Brodflour's Sourdough Recipe

17 hours 20 mins Prep Time

40 mins Cook Time

Written By

TasteToronto

It seems everyone and their mother is making sourdough bread lately. Who knew a global pandemic and being stuck in quarantine would spark an urge to tackle the art of bread making, but here we are! As yeast and flour have become the latest items to disappear off of shelves, it is apparent the demand for baking essentials has skyrocketed!

If you've found yourself overwhelmed by the multitude of tips, tricks, recipes and ingredients available out there -- try this tried and true recipe from one of Toronto's best bakeries -- Brodflour.

This is an original recipe from the bakery, which is now also selling their own stone-ground flour, as the recipe calls for it. This particular recipe does not detail how to make an active starter but if you would like to make your own, check out Brodflour's recipe for one here.

Below is a video tutorial on shaping and forming your dough!

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Although we think sourdough baking is pretty accessible, there are a couple parts of the process that have probably made you scratch your head. Like wtf is a lame, am I right? . So if you’re anything like our amateur baking friends, you’ve probably gone down a few shaping video rabbit holes on YouTube trying to figure how on earth to get your lump of dough into a neat little ball. . Here’s a concise little video you can rewatch at you leisure that will hopefully help make the whole thing clearer. Good luck!

A post shared by brodflour (@brodflour) on May 19, 2020 at 10:23am PDT

If you give this recipe a shot, make sure to post up your creation on Instagram and tag @tastetoronto and @brodflour!

Ingredients

For the Leaven

10g active starter
100g water
100g Prairie Hard Red flour

For the Dough

100g leaven
500g Prairie Hard Red flour
375g water
10g salt

Directions

The Leaven

1 Steps

Step 1

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and let sit covered at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours or overnight if it’s more convenient. To test that the leaven is ready, conduct the float test. If a spoonful of the leaven floats, it is ready to be made into dough. If it sinks, let the leaven sit for longer.

Autolyse

3 Steps

Step 1

Mix the leaven and water in a bowl, dissolving the leaven with your hand. Once it is mostly dissolved, add in the flour and mix with your hand until a shaggy dough is formed. It doesn’t need to be well mixed – just make sure there are no bits of flour remaining. Let the dough rest in the bowl for 30 minutes.
Step 2

The autolyse phase gives the flour an opportunity to fully absorb the water, allowing the dough to become more cohesive and workable. The autolyse phase encourages active gluten formation without kneading.
Step 3

Mix in the salt, pinching the dough between your thumb and fingers. The goal is to squeeze balls into the dough, incorporating the salt while breaking up the gluten network that has formed during the autolyze phase. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Bulk Fermentation

3 Steps

Step 1

The majority of sourdough’s strength and flavour develops over 3 to 4 hours during the bulk fermentation phase. During the first 2 hours of bulk fermentation, we perform a series of turns and folds. Complete one fold by sliding your hand between the far edge of the bowl and the dough. Grab the dough and fold over toward you – this is one fold. Turn the bowl and do this again on the new side, turning the bowl and repeating until the dough firms up, which should take 3 to 6 turns. Repeat this process three more times at 30 minute intervals.
Step 2

During the remaining 1 to 2 hours of the bulk fermentation, the dough is left to further ferment and rise at room temperature. During this phase, the yeast activity creates CO2 which can now be trapped by the gluten that has been stretched from the folds.
Step 3

The folding process helps stretch the gluten network so more air pockets can form in the bread, creating an even, light and airy crumb. At the end of bulk fermentation, the dough should be light and have increased in volume by 20 to 30 percent. If it hasn’t, let the dough rise for up to another hour.

The First Shaping

1 Steps

Step 1

Scrape the dough onto a floured work surface. Using a dough scraper fold the dough in half so the floured surface is on the outside. Work the dough into taut rounds to build surface tension. Sprinkle flour on the round and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

The Final Shaping

3 Steps

Step 1

Using a bench scrape, flip the ball of dough so that the floured surface is face-down. Using both hands, grab the edge of the dough closest to you, stretch it out lightly and fold it up to the middle of the dough. Fold the right side over, then the left and finally fold the top edge to meet the others in the middle. Repeat this process on all four corners.
Step 2

This process can be tricky when you’re first starting out so it is best to watch a couple shaping videos on YouTube. This will help you get a better idea of the technique before practicing on your loaf.
Step 3

Line a bowl or round basket with a tea towel. Cover with more flour than you think you’ll need. Place the dough round, floured side down in the lined bowl and cover lightly with a towel.

Proofing

2 Steps

Step 1

One of the last steps in the sourdough process is proofing your loaf. During this step, your loaf will continue to ferment, developing more flavour, and will undergo most of the rise. You have a couple options for this – you can let the loaf proof on the counter for about 3 to 4 hours or let the loaf proof in the fridge for 8 to 12 hours.
Step 2

We recommend proofing your dough in the fridge as it slows down or retards the fermentation, providing more predictable final product and resulting in a more sour flavoured loaf.

Bake

4 Steps

Step 1

Turn your oven on to 500 degrees, putting the dutch oven pot and lid in to warm up. Keep the dutch oven in the oven for about 30 minutes after the oven has come to temperature. Pull out your loaf from the fridge and flip onto a piece of parchment paper. Score the loaf with a sharp knife or razor blade. Scoring your loaf involves cutting lines in the crust of the dough to give it points for expansion when in the oven. Many experienced bakers score elaborate patterns on the top to help add to the aesthetic but this takes practice. You can score an ‘X’ or square in the centre of the loaf is a great start.
Step 2

Carefully slide the loaf and parchment paper into your heated dutch oven. Bake covered for 20 minutes at 500 degrees. Lower the oven temperature to 450 degrees, and bake the loaf uncovered for another 20 minutes.
Step 3

Transfer the bread to a wire rack and let it cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into it.
Step 4

Enjoy the bread on its own or with your favourite spread!