir, and let that sit for 12 to 24 hours. It will take you a few days to get your starter going actively enough that you can make bread with it. But once your starter is active, it will last you for years if you take care of it. In addition to the instructions on the Cultures for Health website, there are many other Youtube videos describing how to care for a sourdough starter.
I only use unbleached flour for any baking. What is wrong with its use?
Thanks. Questions:
• 150gm of hydrated starter, right? (I’m using my own).
• no need to start with a separate levain?
• you don’t score the “top” of the bread before baking? (noting the seam side is down in a dutch oven). from the picture it looks as if you do, but you don’t say that in the directions.
Hey, Great stuff.
My brother has become quite the baker, and I wanted to gift him an Authentic San Fransisco Sour Dough starter for his birthday. We live in Germany, and so far I have only found “style” but not actually from SF. Can you help?
Cheers
Any sourdough starter will take on the flavor profile from the yeast naturally present in the locale where the starter is maintained. There is no true Fan Francisco sourdough recipe if you don’t live in the San Francisco area. The closest you will get is that very first batch made from the cultures for health starter packet that she advertises here. But listen, don’t be discouraged by this. IF you can get the bread texture right you will be a LONG WAY toward a satisfying loaf of San Francisco STYLE sourdough. No. It will not be as tangy. Trust me, I’m a Northern California export to Texas and NOBODY sells a sourdough loaf that is the right texture and there’s nothing worse than a sandwich made with white sandwich bread that smells like sourdough. I’d rather have this style of bread with a weaker flavor profile.
If authentic is what you really need, look up the Boudin bakery online and have a loaf shipped to him. My wife still goes out to California to visit her folks and brings 4 loafs back with her every time. This is an especially sweet act as she is gluten intolerant, so this is only for me.
Nonetheless, I can only ration 4 loaves out for so long before I have to break down and bake my own.