Peter Reinhart Sourdough Bread Recipes

SAN FRANCISCO SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Do ahead
• To make the starter, combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute, then increase to medium speed for about 30 seconds. If mixing by hand, stir for about 2 minutes, until well blended. The starter should feel doughlike and tacky or slightly sticky; if not, stir in additional flour or water as needed.
• Transfer the starter to a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 30 seconds. Place it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl loosely, and leave at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours, until the starter increases to about 1 1/2 times its original size. If you plan to use the starter the same day, allow 1 more hour of fermentation so that it nearly doubles in size. Otherwise, put the starter in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• To make the dough, cut the starter into 10 to 12 pieces and put them in a mixing bowl. Pour in the water and mix with the paddle attachment on the lowest speed or with a large spoon for about 1 minute to soften the starter.
• Add the flour and salt, as well as the yeast (unless you're making the "purist" version). Switch to the dough hook and mix on the lowest speed, or continue mixing by hand, for 2 minutes, to form a coarse ball of dough that's very tacky and slightly warm. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
• Mix on medium-low speed or by hand for 4 minutes more, adding flour or water as needed to make a soft, supple, slightly sticky ball of dough.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand for 1 minute, then form it into a ball. Let the dough sit uncovered for 10 minutes, then do a stretch and fold, either on the work surface or in the bowl, reaching under the front end of the dough, stretching it out, then folding it back onto the top of the dough. Do this from the back end and then from each side, then flip the dough over and tuck it into a ball. Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes. Do another stretch and fold, then immediately form the dough into a ball, place it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl large enough to contain the dough when it doubles in size, and cover the bowl.
• If using the mixed method with instant yeast, refrigerate the dough immediately. If making the "purist" version, without instant yeast, let the dough sit at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours before refrigerating; it won't rise very much, but it should show signs of growth and continue to rise in the refrigerator. Either version will be ready to use the next day and for up to 3 days. (If you plan to bake the dough in batches over different days, you can portion the dough and place it into two or more oiled bowls at this stage.)
• On baking day
• For the "purist" version, remove the dough from the refrigerator about 4 hours before you plan to bake; after 2 hours, shape it (see instructions for lean bread, page 48), then let it proof for 2 hours before baking. For the mixed method, remove the dough from the refrigerator 2 hours prior to baking and shape it right away. Remove only the portion you wish to bake: 19 ounces (539 g) for a 1-pound (454 g) loaf; 28 ounces (794 g) for a 1 1/2-pound (680 g) loaf, and so on. You can also bake the entire amount of dough as a large, 3-pound (1.36 kg) miche (round country loaf) or as a large torpedo loaf. See chapter 1, page 20, for instructions.
• Proof for 2 hours as a freestanding loaf, in floured proofing baskets, or on proofing cloths. The dough should increase in size to 1 1/2 times its original size and be springy yet hold an indentation when pressed with a finger. It may spread as it rises, but it will grow taller as it bakes.
• If using a baking stone, about 45 minutes before baking preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C) and prepare the oven for hearth baking (see page 30). Otherwise, just preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C) about 20 minutes before baking.
• Just before baking, score the dough with whatever style of design you prefer (see page 29). Transfer the dough to the oven, pour 1 cup of hot water into the steam pan, then lower the oven temperature to 450°F (232°C), or to 425°F (218°C) if baking a large miche.
• Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the pan and continue baking for 15 to 35 minutes, or longer, depending on the size of the loaf; a large miche could take up to 75 minutes to bake. When fully baked, the crust should have a rich, caramelized color, the loaf should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom, and the internal temperature should be about 200°F (90°C) in the center. Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving.
• Variations
• For country-style pain au levain, you can substitute whole wheat flour or other whole grain flours for an equal amount of bread flour (by weight), in which case you'll need to increase the water by about 1/2 tablespoon (0.25 oz / 7 g) for every 3 1/2 tablespoons (1 oz / 28.5 g) of whole grain flour you use. A typical pain au levain would substitute 2 to 3 ounces (56.5 to 85 g) of whole grain flour for an equal amount of bread flour, but there really is no limit.
• One of the best variations of this bread has crumbled blue cheese (or chunks of any good melting cheese) and toasted nuts or seeds (walnuts are highly recommended). Add nuts to the dough during the last minute of mixing, using about 25 percent nuts to total flour. Since the total flour in this recipe is about 34 ounces (964 g), counting the flour in the starter, about 8.5 ounces (241 g) of nuts would be just right. With the cheese, you can add anywhere between 25 to 45 percent of the weight of the flour; so that would be 8.5 to 15.3 ounces (241 to 434 g). Fold the cheese in by hand at the end of the mixing or roll it into the dough during shaping (see the crusty cheese bread recipe on page 121).

