A delicious sourdough recipe with flax seed. Makes two loaves.
Prep Time 4 daysdays
Cook Time 2 hourshours
Servings 16slices
Equipment
Dutch oven
kitchen scale
Ingredients
192 gactive sourdough starter
142gwhole wheat flourI used King Arthur's whole wheat flour
940gbread flourI used Central Milling Artisan Bakers Craft Plus
17gsea salt
water
92gground flax seed
Instructions
First, make the leaven by mixing together 192 g active sourdough starter, 511 g water, 142 g whole wheat flour and 340 g bread flour in a large mixing bowl or container. For my sourdough baking, I use a container with a lid such as one of these linked here.
Then, cover the leaven and leave out at room temperature until very bubbly. This should take about 7 -12 hours depending how warm your kitchen is and how active your starter is. During this step, I would recommend checking on it every hour after the four hour mark. However, if you are limited on time, you can put it in the refrigerator overnight and continue the next day.
Next, mix the 92 g flax seeds with 135 g water in a small bowl and set aside.
Once the leaven is very bubbly, add 150 g water and 600 g bread flour to the leaven mixture. Gently mix by hand until combined. Next, let the dough mixture sit at room temperature for 40 minutes so the flour can absorb the water.
After the dough mixture has rested for about 40 minutes, add 17 g sea salt, 50 g water and the hydrated flax seeds. Then, mix the dough by hand to combine, cover and rest again at room temperature for 30 – 60 minutes.
Next, after the dough has rested for 30 – 60 minutes, stretch and fold the dough by lifting up the edges of the dough and folding toward the middle. Then, cover and put the dough in the refrigerator overnight for about 18 hours.
After about 18 hours, take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Then, stretch and fold the dough. Repeat the stretch and folds every hour for the next 2-5 hours or until the dough is very elastic and billowy. For reference, my dough took 3 hours until it was very elastic and billowy.
Then, remove the dough from the container or bowl and divide into two pieces. Subsequently, shape each piece of dough into a taut ball by first folding it four times (like a book) then tucking the edges in underneath. Then, rest the shaped loaves on the counter for 25 minutes. Here is a demonstration.
Next, transfer the shaped loaves to bowls or bannetons with the “seam” up. In order to prevent your dough from sticking, I recommend dusting your bowls or bannetons with rice flour.
After about 40 hours in the refrigerator, preheat your oven and Dutch oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Once preheated, quickly transfer a loaf to the Dutch oven. Then, score with a sharp knife across the top and cover with the lid. Bake for 25 minutes at 500 degrees. Next, decrease the heat to 460 degrees, uncover the Dutch oven and bake until golden brown (20-40 minutes longer). Repeat for the second loaf.