Sourdough Artisan Bread
What makes a sourdough artisan bread you ask? Several things. From the fact it is made with a true sourdough culture to the use of ancient grains grown and milled right here on the Western Canadian Prairies to the “Slow Foods” methods used to create it. Every bit of this bread is a work of art.
True sourdough
Just flour & water
Why is artisan bread superior?
Artisan breads are widely varied in appearance, but overall are superior to mass-produced breads in terms of:
Flavour and aroma: As most artisan breads rely on traditional fermentation of yeast or cultures, this allows greater flavour development. Artisan bakers may also work complementary spices or herbs into their dough to further enhance the taste and aroma.
Crumb and structure: If you cut open a mass-produced loaf of bread, you'll typically see a closed structure and dry crumb. With artisan breads, you'll typically find more alveoli (air pockets) that are evenly distributed, and a stronger, more hydrated crumb.
Health benefits: Artisan bread may also be better for your gut - especially sourdough. Longer fermentation allows the enzymes in bread to begin to break down gluten, which is not easily digestible for most people.
Artisanal techniques really do lead to more delicious bread. The key to a great loaf of bread is patience. Most mass-produced bread is made by using chemicals and high-energy mixers to speed up fermentation process. The result is, as you might expect, pretty unremarkable bread.
By contrast, artisan bread makers make us of a long fermentation process which gives dough 24-48 hours to develop, allowing the natural enzymes to react with the flour in their own time for a much more robust flavour and texture. Fermentation proceeds at a slower pace, allowing for full flavour development.
The Autolyse:
Two enzymes that are present in flour — protease and amylase — begin their work during the autolyse stage:
The protease enzymes degrade the protein in the flour, which encourages extensibility.
The amylase enzymes turn the flour's starch into sugars that the yeast can consume.
Artisan bread is actually easier to digest, because the enzymes have had time to begin breaking down the gluten in the flour while fermenting. And you can take time to savour it too – as a rule of thumb, the longer the production process, the longer its shelf life will be — though we doubt it will last long enough to go stale in your kitchen!
Stolen Harvest Sourdough Bread
1. 5 Cups sourdough starter, already fed and ready to use
1 farm fresh egg
1 tbsp salt
2 Cups whole wheat flour, We like Einkorn, Red Fife, or Park Wheat from Gold Forest Grains
2 Cups organic white or bread flour
2 cups water (may need more)
1 tbsp honey
2-3 tbsp olive oil
Autolyse: Mix the flours and the water until a slightly wet dough ball is formed. Place cover over bowl and let it sit for one full hour. This simple pause allows for some rather magical changes to occur in your bread dough. This allows the flours to hydrate and the enzymes in the flours to come to life.
Beat the egg with the salt and olive oil and honey. Add it to the starter and blend well.
Now mix the starter in with the dough ball.
Cover the dough with a damp tea towel and let it rise in the refrigerator overnight 8-12 hours. This is the tricky part that gets easier as you practice.
The next day it should be slightly domed, springy, bouncy, almost doubled. Carefully poke it 1/2 inch deep with a floured finger, if the indention remains slightly, this is a good sign it has risen enough.
Remove from fridge and punch down and knead and shape to your liking (to fit your bowl) and then place it in a parchment-lined bowl for final rising. I like using a high-sided medium-sized bowl versus a flat or shallow bowl.
FINAL RISE and PREHEAT OVEN: Place the dough in the fridge for one hour (or up to 3) while you heat up the oven to 500 F with your dutch oven inside. Chilling the dough a little will make it easier to score.
SCORE & BAKE. Carefully take out the hot dutch oven, close the oven door and sprinkle the bottom of it with cornmeal or flour. Gently lift your dough holding onto the parchment into the dutch oven (or carefully flip if inverted). Score the top of the dough.
Quickly cover and place the dutch oven in the middle of the oven for 20 mins.
After 20 mins remove lid and it should be nicely puffed and just lightly golden. Turn oven down to 425 F and continue baking 15 - 20 minutes until deeply golden and internal temp reaches 208F.
