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You are here: Home / Thermomix / Sourdough: Overview of 2 to 3 day process

Sourdough: Overview of 2 to 3 day process

30/04/2020 by Gina 3 Comments

The process I follow makes it really easy for me, and hopefully you may find that too.

You can absolutely prepare and bake your sourdough in one day, but I prefer to spread it over two to three days.  Firstly, this means I have more freedom to get on with other commitments in my life, without having to worry about what is happening to my starter, or trying to manage baking loaves around dinner time when I might need the oven for other things.

In following my process, I like knowing that I don’t need to do anything before 8am on the day I plan to make my dough (if you wish to bake that day you need to do this earlier), and that I am free until around noon before I need to check my starter to see if it has doubled in size.

Once it has doubled, I prepare my dough, so usually by early afternoon I am done and dusted for “Day 1” of my process.  Easy peasy.

Then around 8am the next day, or the day after, I take my bags of dough out of the fridge and let them sit on the bench for up to three hours (you only need to do this for an hour, but I found leaving them longer I get a much better rise in the oven).

Around 11’ish, I stretch and fold the dough into the tins, put them aside into their containers to rise, then bake usually around mid to late afternoon, again meaning I am not baking at dinner time when I may wish to use the oven.

If you were to do the whole process in one day, you would have to be up much earlier, and will be baking much later.  You also don’t have the advantage of the extra fermentation time that the dough will benefit from (and your tummies) by spending a longer period in the fridge.  You also miss out on the extra flavour profile that you would get from that resting time.

If you do decide to do the process in one day, then at the end of the Step 4 (which is the end of Day 1), then you will need the dough to sit on the bench for at least 2 to 3 hours before moving onto Step 5.

I have posted this process on the “recipe template” so that you can print it off if you feel it will be useful to you to refer to.

Happy baking!

Process of Day 1
Process of Day 2 or 3
Gorgeous loaves

 

Sourdough: Overview of Process
 
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Gorgeous loaves
Author: Gina @ The Passionate Pantry
Instructions
DAY 1

  1. STEP 1: ACTIVATE YOUR STARTER: Allow 4 to 8 hours depending on weather, in warmer months it will be quicker, in cooler months it will be longer

  2. STEP 2: USE YOUR STARTER: This is where you add your starter to the flour and water to make your dough, you then rest your dough for 20 minutes and whilst that is happening you can do the next step

  3. STEP 3: FEED YOUR STARTER: You now feed the starter that is remaining in your container so that it can go back into the fridge until next time

  4. STEP 4: FINAL KNEAD: Knead for 1 minute, then place dough into a greased bag and put into fridge … use within the next two days)

DAY 2 OR DAY 3

  1. STEP 5: STRETCH AND FOLD DOUGH: Once the dough has been removed from the fridge and allowed to come to room temperature - this usually takes an hour but I leave it for 3 hours – you stretch and fold the dough to activate the gluten

  2. STEP 6: SHAPE THE DOUGH: After you stretch and fold the dough you shape the dough for your tin or Banneton

  3. STEP 7: RISING THE DOUGH: Allow 4 to 8 hours for this - once the dough is in the tin or Banneton it needs to rise again, timing will depend on the day but I find that by allowing the dough to sit for 3 hours before stretching and folding it rises faster in the tin, and gives me a bigger rise in the oven

  4. STEP 8: SPRAY AND BAKE: You are finally ready to bake … so when the crest of the dough has risen to just past the rim of the tin you are ready to bake … for a Banneton you are looking for the dough to have doubled in size

3.5.3251

 

 

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Related

Filed Under: Baking, Breads, Breakfast, Dinner, Grains, Main Ingredients, Meals and Courses, Nut Free, Recipes, Special Diets, Thermomix, Vegan, Vegetarian

« Sourdough: How to take a break from your starter
Sourdough: Basic Loaf – Day 1 »

Comments

  1. Jess says

    04/12/2020 at 11:11 am

    Hi Gina,
    Thanks so much for your wonderful guide on sourdough bread making! I’m new to this and look forward to giving it a go once my starter is ready (I’m only on day 2 of making the starter). I’m preparing for when my starter is ready and trying to gather the equipment – but I’m curious as to if it’s possible to increase the dough quantity to make 2 large loaves (and only have to do this process twice) and therefore just purchase 2 larger tins and not 4 smaller ones. I saw on your post on Tenina’s page that you mentioned being able to put 2 smaller loaves together in a larger tin but that it might not bake evenly so just wanted to see if I can increase the dough quantities to make larger loaves :).
    Thanks again!

    Reply
    • Gina says

      07/12/2020 at 9:36 am

      Hi Jess … I answered your question in your previous post but would love to talk to you about the tin sizes if possible … it might be easier … if you have the time please call me on 0404 857 467 xo Gina

      PS: there are a few reasons why I use the smaller tins that is worth sharing 🙂

      Reply
      • Jess says

        07/12/2020 at 10:40 am

        Hi Gina,
        Yes – sorry about that! I thought I deleted this post accidentally so I posted again!
        Thanks so much for answering my comments – I will give you a call later this afternoon 🙂
        Thanks again,
        Jess

        Reply

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About Gina

For as long as I can remember I have loved being around food, not just eating it but cooking with it too!

From the young age of eleven I had always dreamed of working somehow within the food industry, but as it turned out that wasn’t my calling ... Read More…

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