Faux Sourdough Bread

I’ve been wanting to make sourdough bread for the longest time. After a long vacation to Scandinavia I was fiending to get my hands in some flour. I found this super easy recipe for a Faux Sourdough Bread on Let’s Feast. The reason it’s “faux” sourdough is because a real sourdough loaf has a starter that’s been aged for over a week, while mine was aged for only 3 days. I did a little tweaking and used bread flour instead of plain flour and increased the amount of whole wheat flour in the recipe. I used King Arthur’s All Purpose flour for the starter because it is a high protein flour which means lots of gluten which gives you a nice chewy bread! In the end, I came out with a nice chewy loaf of bread that I absolutely loved. According to Let’s Feast the bread should keep for 3 days before you have to start toasting it. The crust is the BEST part, crunchy and chewy. It’s perfect for dipping in a nice olive oil or covered in delicious butter. The bread has a mild sour flavor that is distinctive of most sourdough breads as the starter isn’t aged that long. This is by the easiest bread recipe I have ever use; not much kneading, but lots of waiting.  But I promise it’s worth the wait!

Cook Time: 3 days                                                                                  Makes: 1 loaf

Starter

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup warm water (120 -130° F)
1/2 tsp instant yeast

Dough

1.5 cups bread flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup warm water (120 – 130° F)
½ tsp instant yeast
1.5 tsp salt

1. In a small bowl, mix flour, water, and yeast to make the starter. Make sure to stir well so that there aren’t any clumps of flour in the mixture. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 36 hours.

2. To make the dough, in a large bowl, mix the bread flour, whole wheat flour and yeast and give it a quick mix. Add in the starter and warm water and bring the dough together. Add the salt and knead for 10-15 minutes until you have a smooth ball of dough. The dough is a little sticky so don’t be worried if it is getting stuck to your hand! Cover the dough and let it rest until it doubles. It took me about 3 hours.

3. On a floured surface, shape your dough into a boule shape and place on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper with the seam side down. Cover the dough and let it rest until it doubles again. This took me about 2 hours.

4. Slash the loaf with a sharp knife in a pretty pattern- I did a criss cross pattern.  Bake the loaf in a 430° F for 40-45 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when you tap on it.  The secret to the perfect crust is adding a small pan of water on the bottom of the oven while the bread bakes. The steam helps create a delicious crusty bread.  Let it cool on a rack and enjoy!