There is something ancient about baking sourdough bread. Such simple and humble ingredients of water, flour and salt coming together. Using my hands to kneed and shape, observing how the ingredients come to life. The moment when it comes out of the oven, freshly baked and still warm. Tearing off that first piece and indulging with a dollop of lightly whipped salted butter ~ bliss.

WILD YEAST

Baking with wild yeast can be a little adventure. It takes some time to get a feel for what is essentially a living organism that reacts to her surroundings ALL THE TIME. There are various variables that have an impact on her and ultimately your bread ~ type of flour, quality of water, temperature and time which I am going into a little more in detail below. That is why your breads made at home may never quite be the same but each one unique in its own right.

Baking bread is about patience. A wild artisan loaf of sourdough bread takes time, usually between 24 - 48 hours. Working with sourdough has something very meditative for me, it requires all my attention as I observe the changes of the dough after each step, learn by touch, smell and sight.

Below my wild guide to get you started. It is ok if the first few breads are not 100% where you want them to be. Just keep going and enjoy the process and enjoy the very first bite of your first homemade loaf. Send me pictures - I would love to see your wild bakes.

VARIABLES

~ flour: strong white bread flour, I am using bread flour with 12.5% protein content. Wholemeal and rye contain less gluten and require more hydration. Wholemeal and rye contain more nutrients that the wild yeast loves so I am always adding between 10% and 15% to my dough mix.

~ water: always use filtered or bottled water. The amount of water you add will make up for your hydration levels. The higher the hydration level, the more open the crumb you are likely to achieve. However, the more difficult it will also become to handle. I am keeping my hydration level around 65% as I love playing with different scorings which is a little easier as the dough is firmer. More advanced bakers go up to 80% hydration.

~ temperature: temperature is like an ingredient. Wild yeast activates best at room temperature of 21˚C - 26˚C. Below that the yeast slows down; above it, the starter will ferment very fast.

~ time: bring time and patience, enjoy the wild adventure. Play with time, see how long it takes for your starter to grow, for your dough to react, adjust time and temperature as needed. remember: if the temperature is cooler the yeast will slow down.

EQUIPMENT LIST (for home baking)

Dutch oven (very important if you bake at home) that can withstand high heat, has a lid and will create a good seal and create the humid environment the bread needs
two medium-sized kitchen bowls to mix and proof the dough
three tea towels to cover the bowls and line the proofing bowls
bench knife to cut and shape the dough
kitchen scale
white rice flour for dusting proofing bowl
a banneton basket (not essential to start with, I use a Tupperware Plastic Bowl)
pack of razor blades to score the dough before baking
parchment paper
oven (I have baked my first loaves in a 20-year old gas oven so anything is possible)

WHAT IS SOURDOUGH

Sourdough is a fermented dough made with natural wild yeast.

Wild yeast can be found in all wheat flours and is essentially a fungus and natural leavener. Yeast is activated through the addition of water. At the right temperature yeast fermentation is triggered whereby starches and sugars in the flour are broken down and CO2 is released (all the bubbles). The fermentation process also breaks down some of the gluten and inflammatory compounds in wheat which is the reason why any gluten-sensitive individuals can eat organic, sourdough-leavened bread vs fast-rise instant yeast loaves.

VITALS

Total Weight around 1,300g

Hydration level 65%

Makes 2 loaves

INGREDIENTS

830g white wheat bread flour || 85%

120g wholemeal flour || 10-15%

620g water || 65%

19g salt || 2%

150 - 190g starter || 15-20%

-> how to make your sourdough starter from scratch (coming soon)

