Rosemary and Garlic Sourdough #BBB

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Happy 18th Anniversary to the Bread Baking Babes!  Tanna picked a delicious sourdough to make this month, with a beautiful, if a bit fiddly, shaping technique.  The original flavor was rosemary lemon, and lovely.  I made one that way and one with rosemary and garlic, which was swoon worthy.

So my kid snagged a few slices of this month's (first) bread, then came into the room and stated, unequivocally, "Mother: I DEMAND that you make more of this bread!"  LOL.  I wasn't even particularly satisfied with the looks of that first loaf, but yes, it had a wonderfully moist and chewy crumb and technically was a very good and tasty loaf.  I just didn't get good oven spring.  I mean, it didn't perk at all!  Tasty, but pathetic rise.  I think I over proofed it just enough to ruin the spring because I didn't go straight from the fridge to the oven...  That's probably what happened and why the crumb was still decent.  So I made another loaf!  Well, at least that satisfies the demand...  Hubby had a piece of loaf #1 with his lunch as well and very much approved.

And when I lifted the lid on loaf number two... SQUEEEEEEE!  So happy!  My starter just didn't have enough perk the first time, the second was exactly what I wanted, and yes, I did add a tiny finger pinch of yeast to fortify my starter the second time, (0.09g).  B-E-A-Utiful!  And very thankful that it turned out so well because I only had about 47g of bread flour left for loaf #2 and had to use all-purpose for the remainder.  Fortunately my rosemary plant is prolific.  Fresh chopped rosemary is a joy.  Lol, kiddo number two poked her head into the room with a cat-ate-the-canary look, and said, "Mamma... what's the bread you just made?..."  Translation: can I totally get into it??  It was still a little too warm to slice so she asked to get into the first loaf that had already been sliced.  And later, "Mom, this isn't fair, you are ruining us, we're going to be in shambles when we move out!"  I had a little leftover garlic rosemary oil that we spread on a couple slices of that first loaf, just barely warmed, with a little butter.  Wowzers, that's a winner.  Make a little more oil than you need for sure!

The second loaf was nothing short of amazing.  Super crispy crust, and the top parts that peeled back around the oil layer turned into amazing crackers.  The crumb had that amazing sourdough chewiness too.

Rosemary and Garlic Sourdough
makes 1 large loaf 

Starter:

52g lukewarm water 
52g whole wheat flour
21g ripe sourdough starter

Final dough:

250g bread flour
250g all purpose flour
375g lukewarm water
100g starter (from above)
12g sea salt

Rosemary Lemon Oil:

13g olive or avocado oil
3g fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped (About 3 sprigs, 1 tbsp finely chopped)
4 large cloves garlic, minced 

The day before baking:

Mix together the ingredients for the starter. Cover with a tea towel and let rest in a warm area for 45 minutes.

In a large bowl combine the flours for the dough with 325 g of the water, saving 50 g of water for later. Mix the flour and water until there is no dry flour.  Scrape down the edges so that the dough mixture is all together.  Cover and let rest for half an hour. 

When the starter is done resting combine 100 g of it with the dough mixture.  Return any remaining starter back to the mother starter jar.  Add 25 g of the remaining water to help combine the starter with the dough until it is fully absorbed and the dough is somewhat sticky.  Add the salt and the remaining 25 g water and continue to mix until the water has been absorbed and the salt is incorporated into the dough.  The dough should be soft and elastic.

Let the dough bulk ferment for about 4 hours, stretching and folding every 45 minutes in the first hour and a half, (two stretch and folds).  Let the dough ferment for another 2½ hours and then it is ready to pre-shape.  The dough should be somewhat bouncy and have some bubbles under the surface.  If it doesn't, give it another 30 to 60 minutes. 

While the dough is fermenting, make the flavored oil.  In a small bowl, stir together the oil, rosemary and lemon zest, and set aside.

Gently turn out the dough onto an unfloured work surface.  Using a bench scraper and your hands, work the dough towards you, using your fingers to tuck under the edges, and using the bench knife to pull and create surface tension.  Wet your hands as necessary to help with shaping.  Try not to degass the dough too much. Leave the pre-shaped loaf to rest, uncovered, for about 45 to 60 minutes.

Once the loaf has rested and relaxed, spoon the flavored oil to the center of the dough's surface.  Quickly pull and gather the edges of the loaf up and together into one hand, rolling and pressing the edges together to seal the oil in.  Brush any excess flour off the work surface and turn the loaf over, seam side down.  Using cupped hands, gently shape the loaf back into a round, applying light pressure to the sides as the dough turns, so that the oil is worked up the center of the loaf, just under the surface.  Once the oil and bits of rosemary are just visible beneath the surface, stop shaping.  Transfer to a dusted proofing basket.  (A combination of rice and all purpose flour will help prevent the dough sticking.)

Cover and let the dough sit at room temp for 2 hours, then move to the refrigerator for up to 12 hours.  

The next day, heat up a Dutch oven in the oven to 475-500ºF, as screaming hot as it can get.  Make sure the oven has been at temperature for at least 15 minutes.  Once the oven and Dutch oven are completely preheated, take the dough out of the fridge and carefully turn out onto a piece of parchment paper.  Score as desired.  (I spooned a little more of the garlic rosemary oil into the slashes.)  Remove the Dutch oven with thick oven mitts and transfer the loaf to the hot vessel.  Reduce oven temp to 450ºF and bake with the lid on for 20 minutes.  Remove the lid and bake for another 20 minutes uncovered until the crust is a deep golden brown.  (I put the loaf directly on the rack for another 5 minutes for more color.)  Remove the loaf to a wire rack to finish cooling before slicing.

A bit of a hand challenge to work in the second
portion of water, but the dough holds it well.

You will be able to see the rosemary just under the
surface when the loaf has been tightened just enough.

The moment of triumph when first taking off the lid.
 
Can something be chewy and melt in your
mouth at the same time?  Yum.

First loaf on right, second on left.  First wasn't
bad, just not anywhere as amazing as loaf two.

Didn't quite get the rosemary all the way to the 
surface with the first loaf.  Also, definitely go for
fresh garlic and not jarred.  The flavor is fantastic.

 The rest of the Bread Baking Babes


 

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