Happy St Patrick's Day

 SHAMROCK SOURDOUGH SCORE

My Sourdough Bread

 My Recipe:

320 - 335 grams Water

100 grams Active Sourdough Starter

500 grams Strong Bread Flour (protein content 12% or above)

10 grams Salt

Instructions: 

Mix Water, Starter and flour 

Cover Bowl and Rest 1/2 hr

Mix in Salt, Cover Bowl and Rest 1/2 hr

Perform 2 sets of four stretch & folds

Cover and Rest 1/2 hr after each set

Perform 2 sets of four coil folds

Cover and rest after each set

Let Dough set and finish bulk fermentation (usually 2 - 3 more hours)

Pre-shape dough. Let rest on counter 1/2 hr

Final shape dough and put in banneton basket

Cover Dough with shower cap, Rest 1/2 hr 

Put dough in banneton in refrigerator overnight

Next Day: heat dutch oven in oven for 1 hour @ 500 degrees

Empty dough on parchment paper, score and place in dutch oven

Bake in covered dutch oven 30 minutes @ 450 degrees. 

Remove lid and bake uncovered 5 - 10 minutes @ 425 degrees 

Cool for 2 hrs before cutting

Detailed Comments & Instructions: 

I live in a humid climate. The recommendation for hot/humid climates is to use cold water and use a low hydration recipe. I generally don't use cold water unless its with my starter overnight.  I take the temperature a lot during the process of forming my dough and try to keep the temperature 76 to 80 degrees. I'll let my dough rest in the oven with the light on when the temp is too low for me. If I see its getting too high in temperature, I'll let it rest on the counter. 

Sourdough tip: Get an established starter...I got my starter from my daughter and have just kept it going. I recommend getting an established starter from someone or purchasing one. 

I keep my sourdough starter in the refrigerator and use it twice a week without any problem. Here's my routine:

 Using a clean jar, I take out my starter from the refrigerator and I put 1 part starter, 1 part all purpose flour and 1 part water. I use either spring water or filtered water from the refrigerator. I never use tap water.

 I like to mix my starter the night before and let it set on the counter at room temperature with a ratio of 1x3x3 but with this batch, I started in the morning so I did a ratio of 1x2x2 and let it warm up in my oven with the light on so that it would be ready faster. I've also used a 1x1x1 ratio in the morning and it is ready a lot faster. It only took about 6 hours to double and peak. This first photo shows my starter at a point of still growing. Even though it is double in size and bubbly, I like to wait until the starter is peak and starting to fall.

This picture shows what my starter looks like when it's starting to fall. It is still really bubbly.

I use filtered water and put the water in the microwave just to get the chill off. This picture shows the "float test", my starter is at the point of "ready to mix' because it is floating on the water.

I mix the water and starter until it looks milky.

I add the flour.  Sometimes I put about 50 grams of whole wheat with 450 grams of bread flour. I used King Arthur bread flour here.

After mixing the flour and water, I like to clean the bowl with a scraper. The mixture is a somewhat flakey consistency. I then cover the bowl and let it rest anywhere between 1/2 hour to an hour.

 While the dough is resting, I take the time to feed what's left of my starter. I usually feed a 1x1x1 ratio but I use a flour mixture of 1 part all purpose flour, 1 part whole wheat flour and 1 part rye flour. I find that if I use some whole wheat and rye flour at this point, I don't have any problems of my starter being weak.

 So I have 1 part starter, 1 part water and 1 part flour mixture. I use spring water just when mixing my starter but I don't know if its necessary. For my sourdough loaf, I use filtered water.

 I first mix the starter and water. This is all at room tempature.

 Then I add the flour mixture. I like using a chopstick to mix it. The consistency is thick because of the rye and whole wheat in the flour mixture. I then will keep this jar on the counter and put it in the refrigerator tonight and use it for my next loaf at the end of the week. Here, I keep my starter in the jar that I started with but when I use the starter for a loaf of bread, I mix it in a clean jar.  I use regular canning jars with plastic lids that I screw on only part way to let a little air in. When I'm ready to put this jar in the refrigerator, I screw the lid on tighter than when just sitting to let rise for a loaf of bread.

 Back to the dough. I like adding my salt after the flour and water have rested together. Some bakers just add the salt with the flour and water and skip this step but I think my loaves turn out better this way. So,  I poke the dough with wet fingers and then add the salt. I then spray the salt with my water spray bottle, so that it will start disolving.

 I then mix the salt in with a wet hand and at this time I'm pretty rough with the dough and I take about 5 minutes or more to make sure the salt is thoroughly mixed in with the dough. 

 I also "slap and fold" the dough about four or five times at this time. 

 This is how the dough looks at this point. I try to get into a ball as much as possible. 

 I let the dough rest with a plate over the bowl or wet towel or lid, plastic wrap...some kind of cover.

 This is  dough after a 1/2 hour. 

 I start to do my "stretch and folds" with wet hands, I pull the dough over onto itself and do this on all four sides of the dough.

 I then scrape the bowl and turn the dough over onto itself so that the smooth side is up.

 I take the temperature of the dough. I want it to be between 76 - 80. Not too worried if its a little warm. But like I said, I live in a humid climate and I don't want the dough too warm. It could make the loaf gummy. I then wait a 1/2 hour and do another set of "stretch and folds.

When I do "stretch and folds" I always turn the dough over onto itself and tuck the edges under to form a ball and to start tightening the dough. Its important to have tension on the dough. All together I do 2 sets of stretch and folds and 2 sets of coil folds. So in other words, 4 sets of folds, 1/2 hour within each other.

Here are some bubbles forming near then end of the coil folds.

After I'm done with folds, I put my dough in a clear container so that I can see it rise for the rest of the bulk fermentation. I let it rise at this time in the oven with the light on. Again, I'll take it out and put it on the counter if the temp is too high. Bulk fermentation time starts as soon as the starter, water and flour are mixed. For me, it usually takes any where between 5 1/2 - 7  hours in total.  I'm waiting for the dough to almost double in size and show signs of finishing with being jiggly, bubbly, coming away from side of the bowl. 

This is my dough bowl dump. The dough pulls away easily. The dough is ready to be shaped.

I flatten the dough out and pop any bubbles. Then I fold it up, turn it over  and shape it in a ball.

I push and pull the ball to create tension. Then let it rest for 20 - 30 minutes.

I then sprinkle rice flour on top of the ball.

I turn the flour part onto my hands and close the dough like closing a book. They call this the "caddy clasp" method of shaping the dough. I then place it in my banneton basket.

After placing the dough in the basket, I stitch the top and seal the dough. I let it rest on the counter for a half hour then put a shower cap on the basket and place it in the refrigerator over night.

This is my dough the next morning. I put it on parchment paper. I score the dough with a razor blade on the side and then put it in a hot dutch oven that has been heating in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour at 500 degrees. I spray my loaf with water and bake it covered for 25 minutes at 450 degrees then take the lid off for 5-10 minutes at 425.  Timing for cooking depends on individual ovens but this is what works for me.

Take it out of the oven and let it cool for at least 2 hours.