Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread

After messing with the previous sourdough bread recipe I felt confident enough to try another recipe. I came across this old recipe from a sourdough class that I had taken a few years ago and had tucked it away as it was really hard to fit in the sourdough process in ones busy life. It was all so confusing too! Now that I'm retired and having to seriously change my diet I am determined to conquer the world of sourdough! So this recipe is adapted with thanks to Lorraine of Fresh Healthy Cooking 😍

Update: I found starting this at night was challenging so I experimented with the shorter time and it works so much better for me. Play with your flour mixtures until you find the right one for you. I have given a couple of opt that I tried and you know what? You can’t go wrong!

Whisk

1 1/2 c unfed sourdough starter 

1 c water (1 1/2 c for opt flour mix)

Add

1 c rye flour 

1 1/2 c bread flour 

Opt #1 (I prefer this combo)

1 1/2 c rye

1/2 c bread flour

1 c whole wheat

Opt #2

1 c spelt

1 c rye

1 c whole wheat

Note: the following steps work well with wet hands as the dough gets quite sticky. A dough scraper really helps to scrape the counter.

Mix with hands until dough forms a ball. 

Cover and rest for 5 min

Transfer onto counter and knead for 5 min

Cover and rest for 5 min

Smear hands generously with softened butter and knead for 5 min (adding more butter to hands and mixing into dough)

Form into a ball and brush top with butter

Cover and let rise 8-12 hrs in the fridge (opt: 6 hrs)

In the morning (or after rising time) punch down and add 1 tsp sea salt 

Knead for 2 min and form into a round loaf

Spread the dough into a flat squarish shape

Pull & stretch 4 ends into the center and then the 4 corners

Pinch the dough in the middle and flip the ball over

Turn the dough with one hand while tucking the dough under with the other. This will form a tight skin on the dough.

Rest for 5 min

Repeat the tuck and turn and brush top with butter

Place in a bowl lined with parchment paper (I used the same bowl that the dough had been rising in)

Cover and let rise 1 1/2 - 3 hrs

Preheat oven to 450° with a Dutch oven and lid in it.

Score the bread with razor

Carefully remove lid of the Dutch oven and place the loaf with the parchment paper in replacing the lid.

Bake for 30 min

Remove lid and bake for another 15 min

Cool on wire rack for at least one hr before slicing into it!

(Timeframe - started mixing this 8 pm for the overnight and for the 6 hr opt 8:30 am)

Note: experimented by starting this in the morning and left to rise on the counter for 6 hrs and 2 hrs after adding the salt. Turned out amazing!