SOURDOUGH STARTER

Steps:

• Make seed culture: Combine 1 ounce of the flour and 2 ounces pineapple juice in a large glass or small nonreactive bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature, stirring with a wet spoon twice a day. Bubbles should appear after 24 to 36 hours. After 48 hours, add 1 ounce flour and remaining pineapple juice, stirring to incorporate. Re-cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature, stirring with a wet spoon twice a day. When it is foamy, in 1 to 4 days, combine 2 ounces flour and 1 ounce filtered or spring water in a medium nonreactive bowl. Add seed culture, stirring to incorporate, and re-cover with plastic wrap. Stir twice a day to aerate.
• When mixture has doubled in bulk, in 1 to 2 days, convert it into a starter: Combine 12 ounces flour and 9 ounces filtered or spring water in bowl. Add 4 ounces of seed culture mixture (discard the rest, or use to make a second starter) and mix until fully incorporated. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes. It should have the consistency of bread dough. Transfer to a nonreactive bowl and let rest at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 4 to 8 hours. Knead lightly, then store in container with tight-fitting lid (container must be large enough to let starter triple in bulk). Store in refrigerator.

SOURDOUGH CIABATTA

Steps:

• Sourdough Starter
• Build a 100% hydration (or higher) sourdough starter over a couple of days until it is more than 550g in weight, about 4 1/2 cups volume, active and floating.
• There are numerous, equally effective ways to get this amount of active starter. I fed my starter and refrigerated it at about 2 cups in volume. On baking day, I put 220g of starter in a large bowl, fed it 150g of all-purpose flour and 180g of water. In volume, this is approximately 1 cup starter, 1 cup flour and 3/4 cup water. Several hours later, it was over four cups in volume and it floated.
• Hand Mixing Instructions
• Mix together in a large bowl all of the ingredients (flour, active starter, water, olive oil, salt) except the additional 75g of water. I used a danish dough whisk until the ingredients were incorporated. Mark the time here if you like to track fermentation this way.
• Develop the gluten in the dough by hand for 8-10 minutes or until the dough passes the windowpane test. Use one hand to turn the bowl and the other hand to scrape, scoop and pull the dough around the bowl in the opposite direction. Feel free to take breaks and do not worry about pausing the clock. Here is a video of this mixing technique.
• Add the additional 75g of water and gently fold and squeeze it into the dough.
• Stand Mixer Instructions
• If you prefer to use a stand mixer, you can put all of the ingredients including the extra 75g of water into the mixer bowl at once and use the paddle attachment on med speed for 5 minutes and then the dough hook attachment on med speed for 2 minutes or until dough passes the windowpane test.
• After Mixing
• Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
• For the first stretch and fold, lift the dough with a dough scraper from one side and flop it over to the opposite side. Do four sides, twice around.
• Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
• For the second stretch and fold, lightly oil a new bowl, scrape the dough into the new bowl and stretch and fold using the dough scraper from all four sides once around.
• Cover and let rest 60 minutes.
• For the third stretch and fold, wet your fingertips and gently pull the sides of the dough off the bowl and toward the center of the dough. After you have done this around the entire bowl, scoop the dough up with both hands coming from the sides and downward (so that the dough is like a droopy cat with your hands in the middle). Do not pull hard and rip the dough if it does not come off the bowl easily. Lay it back down and scoop again but from the other sides. Repeat both directions a second time.
• Cover and let ferment until puffy and roughly doubled.
• My bulk fermentation from the initial mixing of the dough was 4 hours at a room temperature of 79F.
• Heavily flour your countertop, then scrape/pour the dough onto it. Flour your hands repeatedly and gently slide your fingers under the dough from all sides to pull it outward into a rectangular shape about 1/2 an inch thick.
• This technique does not de-gas the dough, and seems to encourage big irregular holes in the crumb. I also made a batch where I pressed the dough into a rectangle, de-gassing it, and I got more regular holes in the crumb. Both techniques work well in my opinion.
• Flip the bottom half of the dough onto the top half (fold along the long side of the rectangle.) You will now have a narrower rectangle with a floured top (and bottom).
• Gently cut the dough into 3 square-ish pieces. See photo gallery.
• Prepare a linen couche with a lot of flour. Create channels, as in this photo and the photo in the gallery below, wide enough to lay the dough slipper in. You can also use tea towels or parchment paper.
• Using a bench scraper, transfer the three slippers to the couche. In the transfer, you can gently stretch the slippers to be a little longer.
• Loosely cover and let proof for about 1 hour (longer at temps under 75F).
• If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven. You can also cook the slippers on a metal cookie sheet or upside down cast iron pan. (Do not use a dark non-stick surface because of the high oven temperature).
• Prepare to create steam early in the baking process. You can put a cast iron pan on the shelf under the baking stone. Or you can create a drip system by putting an aluminum pan with a pinhole in the oven under the stone, and a metal cookie sheet on the base of the oven. When making the pinhole, test over your sink that water drips through it about 1-2 drops a second. This system was devised by Breadtopia community member @peevee.
• My heating element is exposed on the bottom of my oven, so the aluminum pan drips onto the bottom of the oven rather than a cookie sheet, which works fine too.
• Preheat your oven to 500 F for 30 minutes before the dough finishes proofing. If you are baking on a cookie sheet, a 15 minute preheat should be enough.
• When proofing is complete, flip your slippers over onto three narrow sheets of parchment paper, place them on a pizza peel (an upside-down cookie sheet can be a peel too), and slide the slippers onto your preheated stone or cookie sheet.
• I fit three ciabatta slippers on my stone with a little careful adjustment, but you can do two batches if needed.
• Pour a cup of water onto the aluminum tray or cast iron pan that is under your stone or cookie sheet, and quickly close the oven door to trap the steam.
• Bake at 500 F for 10 minutes. Then remove the parchment paper and rotate the slippers 180 degrees if your oven seems to brown unevenly.
• Bake an additional 8-10 minutes at 450 F.
• Important After baking, turn off the oven, crack open the door a couple of inches, and leave the slippers in the oven for another 5 minutes. This will make the crust crunchier.
• If you make rolls or larger slippers, adjust your cooking time accordingly. Internal temperature should be about 205 F.
• Let cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.
• For most purposes (olive oil and tomatoes, butter and blue cheese, BBQ pulled meat), I like to slice a slipper horizontally and then into roll-size pieces 3-4 inches wide.

