Experience the Magic of my Micro-Bakery

Materials Needed: 

• 10 grams of dehydrated sourdough starter (full packet purchased)
• Water (filtered or bottled is best)
• All purpose or bread flour
• Clean glass jar or container with lid
• A kitchen scale (recommended)

Steps to Reactivate:

Day 1: Rehydrate

• Place the 10 grams of starter in a clean glass container/jar. 
• Add 20 grams of warm (not hot) water into the jar. Stir until starter is fully dissolved into the water. 
• Add 20 grams of flour to the jar of the now rehydrated starter. Stir until it becomes a smooth paste. 
• Cover the jar loosely with plastic wrap or the lid to allow air circulation while keeping dust and debris out. Let sit at room temperature for around 24 hours. 

Day 2: Feeding

• To the same jar, add 40 grams of water and 40 grams of flour to the mixture. Stir thoroughly to combine. 
• Cover the jar loosely with plastic wrap or the lid and allow to sit at room temperature for 24 hours. 

Day 3: Feeding with first discard

• By now, you should start seeing some bubbles, indicating fermentation is taking place. Discard half of the mixture (about 50 grams) either to a separate jar for the fridge or to the trash, to reduce the acidity and maintain a smaller daily amount. 
• To the remaining amount, add 50 grams water and 50 grams of flour. Stir well. 
• Cover the jar loosely with plastic wrap or the lid and allow to sit at room temperature for 24 hours. 

Day 4 and beyond: Regular feedings

• Continue the discard 50% and re-feed process with equal parts flour and water (by weight) every 24 hours. Typically, you'll add 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water after discarding half. If you grow your starter with larger flour and water amounts, take the weight of the starter you intend to feed, and feed flour of the same amount and water to make a thick pancake batter consistency. 
• If you bake frequently, continue feeding your starter daily, discarding half and feeding as above. 
• If you bake less frequently, you can store your starter in the fridge and feed it once a week. When ready to use, take it out, let it come up to room temperature, and resume daily feedings 1-2 days before you need to use it. 

Materials / IngredientsNeeded: 

• 100 grams of fed, bubbly, and active sourdough starter
• 300 grams of water (filtered or bottled is best)
• 500 grams of all purpose or bread flour
• 10 grams of kosher salt
• Large mixing bowl
• Lint free towel or banneton basket lined with flour
• Plastic spatula, dough whisk, or wooden spoon
• Cast Iron dutch oven
• Parchment paper
• Sharp knife or razor blade  (known as a Lame)
• A kitchen scale (recommended)

Make the dough:

• Place large mixing bowl on the scale and "0 out" or "Tare" the scale to make it show 0. 
• Take 100 grams of sourdough starter from it's container/jar and pour/spoon into mixing bowl. 
• Add 300 grams of warm (not hot) water to mixing bowl and stir so starter is dispersed well throughout the water. 
• Add 500 grams of flour and 10 grams of kosher salt to the bowl. Use spatula or dough whisk to begin mixing the flour into the liquid. The flour will need to be finished mixing in by hand once the mixture is too thick. All flour clumps should be gone after hand mixing. 
• Cover dough with a damp lint free towel or plastic wrap to prevent drying out. 

Stretch and Folds:

• 30-60 minutes after dough was finished mixing, take the cover off the bowl and perform stretch and folds. This can be accomplished by scooping under one half of the dough down to the bottom of the bowl, gently lifting it and folding over to the opposite half. 
• Turn the bowl 90 degrees and perform 1 stretch and fold in each of the 4 directions to complete a circle. 
• Re-cover the bowl with damp towel or plastic wrap and wait 30 minutes. 
• Perform 3 additional sets of 4 folds. This should be done over the next 1.5 hours total. 
• After final stretch and folds, cover the bowl air tight with plastic wrap and let bulk ferment on the counter for 5-8 hours. The dough is done rising if when touched by your finger it no longer is sticking to it and it's doubled in size. It will differ by each person so it may take a few trial and error loaves to perfect it for your home. 

Shaping the dough:

• Once ready, dump bread out onto lightly floured counter. 
• This is when you can add things into the dough if you're going such as cheeses or seasonings. 
• Flatten out the dough by hand into a rough rectangle shaped. Fold on side of the rectangle in 1/3 of the way. Then take the other side in over top the first until you have made a long rectangle burrito shape. 
• From one of the open ends, roll the burrito shaped dough up to the other end. Using a push and pull motion, make the roll into a ball by tucking the two ends underneath and adding tension to the loaf. TIP There are lots of YouTube videos on shaping as well. 
• Take the dough ball and place  seamless side down into a lint free towel lined bowl or floured banneton basket. 
• Cover with plastic wrap to air tight and place in the fridge for 8-36 hours. 

Baking the loaf: 

• Preheat dutch oven in oven at 425 degrees. Once the home oven reaches temperature, continue to pre-heat the dutch oven for 20 minutes. 
• Place parchment paper square a little larger than dutch oven on the counter. 
• Take dough from fridge, uncover and flip to be seem side down onto the parchment sheet. 
• With Lame or sharp knife, cut a score into the top of the loaf along the middle or in an X across the top. This should be no deeper than 1/4 inch. 
• Place carefully into pre-heated dutch oven and cover with dutch oven lid. 
• Bake on 425 for 35 minutes with lid on. Then remove lid and bake additional 10 minutes or more depending on how dark you prefer your loaf. 
• Remove dutch oven from oven and carefully remove loaf by using the corners of the parchment paper under the loaf to life out. 
• Place on cooling rack for 1 hour before slicing.  

Storage Tips: 

• On the counter for 2-3 days from purchase is fine. I recommend a ziplock or air tight bag once sliced to keep bread from getting extra crusty. 
• On day 3, if any left, you'll want to freeze it to keep from going moldy on you. 

Freeze Tips:

• Wrap loaf or portions in foil. If you're wanting to use slices at a time, slice before freezing to make easier for re-use/reheat. 
• Place foil wrapped portions into a freezer bag and freeze. This will keep well for up to a few months. We use this method at home and it works well.

Reheat:

• When ready to reheat, pull bread from the freezer and let come to room temp/thaw for a few hours. 
• Place foil wrapped dough on cookie sheet or in cast iron dutch oven on 400 for 30-45 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out warm. 
• Enjoy your crusty bread!

To revive a stale sourdough loaf and re-crisp the crust, lightly dampen the bread, place it on a baking sheet, and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 6-10 minutes, or until the crust is crackly and the center is tender.
Here's a more detailed breakdown: 

• Check for Mold: Before attempting to revive the bread, ensure there's no mold present. If mold is visible, discard the bread. 
• Add Moisture: 
  • Dampen the Bread: Run the loaf under a faucet of running water, either hot or cold, for a few seconds, ensuring it's damp but not soaked. 
  • Spritz with Water: Alternatively, lightly spritz the bread with water using a spray bottle. 
• Heat and Crisp: 
  • Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
  • Bake: Place the dampened loaf on a baking sheet (or directly on the baking rack) and bake for 6-10 minutes, or until the crust is crispy and crackly and the center is tender. 
• Cool and Enjoy: Let the bread cool slightly before slicing and serving.
  

I offer a variety of different options for sourdough loaves and simple English Muffins. 

Yes, all of our baked goods are made fresh each week using high quality ingredients. I prep and bake all loaves for the Saturday market on Thursday and Friday. 

We do not offer Gluten Free options.