Recipe - Norwich Sourdough

This is my all time favorite bread to keep in the house. I bake two big loaves a week. The interior is soft, but strong enough to hold any sandwich or toast toppings. The crust is the shining star! Super thin, and crackles delicately even when re-toasted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7eHQkMJ4QM

Total Dough:

Step 1: Autolyse

Simply put, the 'autolyse' step of bread making allows the flour to get hydrated and expand like a sponge, before adding any other ingredients. This does a few things: it builds strength in the dough by releasing the molecules that form gluten, it makes the dough more extensible and easier to work with, and it starts breaking down the complex carbohydrates of flour into simpler chains that the yeast can more readily ferment.

Get your mixing bowl, add 700g of the water first, and then the flour. Mix it just until you can't see any more dry flour - we're not trying to vigorously mix it here, just incorporate the ingredients.

Let the mixture sit for about 45 minutes. The timing here is very flexible - any amount of time is better than none. I've done everywhere from 15 minutes to several hours. 45 minutes seems to be the sweet spot for this dough.

Step 2: The Initial Mix

After your autolyse, you're ready to add the sourdough, salt, and some additional water.

Start by adding the sourdough starter right on top of your dough. Mix it by wetting your dominant hand and squishing the dough and starter together through your fingers. Keep mixing it that way until all the sourdough has been incorporated into the dough.

AUTOLYSE

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"“Coming Soon" -Tony Hawk" - Michael Scott

Jk

How do I make this wonderful bread?!?!

Coming soon!