Prepping your sourdough starter so that its ready for your sourdough bread recipe can be a bit of a challenge in itself. You have to take care of your starter and feed it at regular intervals to ensure that it is healthy before it\u2019s ready to bake with. This requires some patience. Understanding the best oven baking sourdough temperature can be a little tricky, so let\u2019s take a look at some of the tips and tricks to make it easier for you.<\/p>\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nTable of Contents<\/h2>\nWhat is Sourdough Bread?<\/h2>\n
Sourdough is a type of bread that is created through a natural fermentation process. <\/p>\n
This process involves bacteria and wild yeasts (no commercial yeast) that exist in the environment around you, such as the air, baker\u2019s hands, or within the grain. Typically, these bacteria are responsible for producing organic acids like lactic acid and acetic acid. These contribute to the flavors, texture and storage quality of the bread. The wild yeasts happen to produce carbon dioxide gas during fermentation, which essentially help the dough rise when baking. <\/p>\n
Often you\u2019ll hear certain types of terminology used when baking sourdough bread. <\/p>\n
These include:<\/p>\n
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- Starter<\/li>\n
- Levain<\/li>\n
- Autolyse<\/li>\n
- Bulk Fermentation<\/li>\n
- Proof<\/li>\n
- Final Dough Temperature<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Starter<\/h3>\n
A starter is a combination of flour and water that you allow to ferment naturally. You\u2019ll feed the starter at regular intervals to keep the bacteria active and healthy, waiting till it becomes fully ripe before using any of it to make bread<\/a><\/strong>. Once you\u2019re ready to bake, you\u2019ll need a small amount of starter to create a levain. <\/p>\n
Levain<\/h3>\n
A levain is created by combining a small tendril of ripe starter with flour and water \u2013 with sugar as an optional element \u2013 and allow it to ferment before mixing it into a dough. The levain acts as a vehicle for incorporating yeast and bacteria into the dough, not like the starter which exists on its own. <\/p>\n
See my post on Levain vs Starter: What\u2019s the Difference<\/a><\/strong> for more insight. <\/p>\n
To prepare a levain, remove the starter from the refrigerator 3 to 12 hours before you plan to start making the dough. Feed it with 100 grams each of flour and water. After that leave it on the countertop.<\/p>\n
When using the levain for baking, keep some of it in its container and feed it again before refrigerating it. <\/p>\n
Autolyze<\/h3>\n
Some sourdough baking recipes follow a step called autolyze<\/a>, which occurs at the beginning of bread baking. It is a step that requires the combination of flour and water. <\/p>\n
The objective of autolyze is to begin enzymatic activity in the dough, to help pull out sugars from the flour. Moreover, it helps increase extensibility, which is essentially the doughs ability to stretch without ripping. Increased extensibility is a very good thing, as it allows the dough to expand, and fill with carbon dioxide gasses resulting in a light and airy loaf, instead of dense sourdough<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n
Bulk Fermentation<\/h3>\n
The dough\u2019s initial rise is called bulk fermentation<\/a><\/strong>. Following the addition of salt, flour and levain into the dough, you can put this mixture into a bowl or container, cover and allow it to rest. The dough will experience a vital fermentation process during this step. Bacteria and yeast begin to generate organic acids, alcohols, and leaven the dough, which will transform into flavours, and rise in your final bread. <\/p>\n
Additionally, bulk fermentation might be the time when you might give your dough an additional stretch and fold. <\/p>\n
Proof<\/h3>\n
The proof is the dough\u2019s final or second rise and takes place after the dough has been shaped. You can proof at a cold temperature in the refrigerator overnight, as during this time the dough will continue to ferment, further strengthening it. <\/p>\n
You can also overproof sourdough bread<\/a>,<\/strong> so watch out!<\/p>\n
Final Dough Temperature <\/h3>\n
The final dough temperature (FDT) is the temperature of the dough immediately after combining all of the ingredients together. Each component (i.e. levain, flour, water and surrounding environment) naturally has its own temperature. While most of this is out of our hands, we can quite simply adjust the water temperature, enabling us to alter the final dough temperature of the entire dough to meet the requirements of the recipe. <\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take a look at an example of what our water temperature should be in order to meet an FDT 78\u00b0F. <\/p>\n
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