We only start baking with a hardened sourdough, the sourdough needs 8-12 hours to mature after rising.
The best bread flour for baking bread for beginners is BL80 or KBL100 (King Wheat) , there are also many flours, rye, wholemeal, pumpkin seed etc. BL55 flour is not the best for baking bread.
Always feed the sourdough about 6-8 hours before baking.
A very important part of baking sourdough bread is the kneading, a Folding service and the access. The dough should be left to mature, but should be folded at equal intervals, usually three times. There are several ways of folding the dough, which are important because they stretch the dough and produce air. Usually the dough is folded every 30-60 minutes.
I personally prefer the long cold soaking so you can count on 2 days to make a loaf of sourdough bread. Little work and lots of rest and patience.
The kneading machine makes our work easier, but of course you can also knead by hand.
The temperature of the water is important, it should be 38-40 degrees Celsius when kneading.
If the dough bounces back immediately when pressed, it is undercooked and needs more time.
If it reacts gently and evenly to the pressure, the dough is ready to bake.
And if your fingerprints remain in the dough, you are on the verge of overcooking.
And if it deflates completely under pressure, it is overcooked. In this case, you can make a focaccia by pressing it with your fingers in a pan, drizzling olive oil over it, pressing in 6-8 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of salt and a handful of rosemary.
The notch is very important so that the bread will have more air and a better texture. This is best done with a sharp blade in a firm, quick motion. The blade should close 45 degrees to the surface of the bread.
Be careful with the patterning, as each notch will deflate the intricate gluten mesh you have built up. It takes a lot of practice to get the pattern right.
Everyone should experience and get to know their oven. I like my bread less crusty, so I preheat the oven to 250 degrees bottom-top bake along with the cast iron pan. When it reaches that temperature, I put the bread in the pan, put the lid on and immediately turn the oven down to 180 degrees and bake for 1 hour, then without the lid on for about 10 minutes until it has a little color.
It's best to bake in a cast iron pan with a lid so that the water that evaporates from the bread turns to steam and the bread rises better.
