Tangy Sourdough Bread
Description
Baking comes together simply and quickly. The tastiest bread is homemade, made with your own hands. Try making sourdough bread and treat your loved ones to delicious baking for lunch or dinner. It doesn’t come together quickly—you need to let the dough rise every time. But you can delay this step by putting it in the refrigerator until morning. Bake the bread whenever it suits you. It can be served with tea or coffee.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare the ingredients listed. To fully give the bake a tangy taste, use two kinds of flour: high-grade wheat and rye. Start the starter 5–6 days beforehand for best results.
- 2
Step 2
Place the starter in a deep container: a bowl or a salad bowl. Add granulated sugar. You must add it so the dough rises in size.
- 3
Step 3
Don’t forget the salt, either—and along with it you can add various finely ground dried aromatic herbs, dried granulated garlic, finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and so on.
- 4
Step 4
Add one third of the high-grade wheat flour. Preferably, the protein content should be at least 11%.
- 5
Step 5
Whisk everything thoroughly until the sugar and salt fully dissolve.
- 6
Step 6
Cover the container with a towel and leave it at room temperature for about 1 to 1.5 hours. You can refrigerate overnight.
- 7
Step 7
When the risen sponge has collapsed—more precisely, when all the bubbles in it have burst—stir in the vegetable oil.
- 8
Step 8
Then gradually fold in the wheat and rye flour. You should end up with a sticky, loose dough.
- 9
Step 9
Line the pan with parchment paper and grease it with vegetable oil — this step is essential, otherwise the baked bread will be difficult to remove from the pan. Place the prepared dough in the pan and cover with a tea towel. Let rise for 1 hour at room temperature.
- 10
Step 10
Preheat the oven to 240°C and always put a container of boiling water on the bottom of the oven. The steam will help the bread rise and turn porous. Place the pan with the dough on the middle rack of the oven.
- 11
Step 11
Bake for 20 minutes at 240 degrees, then reduce the heat to 200 and bake for another 20 minutes. At the very end, when the bread is already tall and golden brown, reduce the heat to 160 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes. If it is too brown, cover it with parchment paper or foil.
- 12
Step 12
Remove the sour bread from the oven and sprinkle the top with water; cover it right away with a towel and let it steam. Cool it, then slice once cooled, and serve. Enjoy your meal!