Thursday, October 22, 2015

Chloe Likes To Eat: Lazy Sourdough

I love sourdough bread, when it's done right it's a thing of beauty, albeit the choice of every brunch plate in Shoreditch presently. Although it's nice topped with avocado and poached eggs (if there's ever leftovers, then that's usually how the end up) it's even better with a cheeseboard.

The problem with sourdough is that made properly it requires a fermented starter which takes at least a week to make. The idea is that it uses the yeast that occurs naturally in the air to get it all going. Sorry, but I don't want to wait a week for my sourdough, I want it now. I found this 'faux sourdough' recipe HERE and there are some minor tweaks in my version. Sourdough bread in 24 hours though... yes please!






Looks good right, in all it's golden crusty glory...?

print recipe

Easy Fake Sourdough
Sourdough style bread using live yoghurt
  • 385g Live yoghurt
  • 400 Strong white bread flour
  • 0.25 teaspoon Yeast (dry)
  • 1.5 teaspoon Salt
1. In a large bowl or with a dough hook on a stand mixer, mix yeast and flour together
2. Add approximately 380-400g of the yoghurt and knead/mix until a wet dough forms. If required, add an extra tablespoon of yoghurt- it's should be a sticky wet dough, only just more than a batter. 3. Add the salt shortly after the yoghurt as the dough begins to form4. Leave the dough in a covered bowl for 18-20 hours. Some people say more than 20 hours and the yoghurt will start to turn bitter, but in my experience, this is only likely to happen in warmer climates or if you leave the dough somewhere very warm like your airing cupboard which I don't do. The dough should have doubled in size roughly and there will be lots of large bubbles in it. When you uncover it, it should smell a little sour- clue's in the name. 5. GENTLY scrape dough out onto floured surface and fold the dough in on itself a few times. If you're too vigorous knocking back at this point, your bread will have a closed dense texture. 6. Shape into a round or oval and leave on baking paper, covered over with an upside down bowl for around 2 hours- I find the dough has usually increased in size by a quarter- a half depending on how warm it is.7. Pre-heat your oven and a large heavy based pot with a lid to 200 degrees, place dough and baking paper inside the pot and bake with lid on for 30 minutes. Take the lid off at the 30 minute mark, and bake for a further 20-25 minutes until the crust is golden.
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 1 loaf approx 10 slices

A few notes: 

Do not forget to add the salt. Really important. Results of saltless sourdough will be devastating

If you have the time to leave your live yoghurt at the back of the fridge for a week or two, the flavour will be better still. The principle of this is that the cultures in the yoghurt do for the fermentation what weeks of fermentation do in a starter. The livelier your yoghurt, the better. 

Be ever so gentle with the dough between proving, closed texture on a sourdough is just a little sad and isn't quite... right. 

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