Sterling Starter (Mother)
Creating the Mother:
25g of sterling in weck jar.
Add 100g of room temperature water and mix.
Add 100g of bread flour and mix.
Make sure the mix is not too dry and not too wet.
Put an elastic at the bottom to mark the starter level.
Put linen cpa on top with elastic and let sit for 6-12 hours. It should double in size.
Sterling Starter (Baking)
From the Mother, take 25g and put in a new weck jar and do this a second time in a new weck jar.
Feed two new weck jars with:
- 100g of water
- 85g of bread flour
- 15g of rye flour
Make sure it is not too wet or dry. Choose one and put it in the fridge with a shower cap. This one will slowly grow over the week.
The other 25g will be for baking the following day.
Baking with Starter
*This will make 2 loaves
You will now be mixing 1000g of different flours together:
- 750g of bread flour
- 150g of whole wheat flour
- 100g of rye flour
Mix together in a large bowl and hydrate with 750g (75%) of water to create autolyse. We are now building gluten and trapping bubbles. When mixing, make sure all flour is hydrated!
Put a damp linen towel over the flour and let it sit for 30 minutes. You’ll know the starter is ready if you break off a small piece and put it in a bowl of water. If it floats, it’s ready!
Add 200g of starter (should be the entire thing) to flour.
Prepare 20g of kosher salt (do this first before your hands get messy).
Also have a bowl fo water readt to go with your flex spatulas.
Prepare 20g of water that you can add and work in as you go. No more than 20g!
Starting pinching your starter into the flour.
Add in 20g of kosher salt and continue to pinch until you can no longer feel the salt. It hsould be well combined.
Let sit for 10 minutes with damp linen towel on top.
Then mix for 10-20 minutes by hand, pulling up dough and folding it over top of itself, rotating bowl between folds. You can add water from the 20g bowl you prepared earlier.
By mixing, you are building strength in the dough. Pinch, pull, fold, repeat. It is ready when you can pull and make a window pane with the dough.
Put linen towel back on top and let for 1 hour.
Go back every hour with a wet hand – pick up and fold until it feels right and bubbles start to form.
The dough should not double in size but rather grow to 50%.
Equal parts nice flour and all purpose flour, combine and use to dust your surface. Tip bowl and let dough fall out. Use flat gathering spatula to cut your dough in half. The dough will want to fuse together to cut and seperate as quickly as you can.
From each half created, take all edges and bring them together in the middle to a pinch, Then take your flat spatula and flip pinched side over. Use the blade to round and form into balls. Do this for some time to continue to build tension.
Now dust the dough balls with your 50/50 flour combination and cover for 10 minutes with clean, dry linen towel. Remove towel and dust again.
Flip the dough balls and pull the edges out. Fold one side to the middle. It will be sticky and should naturally fuse. Then fold in the other side to meet. Pinch together.
Now pull and roll. Dust your proofing baskets in the 50/50 flour mixture. Use flat spatula and in one swift motion, flip dough over into the proofing basket. Put shower caps on both proofing bowls. Let this proof on the counter for 1 to 2 hours.
Poke finfers into dough, if it stays, then you’re ready to put it in the fridge over night. Now you’re ready to bake!
Place the cast iron in a 500-degree oven without the lid to temper. Place sheet of parchment over proofing basket and flip over onto the counter. Take blade and slice down the middle of the dough. Place dough (with parchment paper) onto cast iron and cover with the lid!
Bake for 20 minutes and then remove the lid. Reduce heat to 450 degrees and bake for 15-20 more minutes. Take the bread out and let it sit for 10 minutes