Dutch Oven No-Knead Sourdough Bread

[taugust]

I find it interesting that the Overland Journal always has articles with topics related to something I have recent experience with. Case in point: The most recent issue (Winter 2008) has articles on Dual Batteries (I recently installed my system), Hole-In-The-Rock Trail (I took a week-long trip to southern Utah last summer with the ultimate destination as the Hole-In-The-Rock on the north side) and Dutch Oven No Knead Bread (which I got into after the Dutch Oven Convention last October). Since the convention, I have found and tried several recipes and I have modified and adapted this one to camp dutch oven cooking.

One thing that I have found is that most recipes leave a lot of specific info out of the procedure (OJ included). I have tried to be thorough in the procedure details. If I missed something, please let me know. This recipe came from a website forum called Breadtopia, where the method (procedure) is given in video format, no written directions. This is helpful in some ways, but difficult to follow when you are actually baking, especially for me with a dialup connection.

I wrote the procedure for either a kitchen oven using a Dutch Oven (no legs or flat lid), or a Camp Dutch Oven (legs and flat lid) with charcoal. When I followed the other recipes, I found the crust to be too hard and thick. I like mine thinner and a little chewy. This bread has excellent flavor and I like the fact that it uses very basic ingredients, like the "olden days." It rarely lasts more than a day or two.

The only hitch for some people might be the sourdough starter. I got mine from Bruce Crabtree at the Dutch Oven Convention and have been keeping it going in the fridge at home. There is a lot of conflicting info available on the net. Most of what I know, I got from Bruce's class and handout that he provided. Maybe he can post a copy of the handout so that others can make their own. It really is not a chore to maintain the starter. I feed it about every week and it's fine. For those that don't know, sourdough starter is simply a mixture of flour and water that has been allowed to acquire wild yeasts from the local surrounding air. The yeasts multiply and consume the flour, fermenting it and creating the sour flavor and the CO2 bubbles that cause the bread to rise. You can substitute 1/4 tsp instant or rapid rise yeast for the sourdough starter in the recipe. The long rise time will still provide the sourdough flavor.

Most bread bakers recommend weighing the flour, as it provided a more consistent loaf. There are a lot of variables in the flour to measure with a measuring cup. If you don't have a kitchen scale, try using 3 1/2 cups flour.

Enjoy!


Sourdough No Knead Bread (for oven or dutch oven)

16 oz. Bread Flour
1½ tsp. Salt
¼ cup Sourdough Starter
1½ cups Warm, Purified Water (120º-130ºF)

Mix flour and salt in large bowl with wisk or spoon. Pour sourdough starter into water and mix.

Add water/starter to flour and mix with wooden spoon. Dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in warm (70ºF) area for 16-18 hours. Dough will be bubbly.

Turn out onto floured board and gently spread out in rectangular shape with your floured hands. Fold one third to the middle, then the other third to the middle, like a letter fold. Fold this in half and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest 15 minutes.

Lift dough from board (using scraper as needed), turn over and shape into a ball, folding the edges under. Set seam side down on a sheet of parchment paper (dutch oven liner) sprayed with Pam, inside a large skillet and cover with cotton towel. Let rise for 90 minutes.

About 30 minutes before end of rise, place covered kitchen dutch oven in cold oven and preheat to 425º F. When dough has about doubled in size, cut an X in the center of the ball with a knife or scissors. Remove dutch oven from the oven, remove lid and lower parchment/dough into dutch oven. Replace lid and return dutch oven to oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Remove lid and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes to brown crust. Bread is done when an instant read thermometer indicates an internal temperature of 200º F and the crust is a golden brown.

Remove dutch oven from oven and remove bread from dutch oven. Cool on rack and cut.




For baking in the dutch oven with charcoal:

Start charcoal about 70 minutes into the final proofing stage, using a camp stove to light (two minutes over flame). When coals are ready, in approximately 12 minutes, preheat camp dutch oven by arranging 10 coals under outside edge of dutch oven. Place approximately 20 coals on top, 16 around perimeter, with four of the coals spread around the center. Let heat, empty, for 10 minutes. Cut an X in the center of the dough ball with a knife or scissors. Remove lid, lower dough on parchment into the dutch oven and cover. Bake for approximately 45 minutes. Rotate lid and pot 90º in opposite directions every 10 minutes. Do not peek. Bread is done when an instant read thermometer indicates an internal temperature of 200º F and the crust is a golden brown. Remove bread from dutch oven. Cool on rack and cut.

For cold weather(45º F), I added 9 coals on top and 6 on the bottom, about 30 minutes into the bake time.

[taugust]

Here are some links to forums with Dutch Oven cooking info and bread recipes that I have found useful. The first is:

http://www.camp-cook.com/forum/

This forum is moderated by Joanne, who taught a class on bread baking in a dutch oven at the Dutch Oven Convention. Her recipe that got me started is here: http://www.camp-cook.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=864 Again, some details are left out. The followup posts are informative and provide several links to other recipes and methods, including:

http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-no-knead-method/

This is the basis for my recipe. You will easily see how I modified and adapted it to suit my needs. Again, the followup posts (a lot of them) give some interesting info that is very helpful in understanding what is going on in the bread baking process.

One of the things that is very important: Don't peek at the bread as it is baking. When you open the dutch oven (especially early in the bake), you release the steam that is critical to the additional rise of the bread as it bakes (bakers call this "oven spring")

[taugust]

Here are a couple photos of my latest loaf. This was done in my driveway, using the camp dutch oven and charcoal, including the additional coals for cold weather.

[gon2srf]

Wow, nice article and the bread looks perfect!

[brucec]

Great job on the bread, Tim!

For those that want to give Tim's sourdough bread recipe a try, here is a PDF of the handout distributed at the sourdough class I taught at the 2008 Dutch Oven Fall Convention at Doheny State Beach. The handout provides information on how to create your own starter, how to use it, and how to care for it.

Enjoy,

[taugust]

Thanks for posting this Bruce. The handout contains great information and I was hoping to not have to re-type it.

[DaveK]

Tim:

It occurs to me that we need to have you join the cooking crew on our next expedition. Bread to start the meal off and triple chocolate cake to finish it. Tough acts to follow. Great recipes. Thanks!

[toms]

Bruce,
I just read the sourdough pdf you posted. It is really great. Did someone give you a sample starter or did you capture your own wild yeast?