KS Quotient
Easy: Fuss-free ingredients added all at once. Easy hand-shaping.
This golden, crackly-crusted round is reminiscent of the bread so many tourists take a fancy to and tote home from San Francisco: The texture is noticeably, pleasingly chewy, the aroma pungently enticing, and, as the name suggests, the loaf strikes a deliciously sour note. Like the classic loaf that the Boudin Bakery has been turning out since 1849, it is a straightforward, unenriched bread, incorporating no eggs, sugar, or flavor enhancers other than salt and a suitably sour starter.
As purists will immediately note, my recipe does veer off the traditional path in incorporating a little commercial baking yeast. (Some sourdough devotees consider this a capital offense.) I haven't found that it affects the desired sour flavor, and it's a sensible, convenient fail-safe that guarantees success even if your starter doesn't happen to be lively enough to fully lift the bread on its own. (In fact, the practice of boosting starters by adding some commercial yeast to dough before baking it is fairly common in Germany, and even the esteemed French expert on bread, the late Raymond Calvel, noted that a small amount of a commercial strain could be used in a proper sourdough, or pain au levain, without affecting its taste.)
Unlike most of the sourdough bread recipes circulating today, this one calls for baking the bread in a heavy lidded pot. Yes, it better approximates the method of the original California prospectors cooking over open fires, but it also comes much, much closer to producing the crackly, well-colored loaves turned out by the steam-jetted commercial bakery ovens of today. Due to its leanness, classic sourdough bread requires a very moist environment during the first stage of baking for good browning and crisping, and a heavy pot automatically traps the necessary steam inside.
As purists will rightly point out, for an absolutely authentic, City-by-the-Bay boule, you need the local wild yeast starter. However, I've found that using any purchased or homemade tangy sourdough starter in this recipe will yield loaves that roughly approximate the typical San Francisco versions. Additionally, I've experimented with a simplified, much more predictable shortcut cultured starter inoculated with a small amount of commercial "instant" baking yeast (see Easy Cultured "Sourdough"Starter (with Commercial Yeast) for the recipe). Though it tastes tamer than starter produced by its wild cousins, once it matures (this takes 10 days or so), it delivers enough tang for a satisfying sourdough-style loaf. Whatever the starter, read Easy Cultured "Sourdough"Starter (with Commercial Yeast) on getting it ready to bake bread.
Another even more convenient, "cheater's" alternative (which yields a delicious—though less sour-tasting—bread) is to replace the starter with some plain yogurt (be sure it includes "active cultures") mixed with cider vinegar. This combo instantly introduces a little of the same lactic and acetic acids that account for the zip of typical yeast starters, though the bread is, of course, not a real sourdough.
Yield: 1 large loaf, 12 to 14 slices
3½ cups (17.5 ounces) unbleached white bread flour or unbleached all-purpose white flour, plus more as needed
1¾ teaspoons table salt
¼ to ¾ teaspoon instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast (use the larger amount if substituting yogurt and vinegar for sourdough starter)
1 tablespoon corn oil, canola oil, or other flavorless vegetable oil, plus more for coating dough top and pan
2/3 cup wild yeast sourdough starter or Easy Cultured "Sourdough"Starter (with Commercial Yeast) (or substitute ½ cup chilled plain "active culture" yogurt and 2½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar)
1½ cups ice water, plus more if needed
First Rise In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, salt, and yeast. In another bowl or measuring cup, whisk the oil and starter (or yogurt and vinegar) into the water. Vigorously stir the mixture into the bowl with the flour, scraping down the sides and mixing just until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. If the mixture is too dry to incorporate all the flour, a bit at a time, stir in just enough more ice water to blend the ingredients; don't over-moisten, as the dough should be very stiff. If necessary, stir in enough more flour to stiffen it. Brush or spray the top with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, you can refrigerate the dough for 3 to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 18 to 24 hours. If convenient, vigorously stir the dough once partway through the rise.
Second Rise Vigorously stir the dough, adding more flour as needed to yield a very stiff and hard-to-stir dough. Then, using a well-oiled rubber spatula, fold the dough in towards the center, working your way all the way around the bowl; this helps organizes the gluten for shaping a loaf. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Invert the dough so the underside is up. Sprinkle evenly with 3 to 4 tablespoons of flour. Working in the bowl, shape the dough into a ball; roll it in the flour until coated all over; then work in the flour until it holds its shape. Lightly dusting with flour as needed, form the dough into an evenly shaped high-domed 6-inch diameter round by firmly tucking the edges under all the way around; work gently, as the dough is tender and prone to tearing.
Gently transfer the loaf to an oiled 3½- to 4-quart Dutch oven or similar heavy ovenproof pot. Dust the loaf top with more flour, smoothing out evenly. Using a well-oiled serrated knife, make 3 or 4 parallel shallow slashes across the loaf top. Then, working on a diagonal, slash 3 or 4 more lines diagonally across the first set to create a diamond pattern. Brush or spray the dough with oil. Cover the pot with its lid.
Let rise until the dough doubles from its deflated size using any of these methods: Stand at warm room temperature for a 1½- to 2½-hour regular rise; or in a turned-off microwave along with a cup of boiling-hot water for a 1- to 2½-hour accelerated rise. Or, for an extended rise, refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours, then set out at room temperature. Continue the rise until the dough doubles in size.
Baking Preliminaries 15 minutes before baking time, put a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 450°F. Generously sprinkle or spray the loaf with water.
Baking Reduce the heat to 425°F. Bake on the lower rack, covered, for 55 to 60 minutes, or until the loaf is lightly browned and crusty. Uncover and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes more, until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few particles on the end (or until the center registers 207° to 209°F on an instant-read thermometer). Then bake for 5 minutes longer to ensure the center is done. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the loaf onto the rack; cool thoroughly.
A Tangy Taste of History:The California sourdough culture, of course, dates back to the Gold Rush, when so many prospectors leavened their crude camp breads and biscuits with a tangy yeast starter that they came to be called "sourdoughs" themselves. The miners relied on the primitive leavening mostly because, unlike other leavening agents, it was easily renewed and maintained in the rugged frontier conditions.
Serving and StoringCut or tear the loaf into portions; it tastes good warm, but will cut much better when cool. Cool completely before storing. To maintain the crisp crust, store draped with a clean tea towel or in a heavy paper bag. Or, to prevent the loaf from drying out, store airtight in a plastic bag or wrapped in foil: The crust will soften, but can be crisped by heating the loaf, uncovered, in a 400°F oven for a few minutes. The bread will keep at room temperature for 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.
Proceed exactly as for San Francisco—Style Sourdough Bread, except reduce the white bread flour to 2½ cups (12.5 ounces) and add 1 cup (5 ounces) whole wheat flour.