Recipe: Simple No-Knead #quarantinystarter Sourdough Bread

Simple No-Knead #quarantinystarter Sourdough Bread

Makes 1 loaf.

Note: This dough must be prepared in advance. Levain is the building block for leavened bread. From Andrew Janjigian of Cook's Illustrated magazine and America's Test Kitchen and adapted from King Arthur Flour. "Volume measures are approximate here," he said. "King Arthur all-purpose flour is the ideal flour for this recipe, but other bread flours will work as well (King Arthur all-purpose flour is closer in protein content to other bread flours than it is to other all-purpose flours). If your starter is already on a large enough scale to yield 30 grams — plus extra for refreshing, don't forget that! — then you can skip the levain hydration step and mix it into the dough directly. If your kitchen is very cold, you can increase the amount of your levain to 50 grams. In the heat of summer, you can get away with as little as 5 grams."

For 100% hydration levain (see Note):

• 40 g (1/3 c.) bread flour or high-protein all-purpose flour (see Note)

• 40 g (3 tbsp.) lukewarm (75 degrees) water

• 20 g (4 tsp.) sourdough starter (see the formula below)

• 360 g (1 2/3 c.) lukewarm water (75 degrees), divided

• 30 g (1 tbsp.) levain (from above)

• 500 g (3 1/4 c.) bread flour or high-protein all-purpose flour (see Note), plus extra for shaping dough

• 10 g (2 tsp.) salt

Directions

To prepare dough, step 1: Place 10 grams (2 teaspoons) water in a small bowl and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining 350 grams water (1 2/3 cup water minus 2 teaspoons) with levain until levain is mostly broken up. Add flour and stir with your hands or a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains. Cover bowl and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Sprinkle salt over top of dough, then sprinkle remaining 10 grams (2 teaspoons) water over dough. Working in the bowl, knead dough gently by hand until salt is fully incorporated and dough is uniform in texture (it will remain shaggy). Cover bowl and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Step 3: Using wet hands, reach under dough, pull it up and fold it over itself, turning a quarter-turn after each fold and folding 8 times, until dough is tight and uniform.

Step 4: Cover bowl tightly and let dough sit at a cool room temperature (68 to 75 degrees) until dough is puffy, jiggly and bubbly, about 12 to 16 hours. (You can generally move to Step 5 anytime within this window, as long as the dough looks right and as long as ambient temperatures aren't much higher than 75 degrees.)

Step 5: Flour the top of the dough and a clean work surface liberally and evenly. Reach under the dough from the bottom and transfer it to the prepared counter. Pat the dough gently to form a 7-inch disc. Fold the dough's edges over the center, turning the dough a quarter-turn at a time, to form a round ball. Leave dough on the counter and cover with an upside-down bowl or loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Step 7: Let dough sit at room temperature for 1 hour, then transfer to refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours, depending upon what is more convenient with your schedule. (Or proof at room temperature until the dough has about doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with your finger, about 2 to 4 hours. But note that retarding the dough in the refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours will result in better oven spring, easier and better scoring and less worry about when it's ready to be baked.)

Step 8: 30 minutes before baking, place a large covered cast-iron Dutch oven on the middle rack of the oven and preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Step 9: Fold back edges of towel and dust top of loaf liberally with flour. Lay a 12- by 12-inch piece of parchment paper on a clean work surface. Gently invert loaf onto the center of the parchment paper and remove the towel. Using a sharp knife or a razor blade, make a single 1/4-inch deep slash from edge to edge across the center of the dough.

Step 10: Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven and remove the lid. Holding the edges of the parchment paper in both hands, carefully and gently place the dough in the Dutch oven. Cover the Dutch oven, return it to the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 450 degrees.

Step 11: Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the lid and continue to bake until loaf is golden brown, 15 to 20 additional minutes. Carefully remove Dutch oven from the oven. Carefully remove the loaf from the Dutch oven. Return the loaf to the bare oven rack and continue to bake until deep golden brown, 5 to 10 additional minutes. Remove loaf from oven, transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool for at least 2 hours before serving.

Calories 155 Fat 1 g

Sodium 325 mg Carbohydrates 31 g

Saturated fat 0 g Added sugars 0 mg

Protein 5 g Cholesterol 0 mg

Dietary fiber 1 g