Baking Class: Artisan Sourdough No Knead Bread

I have been working on sourdough no-knead bread for a while and I think I have finally figured it out enough to get consistent results. Most recipes call for a small amount of starter proportionate to the rest of the ingredients but I had built up a sizeable starter for my fennel seed bread and did not feel like mixing and kneading the dough so I decided to turn it into a no-knead loaf instead.  I did not want to waste the additional starter.  I wondered what would happen if I used more starter and put it into the refrigerator immediately rather than letting it sit outside for hours.  I used this percentage method for calculating starter I found at Chocolate and Zucchini to calculate the amount of starter to use and went to work.

My first attempt was decent with a good crumb, but the crust was a bit soft.  The crumb was decent, however,  and I knew I was on the right path.

My next attempt yielded the result you see here.  The crust was crisp and chewy.  And the crumb was all that I could have hoped it would be!

An interesting note - I only had about a third of a cup of whole wheat flour (not sure how that happened!) so I added enough rye flour to make a full cup.  The result was delicious and I think I will keep that ratio in the future.  And of  course I will play with other flour combinations as well.

But this one is a keeper.  You mix the dough together and put it in the fridge for a couple of days, maybe take it out and fold it once, and then take it out and bake it.  It's as close to set it and forget it as an artisanal home-made bread can be.

Home Cookin v9.76 Chapter: Breads and Muffins
Artisan Sourdough No-Knead Bread 142 g starter
304 g water
120 g any combination of whole wheat or rye flour
229 g white bread flour
12 g salt

Combine the flours with the salt and whisk together.

Dissolve the starter into the water. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerator for as little as overnight or as long as three days. If more than two days, remove from the refrigerate and bring to room temperature, then fold about 15 times. Cover and put back in the refrigerator until ready to bake, up to two days later.

When ready to bake, remove from the refrigerator and bring to room temprature. Fold the dough again 10 to 15 times, then transfer to a floured piece of parchment paper in a bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about one-and-a-half to two hours.

After about 45 minutes, place a Dutch oven with the lid on it into a cool oven and preheat it to 500°. When the dough has risen and you are ready to bake, remove the pot from the oven and carefully drop the dough into the hot pot. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, lower the heat to 450° and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Let cool completely on rack.

adapted from http://breadtopia.com/sourdough-no-knead-bread/