Recipe for Wholemeal Sourdough with Bread Machine

📝 23 Jul 2024

(Adapted from “The Sourdough Framework”)

(Watch the Video on YouTube)

Warning: We’re still tweaking the recipe below for Hot and Humid Singapore…

• Is it Overfermented? Or pH Level too acidic? Let’s get a Food pH Meter and verify!

• Our Sourdough Dough should begin fermenting at pH 6.0. Then shortly before baking it should have pH 4.0.

• We’re still hacking the sourdough, “be-new and improve” the recipe with a pH Meter

  (Normally we’ll “debug” but Bugs and Food don’t mix! And “troubleshoot” sounds a little… violent)

• My deepest apologies to the folks who taste and test all my awful sourdough creations. Luv you!

• See below for the pH and Temperature Readings

§1 Wholemeal Sourdough Starter

Daily routine for Sourdough Starter, assuming that we bake every other day…

• Before Every Feeding: Pour away most of the Sourdough Starter. A tiny bit of Sourdough Starter is sufficient to chomp up the flour.

• Feed 2 times daily:

  • 1/2 cup Superfine Wholegrain Flour (Prima)

  • 1/4 cup Boiled Water at Room Temperature. Consistency should be like thick oatmeal, so it will rise better.

  Except for the morning of dough-making, increase to:

  • 3/4 cups Superfine Wholegrain Flour (Prima)

  • 1/2 cup Boiled Water at Room Temperature. Consistency should be like thick oatmeal, so it will rise better.

• Stir the Sourdough Starter with a chopstick (the blunt end)

• Every Other Afternoon: Sourdough Starter should double in height by afternoon, ready for dough-making. (Pic above)

• Wipe clean the inside of the Sourdough Jar whenever we discard Sourdough Starter

§2 Mix the Dough

Every Other After: we prepare the dough for a Half-Pound Loaf of Sourdough Bread.

Add in this sequence to Bread Bucket (pic above)…

• 1/2 cup Boiled Water at Room Temperature

• 1 tablespoon (14g) Cold Salted Butter (from fridge)

  Inside Bread Bucket: Crush Butter into small bits with a spoon.

• 1 stick (21g) Unisoy Soy Matcha Powder

  Inside Bread Bucket: Stir the powder with a spoon to dissolve.

• 1.5 cups Bread Flour (Prima)

• All of the Wholemeal Sourdough Starter (from above)

(TODO: Actually the dough is dryer, firmer, rounder than the pic above. Dryer dough is easier to manage, less risk of overfermentation)

§3 Knead the Dough

We will knead the dough in the Bread Machine, move the Bread Bucket to the Fridge and Cool Oven to rise the dough, cool overnight in Fridge, then move the Bread Bucket back to the Bread Machine for more rising and baking. Here are the steps…

1. To knead the dough: Start Zojirushi Home Bakery Mini Breadmaker (BB-HAC10) with “Quick Baking” Cycle.

   (Which is the quickest way to knead)

2. Sprinkle Bread Flour or Water until dough becomes a Smooth and Creamy Ball. (Pic above)

3. After the Kneading Step has completed, power off the Bread Machine

4. Remove the Paddle from the Bread Bucket. (Because otherwise the dough will rise, dislodge the Paddle, and Paddle gets stuck inside the bread)

   Here’s how: Tilt the Bread Bucket to one side, scrape the dough off the Paddle with a wooden chopstick, remove the Paddle.

5. Inside the Bread Bucket: With dry hands (dusted with Bread Flour), Stretch and Fold the dough one round: North, South, East, West

   (Be careful not to expel the gas!)

6. Pat the dough and rotate the Bread Bucket, until it becomes a Smooth and Creamy Lump. Scrape the dough away from the sides of the Bread Bucket.

   Smooth over any holes, make the dough airtight. (Pic below)

(TODO: Actually the dough is dryer, firmer, rounder than the pic above. Dryer dough is easier to manage, less risk of overfermentation)

§4 Rise the Dough

1. Place the Bread Bucket in the Fridge (not the freezer!), and cover with a Dry Towel.

   Rest for 1 hour.

2. Place the Bread Bucket in a Cool Oven, and cover with a Dry Towel. (Pic above)

   Rise for 1 hour.

3. Inside the Bread Bucket: With dry hands (dusted with Bread Flour), Stretch and Fold the dough one round: North, South, East, West

   (Be careful not to expel the gas!)

4. Pat the dough and rotate the Bread Bucket, until it becomes a Smooth and Creamy Lump. Scrape the dough away from the sides of the Bread Bucket.

   Smooth over any holes, make the dough airtight. (Pic below)

5. Cool in Fridge for 1 hour, rise in Cool Oven for 1 hour, Stretch and Fold.

   Repeat this for a total of 4 times.

6. Chill the Bread Bucket in the Fridge overnight.

   We’ll bake in the morning.

7. Why alternate Fridge and Oven? In Hot and Humid Singapore: This seems to prevent our dough from getting Overfermented, Sour and Gummy)

§5 Bake the Dough

On the Morning of Baking…

1. Start Zojirushi Home Bakery Mini Breadmaker (BB-HAC10) with “French Bread” Cycle (5 hour cycle) WITHOUT the Bread Bucket.

   Bread Machine will try to knead without the Bread Bucket. And that’s OK.

2. Three Hours after starting “French Bread” Cycle: Move the Bread Bucket from Fridge into the Bread Machine. (Pic above)

   Yes the dough will be cold, slightly frozen.

3. “French Bread” Cycle will warm up and rise the dough for 1/2 hour.

   Poke some holes in the Cool Firm Dough with a knife.

   Then “French Bread” Cycle will bake for 1.5 hours. (Pic above)

   (French Bread Mode is explained on Page 17)

4. After Baking: Our loaf might get stuck to the Spindle in the Bread Bucket.

   Turn the Spindle a few rounds, via the Bottom Exterior of Bread Bucket. (Very hot!)

   Our loaf will plop out from the Bread Bucket. Don’t shake the Bread Bucket too hard, because the loaf will tear with a circular hole.

Yep it’s 8 hours rising plus 1.5 hours baking, instead of the normal 5-hour “French Bread” Mode! This gives the dough plenty of time to rise, for the extra bubbly floofiness. (Pic above)

But remember not to overferment!

§6 pH and Temperature Readings

A Food pH Meter is super helpful! (Pic above)

To prevent Overfermentation: We target to End the Fermentation at pH 3.9, while maintaining Temperature at 25 deg C …

(Captured based on an earlier recipe with Ice Packs in Oven)

§7 Okinawa Black Sugar Sourdough

Add in this sequence to Bread Machine…

• 3 cubes Okinawa Black Sugar

• 1 tablespoon (14g) Cold Unsalted Butter (from fridge)

• 4 tablespoons Boiling Water (100 deg C, to melt the sugar and butter)

• 2 ladles (2/3 cups) Wholemeal Sourdough Starter, ripe (fed) from above

• 1 cup (120g) Brown Sugar Flour

• 1/2 teaspoon (2.8g) Salt

• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda / Sodium Bicarbonate (to neutralise the sourness and give extra poofiness). Too much Baking Soda will taste soapy!

During Kneading…

• Add 1/2 cup Raisins

• Sprinkle a few teaspoons of Superfine Wholegrain Flour until it looks like a smooth bump

  (Dough will not become a Ball because it’s too wet and frothy)

• Bake according to the above “French Bread” Cycle

Got a question, comment or suggestion? Create an Issue or submit a Pull Request here…

lupyuen.github.io/src/sourdough.md

Okinawa Black Sugar Sourdough with Dark Chocolate Couverture