Making the Dough

When the leaven has risen, make the dough for a loaf of sourdough bread:

  1. Measure into a large mixing bowl:
    • 330 gm 80° F water
  2. Add the leaven to the water. Use a spatula to scape all leaven from its bowl into the mixing bowl with water.
    [mixing dough]
    Scrape leaven into bowl with water
  3. Add flours. Pour the mixed and warmed flours from the plastic container into the mixing bowl. Set the plastic container aside. Do not wash it; the dough can be added to it with whatever flour clings to the sides.
    [mixing dough]
    Pour in mixed and warmed flours
    Empty flour from plastic container into mixing bowl
  4. Stir to mix. Using a spatula, try to moisten all the flours. Mix in as much of the flour as you can before the dough gets too stiff to work with. Excess flour will be stuck to the sides of the bowl.
    [mixing dough]
    Stir flours, water, and leaven

    [mixing dough]
    Stir to moisten all flour

    [mixing dough]
    Continue to stir until dough is too stiff to mix in more flour
  5. Use the dough scraper to scrape flour from the sides of the bowl and then cut the flour into the dough.
    [mixing dough]
    Scrape flour from side of bowl

    [mixing dough]
    Cut flour into dough
    [mixing dough]
    Scrape and cut until all flour is mixed into dough

    After all ingredients have been added to the bowl, it takes me about 10 to 15 minutes of stirring, scraping, and cutting before they are fully mixed into the dough.

    [dough]
    Dough after flours, water, and leaven are mixed
  6. Cover the dough.
    [dough]
    Cover dough

    [covered mixing bowl]
    Covered bowl with freshly-mixed dough

© 2024 TC Rindfleisch