Feeling a little bit sour

....but in the best way! A few weeks ago, I picked up a brand new sourdough starter from my favourite bakery in the Hamilton Farmer's Market (De La Terre Bakery, seriously check them out! SO GOOD!), and now I have been baking all manner of deliciousness with it.

Yes, that's right folks... "Bready White" and "The Grateful Bread" have a new sister! Let me introduce "Angelina Dough-Lee".

I fully expected great things, just given how amazing the bread from the bakery that I got the starter from always is, but I was completely unprepared for the realization that I, Veronica, can bake incredible bread just by changing up the cultures I was using.

I learned a ton through this process about how important the quality of your sourdough starter is to the whole step-by-step of baking bread. I also learned the proper way to add inclusions into a loaf, which was something that I really did not realize that there was this much of a science to (but there is!).

I believe very strongly that baking bread, when it is done right, is a science experiment. You are combining elements and creating reactions. You are timing things right and watching for signs of things developing. There is not really a "right" or a "wrong" way to do it, though some ways do tend to be more successful than others. My way of baking sourdough has changed a lot over this past year or so. About halfway through the pandemic, right around the time that people were getting really sick of the grocery store being sold out of bread yeast, I decided to "up my sourdough game" and really dove into the science of it all. I learned a ton and yet still feel that I have barely scratched the surface.

But the bread that I can create these days is pretty incredible, if I do say so myself... light, fluffy, with loads of air bubbles. Crispy crust. Just the perfect amount of softness versus crunch in every bite. Today's loaf has been through three sets of stretch and folds so far, and I think that just one more set of coil folds and it will be perfect!

Try my recipe, I am sharing it here! See what you love and what you would change (and let me know!). See how much your family loves it and how much better all of your tummies will feel once you realize that eating fermented foods, like sourdough bread, is something that all of us can and s hould do every day to improve our digestive health.

Veronica’s Trademark Sourdough Bread:

· 300 grams water (at room temperature)

· 300 grams bread flour

· 60 grams spelt flour

· 40 grams buckwheat flour

· 80 grams active sourdough starter

· 15 grams instant bread yeast

· 8 grams sea salt

· 80 grams “mix-ins” (things like nuts, seeds, fruits or vegetables, other flavours…) – optional

1) Stir the bread yeast into the room temperature water and let sit for about 10 minutes

2) In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and water with the yeast mixed in with your hands. When the flour has been thoroughly moistened, cover and let autolyze in a warm place for 30 to 60 minutes

3) Add the sourdough starter and use your hands to mix it in thoroughly. Cover the bowl and let sit someplace warm for 1 hour

4) Add the salt and use your hands to mix it in thoroughly. Cover the bowl and let sit someplace warm for 1 hour

5) Do a set of stretch and folds. Cover the bowl and let sit someplace warm for 1 hour

6) Do another set of stretch and folds. Cover the bowl and let sit someplace warm for 1 hour

7) Do a set of stretch and folds, or if you think that the dough is ready, do a set of coil folds instead. Cover the bowl and let sit someplace warm for 1 hour

8) Do a set of coil folds. Cover the bowl and let sit someplace warm for 1 hour

9) Dump the dough out onto your work surface and use a bench scraper to pre-shape it into a boule. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes

10) Flour part of your work surface and move the dough onto it, being careful not to get flour on the whole thing (you only want one side to be floured). Stretch out the dough to create a large rectangle

11) Sprinkle with any additional mix-ins that you want (I love adding poppy seeds and a drizzle of raw honey!). Fold the dough over and roll into a boule. Use a bench scraper to tighten the edges, building surface tension. Let rest for 20 minutes

12) Give the dough a final shaping and transfer to a floured banneton. Let this sit on the counter for up to 5 hours to bulk ferment

13) Transfer to the fridge and cold retard the dough for 12½ hours

14) The next morning when you are ready to bake, preheat the oven with the Dutch oven inside at 500 F for 20 minutes

15) Take the bread out of the fridge and flip it onto a piece of parchment paper. Use a lame or sharp knife to score the bread. Immediately place it with the parchment paper in the preheated Dutch oven and add a few ice cubes under the paper. Spritz the loaf with water before putting the lid on the Dutch oven and baking for 20 minutes covered. Remove the lid and bake for 20 minutes longer or until your desired crust is achieved

16) Allow to cool completely before cutting the loaf

Dough after three sets of stretch and folds.