Sourdough, A Well Bred Bread Trivia Quiz

Answer: Starter

Wild yeasts are available in your flour. To make your starter, sometimes called a levain or poolish, you need to mix flour and water and leave to one side to allow to ferment. Periodically some of the mix is discarded and more flour and water added to 'feed' the yeast. The yeast feeds on the sugars and carbohydrates in the flour. As time goes on the starter becomes more active, creating bubbles of carbon dioxide that are going to help create the airy structure of your finished loaf.
It can take up to two weeks for a starter to become lively enough to use. Each feed should see it rise within the container then fall when it has used up the available food. Any type of flour can be used such as white bread flour, spelt, or rye flour, each imparting a different flavour. Once made, the starter is a hardy pet, which will live happily in the fridge till needed. Many sourdough aficionados name their starter. Mine is called Frank.
A starter can stay alive, given the right conditions, for ever. Some bakers claim they use starters that are decades old. Flavours develop with the age of the starter, becoming richer and more complex.
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On day one, take the starter from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature. In the evening, add equal quantities of flour and water to the container and stir thoroughly. Cover and leave overnight.

Answer: Baker's percentages

Baker's percentages are not the same as normal percentages. They are useful to easily scale recipes up and down to keep the same ratios. It uses the weight of flour as 100% and the other ingredients are expressed as a percentage of the flour.

An example of how bakers percentages work out: To work with a kilogram (1kg) of flour as our base. The other ingredients being a percentage of this.

85% strong white flour = 850g
15% wholemeal flour = 150g
70% water = 700g
25% starter = 250g
2% salt = 20g

There are lots of sourdough recipes, changing the percentages and the types of flour, changes the texture, the shape, the taste and can change how long you need to prove for. That's what I think makes sourdough interesting.
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In the morning of day two, accurately weigh out the required amounts. Mix together the starter and water and then add the flour and salt. Cover and leave to one side for at least 30 minutes.

Answer: Autolyse

Some bakers will autolyse using just a mixture of flour and water, adding the starter and salt later. Adding the salt and starter to the initial dough can slow the process and can form a slightly tougher dough.
The autolyse allows two water-insoluble proteins called glutenin and gliadin to combine to become gluten. The gluten in bread is what allows pockets of carbon dioxide to become trapped to make the structure we are used to. The autolyse phase can be as little as 10 minutes or as much as three hours depending on the flour. A windowpane test can be used to see if the gluten has formed sufficiently. A small amount of dough is stretched out as thin as is possible. If enough gluten is present it will stretch quite a long way, forming a 'windowpane'.
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Once the autolyse period has passed, the dough is ready for the first bit of handling. Using water sprayed onto a flat surface to prevent sticking, tip out the dough and fold the outside edges into the middle, repeating about a dozen times. This is the 'first fold'. Repeat about two hours later, where only five folds are probably necessary. Repeat again about two hours later. This period is also known as the bulk fermentation.

Answer: Proofing or proving

Between each of the folds the dough rests and proves. The gluten strands form and capture the carbon dioxide and the dough smooths out and becomes silky and puffy. Sourdough does not rise at the same speed as bread made using commercial yeast. It is this length of proving that greatly affect the flavour. The fermentation of the starter and the subsequent dough gives it the slightly sour flavour expected. The longer the prove, the more complex the flavour.
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It's now time for the bench rest. Tip the dough out on to a lightly floured surface, making sure that the upper surface is now the lower surface. Divide the dough if necessary and slightly shape, folding the edges inwards to the centre. Turn the dough over and cup with your hands lightly tucking the dough under to create some surface tension. Place on a lightly floured area of your work surface and allow to rest for about half an hour.

Answer: Banneton

As sourdough is quite a soft, wet dough, often 75% or more hydration, it needs something to help it maintain its shape. A banneton or brotform provides a form for the final shaped dough to rest in for its final prove. If you don't have a banneton it's fine to use something else like a bowl, lined with a tea towel, or a loaf tin. It will affect its final shape, but not the flavour.
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Once the dough has rested on the bench it's time for the final shaping. Depending on the shape of the banneton or bowl you are going to be using, the shaping methods are slightly different. To prevent sticking make sure the banneton is floured well, and that the dough has a good surface tension to the side that is going to be touching the surface of the banneton.

Answer: In the fridge

All these steps are temperature dependent. A warm environment will allow the dough to grow at a faster rate. Putting the dough in the fridge overnight in the banneton allows the dough to grow at a slower rate, thus improving the flavours. This is known as retardation.
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Once in the form, place in the fridge, uncovered, and leave overnight.

Answer: Lame

When the loaf is removed from the banneton, it needs a little bit of attention. Any excess flour should be brushed off to prevent burning, and a score needs to be made into the top. This can be a simple cut from side to side, or a pattern can be carved into the top. A lame or grignette holds a razor blade that is much better than a knife to cut clean markings. The cut allows the bread to rise evenly and prevents it tearing open in unwanted places.
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In the morning (or even the afternoon) of day three, pre-heat your oven, and take a piece of greaseproof or parchment paper. Remove the banneton from the fridge and gently turn out the loaf on to the paper. Using a pastry brush, gently remove any excess flour and score the top with a lame.

Answer: Oven spring

When the loaf is put into the oven, the increase in temperature gives the yeast its final activity which creates a large jump in volume known as oven spring. If you have left the dough too long before baking the oven spring may be minimal. Sourdough is all about timing and judging what the yeast is doing.
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I like to bake my sourdough in a Dutch oven or lidded terracotta casserole. The smaller space allows the steam to build which gives a good crustiness. If you don't have a lidded casserole, you would need to create a steamy environment in your oven by adding a tray of boiling water. Place the loaf into the oven and cook at 240 C (or as high as your oven will go) and bake for 35 minutes with the lid on, then reduce the temperature to 190 C and bake for a further 10 minutes with the lid off.

Answer: An ear

The ability to get an 'ear' on a sourdough loaf is an art. Slashing the loaf at the correct angle (30 degrees), with confidence and little hesitation, should produce that pretty, aesthetically pleasing loaf.
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Remove the loaf from the oven and place on a rack to cool.

Answer: Crumb

Once the dough is cooled, cut a slice of your loaf. Look at the crumb, listen to the sound of the crust. Inside should be a beautiful open-textured loaf. If you scrunch it in your hand the bread will rebound unlike commercial bread, and best of all it will taste wonderful.
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Get your phone and take pictures and upload to social media and proudly show the world your beautiful creation. Use a sharp knife and cut a slice. Spread with something tasty and take a bite. Enjoy. You are now a sourdough baker.