Basic Sourdough Tin Loaf-quick & easy

Yesterday I thought I'd try something new - a Basic Sourdough Tin Loaf. It's a quicker and easier form of sourdough that requires little effort-other than feeding your starter a few times to get it good and lively. The loaf only takes about 15 minutes so much different than my normal baking day.  This recipe was shared globally through The Sourdough Club and The Sourdough Exchange (which I will give more details later on) and is free to all! Therefore, I would like to share it with all of you through my own experience. 
Here's how my experiment went (recipe & photos included!).

Equipment required:

• large mixing bowl
• large 900g (2lb) loaf tin, or 2 small ones
• 2 clean towels (I prefer cotton or linen)
• wooden spoon *optional* - personally, I like getting my hands right into the dough
• parchment paper

*recipe at the end of blog post*

Day 1: 9pm - Feed starter (I told you before, Ruby loves to be feed!)

Day 2: 8am - Feed starter (also known as "refresh." Sounds nice doesn't it?)

Day 2: 8pm - Prepare and weigh out ingredients. Add 200g of starter to your bowl (make sure he/she is bubbly and lively)

Add in 700g of water @ 27C and mix well-getting plenty of oxygen in to help the yeast reproduce.

*Be sure to reserve 50g of water to add incrementally (2 x 25g) over the course of 5-10 minutes into the mixing.

Add flour and salt and mix until all the ingredients come together. 

Something like this...

Your hands will be very doughy at this point, and you'll be caught with your hands in the air, looking around for something to wipe them clean with, and realizing you should have prepped yourself better. Next time, grab a piece of paper towel - or maybe two. 
I have yet to figure this out *sigh*

Now is also the time where you will add in the rest of the water-25g in 5 min & 25g in 10 min. Gently mix in the water until it is absorbed. This helps to open up the crumb structure in your bread: AKA air bubbles! At this point, you will feel the texture of the dough beginning to change-which is why I HIGHLY recommend mixing with your hands. Staying in touch with your dough is one of the keys to success:)

 

Prepare the tin loafs by greasing a sheet of parchment paper with butter, ghee or coconut oil (not olive oil). Then line the tin(s) with the paper.

Transfer the dough into the tin(s). Ok, so far so good. Check mark. 

Cover the loaf(s) with a clean tea towel and leave on the counter/table overnight. Warmer is generally better-about 23C, but a little cooler is fine too. I splurge to 19C at night and never have an issue. 

Day 3: 8am onwards - your dough will have doubled in size and formed a slight skin on top. You can now bake your loaf, or you can store in the fridge to ferment further and bake any time until 4pm. 

Preheat oven to 425F. Place a small pan of boiling water at the bottom of the oven (or use a Dutch oven if you can fit your tin inside one). The extra steam will help to form a better crust. Drizzle olive oil on the top and sides, then reduce oven to 355F and bake for about 45-50 minutes. Every oven is unique, so check if you like the look at this point. I generally like a darker, crisper crust. Remove from oven and let cool on bakers rack. 

Well, my first attempt was...hmm. I'm not sure I would call this a success? And no, that's not the "coveted ear" I was going for. 

My mom dropped in this morning just after I pulled out the fresh loaf from the oven and, as I often do, offered up a slice of my newest experiment (and it's not often she declines). However, this time, as I'm slicing off a piece of warm, fresh sourdough, she says to me, "you could always turn it into croutons?" You haven't even tried it?!! *deep sigh*

Turns out, it's not the prettiest loaf, but it's pretty freakin' delicious. Come on, just look at those bubbles!

Overall, I would call this a sucess-based on taste that is:)

The Basic Sourdough Tin Loaf is a good bread for the baker who don't have a lot of time on their hands, but still want to enjoy a delicious and nutritious fresh baked sourdough. Great for beginners. However, for now,  I think I'll stick to what I know - honing in on my boule skills;)

This evenings bake - Rosemary and Olive Boule

Happy Baking!
xoheather



Recipe for Basic Sourdough Tin Loaf 
(makes 1 large or 2 smaller) *half recipe for 1 loaf*

• 750g water @ 27c (700g initial mix-50g reserved)
• 500g stoneground organic wholegrain flour (or good quality wholegrain)
• 500g organic strong white flour
• 200g bubbly lively starter (second build - starter that has been refreshed twice)
• 20g fine sea salt
• butter, ghee or coconut oil, to grease tin(s)
• about 2 tablespoons oil to drizzle over the top and around the sides of the loaf (olive is great here)