I’m at 4800 feet in altitude, so moisture level and baking times were adjusted to get it dialed in. I add more flour or water to make it “feel right” if I need to. About 1 1/2 cups of water is just about right. I also upped the total amount of flour to 4 cups total, including starter. 5 minutes more or until I like the crust color. Then uncover for 10 minutes before turning off the oven. Turn it on and bake at 435 for 1 hour (it takes my oven 15 minutes to get there). Sorry if I can’t be more precise timewise. I do flour and card the mixture before putting it in the D.O. I also don’t use parchment paper, but instead oil and flour my 90+ year old Dutch oven, and proof inside it for a few hours – until it rises enough to bake before it starts to fall.

I have also modified the ingredients to make honey wheat, pumpernickel, rosemary, garlic and onion, and porcini mushroom breads. No discards at all during the process, and it is Super active. I no longer use any yeast, since I have made a sourdough starter. The quality is as good, or better than the $12 bakery/gourmet grocery loaves.

I have been using it for about 2 months now. A properly measured cup of flour weighs 4 1/4 ounces. 2) Dip & Level – Gently dip your measuring cup into the flour until it’s mounded above the rim and level off the excess flour with the back of a knife. Finally, level off the excess flour with the back of a knife. Do not tap the cup or the container of flour. You can see how I aerate flour in my Easy One Bowl Chocolate Cake video: Īfter aerating, there are two ways to measure the flour: 1) Scoop & Level – Gently scoop the flour up with a spoon and sprinkle it into your measuring cup until it’s mounded above the rim. To measure, be sure to use a flat-topped dry measuring cup. To aerate flour you simply stir it around with a spoon before measuring. If you dip into flour without aerating, you will be getting too much flour and your dough will be too dry. Otherwise sifting will result in too little flour being measured. Flour should not be sifted before measuring unless the recipe states to do so. Aerating basically means fluffing it up and is not the same as sifting. Let it cool at least 15 minutes before slicing.įlour must be aerated before measuring because it often settles in the bag or container making it heavy and compact, resulting in too much flour being measured. Return, uncovered, to oven and bake 10 - 15 more minutes. After 30 minutes, remove lid and parchment paper.(parchment paper goes in the pot too) Cover and bake for 30 minutes. When oven reaches 450° carefully, using oven gloves, lift the parchment paper and dough from the bowl and place gently into the hot pot.Meantime place Dutch oven with lid in a cold oven and preheat to 450° F.Let stand on counter top for about 35 minutes. Place in a parchment paper-lined bowl (not wax paper) and cover with a towel.Using a scraper fold dough over 10-12 times & shape into a rough ball. Transfer it to a well-floured surface and sprinkle dough with a little flour. After 3 hours dough will become puffy and dotted with bubbles.Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 3 hours.Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl.(about 2 Tablespoons extra flour for shaping).1 1/2 cups hot water, not boiling (354 mL) - I use hot tap water - about 125-130° F.1/4 teaspoon yeast, active dry or instant (1 g).3 cups (360-390 g /12 3/4 ounces) all-purpose or bread flour (aerate flour before measuring - See How).

Dutch crunch bread safeway ingredients