PAIN AU LEVAIN

Steps:

• Make the sourdough starter. Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. If using a mixer, mix on the lowest speed using the paddle attachment for 1 minute, then increase to medium speed for about 30 seconds. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon and stir for about 2 minutes, until well blended. The starter should feel dough-like and tacky or slightly sticky; if not, stir in additional flour (if too sticky) or water (if dry) as needed.
• Transfer the starter to a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 30 seconds. Place it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl loosely, and leave at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours, until the starter increases to about 1 1/2 times its original size. If you plan to use the starter the same day, allow 1 more hour of fermentation so that it nearly doubles in size. Otherwise, put the starter in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Make the dough: cut the starter into 10 to 12 pieces and put them in a mixing bowl. Pour in the water, then add the yeast (if using) and mix with the paddle attachment on the lowest speed or by hand with a large spoon for about 1 minute to soften the starter. Add the flour and salt.
• Switch to the dough hook and mix on the lowest speed, or continue mixing by hand, for 3 minutes, to form a coarse ball of dough that's very tacky and slightly warm. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Resume mixing on medium-low speed for 3 minutes more or knead by hand for 3 minutes, adding more flour or water as needed to make a soft, supple and tacky by not sticky ball of dough.
• Knead the dough by hand for a few seconds, then form it into a ball. Let the dough sit uncovered for 10 minutes, then do a stretch and fold, either on the work surface or in the bowl. To do this, reach under the front end of the dough, stretching it toward you, then fold it back onto the top of the dough. Do this from the back end and then from each side, then flip the dough over and tuck it into a ball. Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes. Repeat this entire process two more times, completing all repetitions within 30 minutes. Immediately form the dough into a ball, place it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl large enough to contain the dough when it doubles in size, and cover the bowl tightly.
• If using instant yeast, refrigerate the dough immediately. If not using the yeast, let the dough sit at room temperature for 2 hours before refrigerating; it won't rise very much, but it should show signs of growth and continue to rise in the refrigerator. With or without the instant yeast, both will be ready to use the next day and for up to 4 days. (If you plan to bake the dough in batches over different days, you can portion the dough and place it into two or more oiled bowls at this stage.)
• To bake the no-yeast version, remove the dough from the refrigerator about 4 hours before you plan to bake it; after 2 hours, shape it, then let it proof (i.e., rest covered with a cotton or linen dishtowel) for 2 hours before baking. For the yeast version, remove the dough from the refrigerator 2 hours prior to baking and shape it right away. Remove only the portion you wish to bake: 19 ounces for a 1-pound loaf; 28 ounces for a 1 1/2-pound loaf, and so on. You can also bake the entire amount of dough as a large, 3-pound miche (round country loaf) or as a large torpedo loaf. Gently transfer it from the bowl to a lightly floured work surface, being careful to degas it as little as possible. The shaped dough won't increase in size very much, but it will begin to swell and grow. If it grows to 1 1/2 times its original size in less than 2 hours, move on to scoring and baking it.
• If using a baking stone, about 45 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Otherwise, set the oven to 500 degrees about 20 minutes before baking and preheat a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Place a small sheet pan or lasagna pan under the stone or oven rack to act as a steam pan.
• Just before baking, score the dough by using a blade or sharp knife to cut ½-inch deep lines into it. (A pound sign or cross are two suggested scoring patterns.) Transfer the dough to either the warmed baking sheet or stone. Pour 1 cup of hot water into the steam pan (a watering can or tall plastic pitcher is best for this), then lower the oven temperature to 450 degrees or to 425 if baking a large miche. (Note: If your oven has a glass window, cover it with a towel when adding the water to prevent cracking, then remove after a few minutes.)
• Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the pan and continue baking for 15 to 25 minutes, or longer, depending on the size of the loaf; a large miche could take up to 75 minutes to bake. When fully baked, the crust should have a rich, caramelized color; the loaf should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom; and the internal temperature should be about 200 degrees in the center. Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving.