Roasted Garlic Sourdough Bread

I am so thrilled with this bread! You see, sourdough starter and I have had an on again-off again relationship for almost two years now. I cultivated a starter from scratch. It was bubbly and it smelled nice and sour. I used it to make pancakes and cake, with wonderful results.

But something always went wrong when I tried to make bread. I didn’t want to give up on my starter so I tried again and again. Nothing worked…until now. I started a brand new starter from scratch last week, and just look at this bread! I suspect that my old starter may have been the source of my troubles.

These loaves rose beautifully and have a perfect springy texture and sourdough taste. I added just enough garlic for a hint of flavor without it being overwhelming. I’ll definitely be making this bread again. As soon as these two loaves are gone.

This recipe uses a firm starter, which is fermented overnight before being chopped up and incorporated into the final dough.

I decided to shape the dough into bâtards, but since I don’t own a couche, I had to improvise. I used three kitchen towels, coated with flour and rolled up so they would cradle the dough while it proofed. It worked beautifully!

After a short time in the oven, I had two spectacular loaves of bread! Crusty outside, soft inside. Just perfect.

This bread will be submitted to Yeastspotting, a weekly showcase of beautiful bread.

Roasted Garlic Sourdough Bread
Adapted from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice
Yield: 2 loaves

Firm Starter:
2/3 cup sourdough starter
1 cup unbleached bread flour
1/8 to 1/4 cup water

Final Dough:
3 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
12 cloves roasted garlic

If your starter is in the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for at least an hour before making the firm starter.

To prepare the firm starter:
In a small bowl, mix the starter and flour together. Add just enough water that the dough comes together. Mix until the flour is absorbed and the mixture is uniform. Form the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it ferment at room temperature for 4 hours, or until doubled in size. Then, leave it in the fridge overnight.

To prepare the final dough:
Remove the firm starter from the fridge 1 hour before preparing the dough. Slice it into 10 small pieces, cover with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

In a large bowl, combine the bread flour, whole wheat flour, and salt. Add the starter pieces and just enough water to bring the dough together, while mixing on low speed with the paddle attachment of your mixer (or by hand with a large spoon).

Knead the dough with the dough hook on second speed for 4 minutes, let the dough rest for 10 minutes, and knead for another 4 minutes. Alternatively, knead by hand for 12 to 15 minutes. Add more flour or water as needed to make the dough just slightly tacky but not sticky. Add the roasted garlic during the last minute or two of kneading.

The dough is ready when it passes the windowpane test. Take a small piece of dough and stretch it thin. If it stretches thin enough to become opaque without tearing, the gluten is fully developed. If not, knead for a few more minutes and then test again.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap, and ferment at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours (or until the dough has doubled in size).

Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into boules or bâtards. Or divide into smaller pieces for rolls. I chose to shape the dough into bâtards. To do this, pat the dough into a rectangle approximately 6 inches by 12 inches, with the long side facing you. Fold the bottom third up, letter style, then fold the top third down over and seal the seam with the edge of your hand.

Proof the dough in bannetons, on couches, or on sheet pans lined with parchment and dusted with cornmeal. I proofed my loaves on a parchment-lined peel. Cover the dough with lightly greased plastic wrap and ferment for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature. At this point you may also proof the loaves overnight in the fridge. If you choose to proof them in the fridge, remove them 4 hours before baking.

Preheat the oven to 500° for one hour. Transfer the dough to a peel, if necessary. Slide the dough onto your baking stone, or bake on a sheet pan. As soon as you place the dough in the oven, spray the oven walls with water to create steam, and close the door. After 30 seconds, spray the oven walls again. Repeat two more times. After the fourth spray, lower the oven temperature to 450°.

Bake the bread for 20-30 minutes, or until the loaves are deep golden brown and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom. Cool the bread on a cooling rack for at least 45 minutes before slicing.