Recipe

Sourdough Bread Recipe

Add Step-by-Step Photos	Armida / All my dishes 4 months, 1 week ago This is a firm, substantial bread; great with pates and sausages; hearty German and Swiss cheeses; stews and hearty soups (goulash); or just butter or schmaltz Prep:180m Cook:60m Servings:1	Armida
	german bread

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Ingredients

Sourdough:

400g wholeweat flour, coarsest texture

400ml water

Bread dough:

300g rye flour

500g wheat flour of your preferred quality

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon each of ground coriander and carraway (or cumin)

whole carraway seeds to garnish crust

10g dry yeast

500 - 600ml water

all purpose flour for dusting the tray and the loaf

Directions

Use a large glass bowl with tight lid

add 100g of the wholegrain flour and 100ml water and stir well

keep the dough in a warm place (25 degrees centigrade) for 24 hours

Every day, add 100g of flour and 100ml of water

Depending on the climate and the quality of the flour, by Day 2, little bubbles will appear and it will smell pleasantly sour (the fresh, clean sourness of a granny smith apple)

There may be some alcoholy liquid; just str back into the dough

No need to bother with starter cultures; the flour and the air contains all you need for a good sourdough

Your sourdough will turn out differently depending on where you live; in tropical Mombasa, it is a bit more sour and contains less natural yeast

Important: use only fresh flour; if it has been in your cupboard for a few months, there is a risk of the sourdough turning putrid; in this case, discard and start again

Once you have 400g of sourdough, dissolve it in 500ml of warm water (30 degrees centigrade)

Stir in the rye and wheat flour, add the salt and ground spices

Dissolve the yeast in a bit of warm water and knead into the dough

Depending on the consistency of the dough, you may need more water; the dough should be firm, but slightly sticky

Cover and allow to rest for 1 hour

Knead the dough again for about 10 minutes

Dust your baking tray with a thick layer of plain flour

Form a loaf and use water to rub the surface to make it smooth

sprinkle with carraway seeds (optional)

Make incisions (whatever pattern you desire)

Allow to rise for 1- 3 hours (sourdough may take much longer to rise; the volume should double)

Preheat oven to 220 degrees centigrade

Place a pie dish with water on the bottom of the stove to provide humidity

Bake for 45 minutes (if the crust turns too dark, lower heat to 175 degrees after 30 minutes)

Remove the tray from the oven

Use a wet clean towel to dampen the crust

Bake for another 15 minutes (the wet surface will turn shiny)

Bread is ready if it sounds hollow when you tap it

Dust the loeaf with a thin layer of plain flour and allow to cool on a rack

If the bread is dense and firm, you have succeeded; if it turns soft, spongy, fluffy or squishy, it's back to the drawing board; it should require some effort to slice

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