Artisan Sourdough - Part Three: The Dough

With our culture slumbering away in the refrigerator and our starter aged to perfection, we have finally come to the point where science begins to yield to art. Yes, friends... today is baking day! But first, we have to make dough.

Here's what we'll need for this step:

• Our sourdough starter from Part Two.

• 5 cups of flour

• 2 cups of water

• 1 Tablespoon of salt

• Large mixing bowl (4 quart capacity or larger)

Simplicity.

The first order of business is to combine the flour and water in the bowl until it forms a sticky ball, and let it sit. That's right, more waiting! At least fifteen minutes, and as long as an hour (this is where the artistry comes into play). Much of what happens beyond this point when I bake is based on sensory perceptions: how the dough looks, feels and smells. The length of time our ball of flour and water sits in this state is completely up to us, though that doesn't diminish the importance of this step when compared to everything else we've done up to this point.

What we're doing now is referred to in the baking world as to autolysis (from latin, meaning "self-destruct"). The reason we want to autolyse is an important one: gluten. Gluten is a strong, stretchy protein that is formed when we mix flour and water, and is what gives helps to give our bread it's structure. In commercial bakeries and modern kitchens, most of the gluten formation occurs in the stand mixer. Part of the joy I find in artisan baking is in doing things the old way... meaning no stand mixer here! So, how do we get a well-formed gluten without turning our arms to rubber stretching and kneading by hand? We autolyse.

Back in the old days, the village baker didn't have a mechanical mixer to help produce food for everyone. They also didn't have all day to spend kneading out enough dough to feed a village, what with all the actual baking needing to be done. The solution was to autolyse (though the term was applied to baking by Raymond Calvel in the 1700's, the process has likely been in use for as long as leavened breads have been made). By mixing just the flour and water and letting it sit for awhile, we allow the moisture to activate the enzymes in the flour that will form the gluten, greatly reducing the amount of kneading needing to be done later. Just let it sit for a bit, and nature does the rest.

Just water, flour and a little time.

Our starter is ready to get started.

At this point I give the starter a stir, releasing any gas bubbles in the mixture. It should be a smooth, creamy dough, thick like cake batter but without any lumps. Add this and the salt to our bowl containing the autolysed dough, and mix well. We're looking for a uniform distribution of all ingredients to ensure that the dough rises evenly and bakes well. Get your hands in there and work that dough! You'll likely notice once everything is mixed well that the dough is firm and stretchy... that's our gluten! It is okay at this point to add a little flour or water while mixing to attain the perfect consistency for our dough (some prefer a wetter dough, some like it a bit dry-- it's entirely subjective), generally you're looking for it to start pulling away from the sides of the bowl as you work it... not too sticky, not too dry. Form the dough into a ball, pour about a tablespoon of oil in the bottom of the bowl and turn the ball a couple of times to coat both it and the bowl. This will keep the surface of the dough from drying out during the first rise, and keep it from sticking to the bowl. Cover with a towel and let sit for at least an hour.

Adding starter to the autolysed dough.

Ready to rise.

Next:
Part Four - The Rise
Previous:
Part Two - The Starter