Sourdough Bread: Part 2 � The Finished Loaf

Welcome to part two in this series for how to make your own sourdough bread, using nothing more than flour, water, a little salt, and a whole lot of time. 

Yes, making your own sourdough does take a while, but the amount of actual work is minimal, and the bread you�ll get is spectacular�at least in San Francisco. Your results may vary.

While I�ve made sourdough before, I�ve never actually had to provide specific measurements, which is why I�ll credit Northwest Sourdoughonce again, since the amounts below were slightly adapted from there. Speaking of which, anything you�re not sure about after watching this, can be cleared up by visiting Teresa�s amazing channel.

If you don�t have a banneton, you can simply line a similarly sized bowl with a tightly woven cotton kitchen towel, which has been generously coated with rice flour. I�ve used that before, and it works exactly the same. The only difference is the wooden basket �breathes,� unlike a metal bowl, but I don�t think that�s a huge deal.

Since the wild yeast and bacteria that make this bread work vary from one part of the country/world to another, I can�t guarantee you�ll get the same results I did, but nevertheless, I really do think you should try anyway. In fact, if you do have some success, I�d love to see the results posted on Twitter for all to see.  Good luck, and as always, enjoy!

Ingredients for one loaf:

100 grams starter

250 grams water

8 grams kosher salt

394 grams white bread flour

(You�ll also need rice flour for the 10-inch banneton)

- Let ferment for 4 hours, �folding� at the 2 hour mark

- Form loaf and transfer into prepped banneton

- �Retard� dough in fridge for 10-12 hours

- Let rise in warm spot for 3 to 5 hours or until it passes �poke test�

- Bake at 450 F. for 25 to 30 minutes