Another sourdough experiment gone right. I know, I know, I’ve been going a little overboard with the bread-baking these past few weeks, but soon it will be summer and I won’t want to bake bread nearly as often. Anyway, this is a traditional German Bauernbrot — German-style Farmer’s Bread. It’s a combination of rye, whole wheat and high-gluten bread flour, and a wee combination of some typical bread spices: caraway and fennel seeds, a bit of ground anise and coriander. None of those spices on their own are my favorites, but put together, they do taste like traditional bread. And the loaf turned out fairly pretty so I am happy. Yay!
Ingredients
generous 1/2 cup (150 grams) active sourdough starter
1/2 cup water, between 100-110F
1 large egg
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons malt extract
2 tablespoons dark honey
1 cup dark rye flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1/2 teaspoon whole caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground anise
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
Directions
Mix the ingredients until they come together (I combine all the dry ingredients together and all the wet ingredients, then combine with a dough whisk, but you can also do this with a stand mixer. Knead for 3-5 minutes until a flexible, supple dough forms. Place in a lightly oiled bowl. Using the stretch and fold technique, stretch and fold the dough once every half an hour, and then let the dough rest for another half an hour. Repeat every half an hour six times for a total of 3 hours
At this point, you can put the dough in the refrigerator for a long, cold rise, or continue on below. If you choose to let the dough rise overnight, let it come to room temperature before proceeding.
Once the dough is at room temperature, place on a floured work surface. Gently stretch into a 10-inch rectangle. Fold the top of the dough to the bottom and lightly seal with the heel of the hand. Rotate the dough 90 degrees then fold the top of the dough to the bottom and lightly seal with the heel of the hand. Cup both hands around the dough and pull towards the body until the seam of the dough is on the bottom. Cover and let rest 15-20 minutes. Uncover the dough and cup with both hands. Gently push and pull the dough forwards and backwards, right and left, while applying gentle pressure to create a tight and smooth outer skin. Line a proofing basket or bowl with a clean linen, generously covered with flour. Place dough seam-side-up in the basket, cover and proof until puffy and an indentation does not spring back, 60-90 minutes.
Pre-heat your oven to 425F, with your lidded 4-5 quart oval cast iron pot inside, for at least 30 minutes. Just before you are ready to bake, invert your bread from the proofing basket onto a piece of parchment paper, score and carefully place in the Dutch Oven. Careful, it is extremely hot! Bake for 40 minutes with the lid on, and then 15 minutes with the lid off. Let cool on a wire rack before cutting.
