With everyone stuck at home due to the Movement Control Order, there isn’t a better time to put on your apron and turn up the heat in the oven.
With everyone stumbling over each other to buy a loaf of bread in grocery stores, why not skip the line and bake your own instead?
And not just any old plain white bread, mind you, but delicious and flavourful sourdough bread.
This recipe by sourdough queen, Chuah Chiew See, is forgiving, versatile and can be used to craft other pastry delights like sandwich loaves, soft buns and burger buns.
Ingredients
- 260 g bread flour
- 1 large egg
- 25 g sugar
- 105 g milk
- 5 g salt
- 150 g levain (100% hydration)
- 25 g softened butter
- 20x10x10cm Pullman loaf tin
Method
- Combine all the ingredients, except levain and butter, to form a dough.
- Wrap the dough with cling wrap before storing it in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes.
- After it has had time to rest, place the dough in a mixer bowl and add the levain.
- Use a dough hook to knead the dough until it comes together in a ball.
- Add the butter and continue kneading the dough slowly until it is smooth, shiny and elastic.
- Test the dough using the windowpane test. Spread the dough apart and if it stretches without breaking into a thin surface that you can see through, it is good to go.
- Transfer the dough into a greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.
- Proof the dough until it has doubled in size. Keep it at room temperature (28-30°C) for three to three and a half hours.
- Dust flour on the work surface before tipping out the dough onto it.
- Divide the dough into three equal portions and roll each one into a ball. Allow them to rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough on one ball. Take the top and bottom edge of the dough and fold to bring them together in the middle.
- Turn the dough 90° before rolling the dough out again into a rectangle.
- Roll the dough from one end to the other into a log shape. Repeat with the other two balls of dough.
- Place the three balls of dough into a greased Pullman tin. Cover with cling wrap and proof until the dough fills 90% of the loaf tin. Keep at room temperature of about 28°C to 30°C for two to three hours.
- Brush the dough with an egg wash. Bake the bread in the preheated oven at 180°C for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Once baked, take the loaves out and serve with either butter, jam, or balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
For inspiration, visit Chuah’s Instagram page for more of her sourdough creations.