LET’S GET BAKING

-> suggested baking timing schedule when baking at the weekend here

FEED YOUR STARTER ~ THE NIGHT BEFORE OR EARLY IN THE MORNING
~ feed your starter - see her feeding guide here. Cover airtight in a clean jar and store somewhere around 20-25°C ambient for 4-5 hours. Observe your starter as she comes to live. When she is ready she will be expanded, bubbly on top and the sides and smell quite sour. Do the float test by scooping one spoon full into a full glass of water and make sure she floats on the surface before adding her to the dough. I uploaded a few picture of how it should look here
MIX DOUGH
~ in a large bowl, add the starter and water to the flour mixing all into each other well. Kneed well on a sturdy clean surface, use your hands for kneading so that all flour has touched water and is well hydrated. The dough should be a firm sticky mass at this stage that will glue to your hands. Cover bowl with a clean try tea towel and let to rest for 30 minutes.
ADD SALT
~ spread salt onto the dough or dissolve in a little bit of water before adding. Pinch in well using the tips of your fingers allowing the salt to spread well. The dough may split given the added water, just keep pinching and perform one stretch & fold. Cover with your tea towel and let to rest for another 30 min.
BULK FERMENTATION | STRETCH & FOLD
~ we are now going into bulk fermentation, which means we are building up the gluten structure of the bread. This step takes about 2.5hours whereby we perform a stretch and fold every 30 minutes until the dough has developed a strong gluten structure. I start with a Stretch & Fold and move into a coil fold for my last few sets. You can check the strength of the dough with the help of the window test - stretch the dough against the light and if it withstands without ripping it is strong enough and ready to rest.
BULK RISE
~ after the bulk fermentation, let the dough rest for the next hour or two until it has risen by about 30-50%. During this time we let the dough ferment further, allowing it to rise, strengthen and develop all the complexities of the flavour. Her characteristics change as she ferments.
~ you will see some bubbles on the top and edges, she is clearly alive. The dough will have started to dome signaling her strength. It is important to not overproof at this point. The poke test helps to determine when she is ready for pre-shaping - poke a wetted finger in the dough about a centimetre deep. If the dough pops back out quickly, this means she is under-proofed. if the dough stays where it is, it means she is over-proofed. If the dough pops back slowly and leaves a little dent, she is ready :)
PRE-SHAPE
~ on a lightly floured surface with rice flour, divide the dough with your bench knife/scraper into two halves. In a turning movement from right to left we are forming a boule with our scraper lightly pulling the dough towards you each time. This allows tension on the top of the dough to form and signals the dough how to unfold for it final shape.
~ allow the dough to rest for about 30 minutes in the bowl
FINAL SHAPING
~ here a little more how to final shape your dough from our go to online tutors The Perfect Loaf. When shaped, place the boules into two Benetton or bowl that is small/large enough to hold the dough in place yet allowing space to expand. Cover airtight with cling film and retard/cool in the fridge overnight.
SCORE & BAKE
~ place your Dutch Oven in the oven and pre-hear for about an hour until reaching maximum heat. Remove the Dutch Oven, line with baking paper and place the bread boule straight from the fridge into the pot. Baking cold dough allows more humidity to develop in the pot in the first 20 min of baking, allowing the dough to stay moist and expand nicely before lifting the lid for the crumb to harden. With a sharp razor blade (I ended up using a carpet cutter as no razor blade was to be found during lockdown in Antigua) score your beautiful retarded boule. I love leaves and a simple straight score on the side (called the ‘Ear’) about a centimetre deep but I also tried hearts before and love seeing what happens. Time to play.
~ bake the bread with the lid on for 20 mins then remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes. The steam will escape and the beautiful crust will develop.

I baked about 20 loaves in about two weeks before I found my rhythm in Antigua and I am still learning and observing. We entered rain season and my starter called ‘Maya’ is very moody. A process getting to know what little changes can make, she keeps me on my toes. Endlessly grateful for the chance I have been given to set up a Micro Bakery in the back of my garage in Guatemala, Antigua where I happened to stay way longer than initially planned. Thankful

Wild Love,

WILD BAKING WORKSHOPS

For Inquiries, comments or questions send me a message or join one of our upcoming Wild Baking Workshops below :)

Wild Baking Workshops - SIGNUP