The sourdough bug has bit you. That first taste of a crusty, chewy bread is so wonderful. Isn't it harder than it looks? What if I told you sourdough success is easier than you think? You'll bake picture-perfect loaves in no time with these proofing, scoring, and baking tips. Remember, these tips will help you achieve the best bread making experience every time.
So, have you decided to jump on the trend and start baking your own sourdough? This blog will help you make the best sourdough bread. No matter if you are new to sourdough baking or looking to refine your technique, in the end, these tips will elevate your experience for sure.
How to Maintain a Healthy Sourdough Starter?
Do you know that a strong, active sourdough starter is the backbone of flavorful and well-risen bread? Yes, to ensure your starter remains active and ready for baking, you need to:
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Feed it regularly
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Use the right flour
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Monitor hydration levels
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Watch for activity
Thus, the best time to use your starter is to bake when your starter is at its peak activity. Typically when it has risen fully and is just beginning to collapse, if your starter is over-fermented, it may weaken the dough structure.
Some Techniques for Kneading Sourdough Bread
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Touch the Dough
Kneading dough requires sticky hands. Wash them well before diving. You should also flour them to avoid dough sticking. Kneading needs your hands, so get started.
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Pull, Push, Fold
Basic kneading includes pressing, tugging, and folding dough. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Push the dough aside with your heel, then draw it back with your fingertips. Fold the dough in half and press. Turn the dough quarter-turn and repeat. Kneading should make the dough smooth and elastic. Flour as needed to avoid sticking.
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Actively Knead
Knead the dough hard. Sourdough bread's chewy texture comes from extensive kneading to create gluten. Most sourdough recipes require 10–15 minutes of kneading. Kneaded dough should be smooth, elastic, and somewhat tacky.
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Take Breaks When Required
Kneading dough works your arms! Take rests when your arms fatigue. After resting for 5–10 minutes, knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Your bread will taste great, and your arms will thank you. Yes, this will give you the best homemade sourdough bread at the end.
Top Tips for Perfect Homemade Sourdough Bread Every Time
For a great sourdough bread, use a healthy starting. Making a beginning from scratch is simple and gratifying. Below are some top tips for the perfect homemade sourdough bread,
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Use Your Sourdough Starter at Its Peak
To get the best results and the biggest rise in your sourdough bread, ensure you use your starter at its peak. By this, you need to make sure that your sourdough starter has reached its peak height in the jar, before it starts deflating. Between 4 and 12 hours after feeding, your sourdough starter is usually at its peak and yes, it is ready to use.
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Moisten the Surface of the Dough Before Baking for More Rise
Many bread-baking experts use this sourdough secret to get the most significant rise every time. Even if you own a Dutch oven, this handy trick will help you to take your sourdough game to new heights - literally and figuratively.
Simply spray the surface of your shaped dough with a generous amount of water right before you put it in the oven. This will keep the surface of the sourdough flexible for longer to give it a better oven spring and increase your rise time.
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Handle with Care: Be Gentle with your Dough
Sourdough needs to be handled with care, which means that you must be gentle with your dough to get the best results. We’ve all seen bakers on TV being heavy-handed with their dough when they are shaping it, but this is not the case when it comes to sourdough.
Sourdough needs to be degassed gently, so as not to release all the precious gas that has developed over time. Although some do refer to it as ‘punching down’ your dough, they actually mean making a fist and gently pushing it into the centre of the dough, before folding the edges of the dough into the centre. Be sure to never actually punch your dough. This won’t be good for the dough or your bowl.
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Use Sifted Flour To Make Your Sourdough Less Dense
If you’re making your sourdough with whole wheat flour, then try sifting it to remove part of the bran (heavy parts). Bran in your flour will cut through the gluten strands in the bread, which stops them from holding up the air in the dough. By sifting your flour and getting rid of part of the bran, you can ensure that your dough will keep more of the structure formed by the gluten to make your sourdough less dense and give you a lighter loaf.
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Soak Your Flour Beforehand for a Lighter Loaf
If you’re looking to make a lighter loaf, then soaking your flour overnight, especially if you’re using whole grain flour, before adding it to the dough will allow the heavy parts (the bran) to soften and become more flexible. That way, when you add it to your sourdough mixture, it won’t affect the gluten by cutting the strands and losing all the precious gas buildup. By doing this, you’ll get a lighter loaf, with more air pockets, which is what you want.
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Use a Glass or Ceramic Bowl, not Metal
Always use glass or ceramic bowls and containers when making sourdough bread, rather than metal. Two issues that may arise include the acid and the bacteria in the starter, which may interact with the metal or plastic and cause corrosion. Specifically, metals like aluminium, iron or steel can corrode or pit with acidic ingredients. The same holds true for your utensils, so put down your metal spoon and only use wooden or silicone utensils. At Abioto, you can definitely get the best glass and ceramic bowl to experience the best bread making at home.
Make sure loaves must be baked at the right temperature. Low temperatures hinder loaf browning and crust development. If too hot, the crust may burn before the middle bakes. After 30 minutes at 450 F, lower to 350 F and bake sourdough loaves till 208–210 F.
Avoid blunders to bake beautiful sourdough bread quickly with Abioto's bread-making kits. Be careful and attentive during proofing for light, airy sourdough every time.
Uplift Your Sourdough Baking with Abioto
Remember, at Abioto, we provide the best quality tools to help you protect your homemade sourdough bread. From professional bannetons to precision bread-making kits, our products are designed to take your baking to the next level.
You can now make beautiful, tangy sourdough bread. It requires patience, good ingredients, and tools like Abioto's Bread Making Set. The adjustable bread cutter cuts your warm, crusty sourdough masterpiece into neat slices. Show relatives and friends your work. Everyone will want your dish because of its great smell and flavor.
Explore our collection and bake with confidence today!
