Sourdough Sandwich Bread - Less Dense

This recipe comes from the Sugar Spun Run blog. It has the lighter substance of the round loaf, but it's made in a loaf tin and slices well. The blog author prefers the overnight method, which I'm including below, but I'll also include their note about same-day baking.

Ingredients

⅔ cup (150 g) active starter bubbly, active, fed

1 ⅓ cups (315 g) warm water 90F

1 ½ (18 g) Tablesoons olive oil

3 ⅔ cups (450 g) bread flour

2 teaspoons (13 g) table salt

Oil for greasing pan

Additional flour for dusting work-surface

Baking schedule: 

1. Morning, Day 1 (5 minutes): First thing in the morning the day before baking day, I feed my starter, separating out 50g for the bread and 25g to keep the starter going for next time. For the bread, I use 50g each of starter, flour, and water to make 150g of starter. I start to mix the dough around 1pm (or when the starter is actively rising and not quite doubled (so, well on its way up).  
2. Noonish, Day 1 (1.25 hours): Mix the dough and autolyse.
3. Mid-afternoon, Day 1 (4-6 hours): First rise.
4. Evening, Day 1 (5 minutes): Form the dough into a loaf.
5. Overnight (12-24 hours): Let dough rest in fridge.
6. Day 2, whenever (2 hours): Second rise and baking.

Mix the dough

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine sourdough starter, water, and olive oil. Stir until combined.
2. Add bread flour and sprinkle salt overtop. Use your (clean) hands or a wooden spoon to stir together until dough is mostly combined. It will still be a bit shaggy and should not be cohesive (don’t over-mix) but no dry patches of flour should remain.
3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit undisturbed for one hour (this is the “autolyse” period).

Stretch and fold + first rise

1. Form dough into a ball with your hands.
2. Run your hands under cool water (prevents sticking!) and grasp the top of the dough and stretch it over the bottom. Turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat. Turn 90 degrees and repeat again, then once more (four total stretch & folds).
3. Allow dough to rest, covered, in a warm place for 30 minutes.
4. Repeat step 2 above every 30 minutes as dough rises. NOTE: I only do the stretch and fold 3-4 times. Then I let the dough rise undisturbed the rest of the time.
5. Allow dough to rise (stretching and folding every 30 minutes as indicated) until dough has increased in size about 80% (how long this takes depends on the temperature of your kitchen, typically mine is ready within 4-6 hours).

Forming the dough

1. Lightly grease a 9×5 loaf pan (with olive oil or butter) .
2. When dough has risen sufficiently, turn it out onto a clean, lightly floured surface.
3. Use your hands to gently deflate the dough and pat it into a rectangular shape. Lift the right side of the dough and fold it into the center (almost as if you were closing a book). Then, lift the left side of the dough and fold it over the first fold (use a bench scraper if the dough is sticking to your counter).
4. Starting with a skinny end, tightly roll the dough, as if you were rolling up a cinnamon roll. Tuck the ends under and carefully transfer to prepared bread pan. Don’t worry if the bread doesn’t fill the pan right now.
5. Cover pan tightly with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to rest overnight/for 12-24 hours.
   

Baking

NOTE: The blog says to bake the bread at 450 degrees for 30 minutes covered and another 20 minutes uncovered. But after 10 minutes uncovered, the crust was already going dark, and the bread tested done. Next time, I'm going to try 425 for 30 minutes, then down to 400 for another 10 or so minutes.

1. Remove sourdough from the refrigerator and preheat oven to 450F. Let oven preheat and dough rest (covered or uncovered) for at least 30-35 minutes before proceeding. NOTE: I let it rest for an hour.
2. Once oven has preheated, uncover bread, make a clean slice (about ¼” deep) down the center with a sharp knife or bread lame (to score it) then cover with another 9×5 pan (if you don’t have a second pan, you may instead make a makeshift oven using aluminum foil; tent it as high as the bread pan is deep).
3. Transfer to center rack of preheated oven. (I plan to reduce heat to 425 at this point.) Bake, covered, for 30 minutes then remove the lid and continue to bake another 20-23 minutes/until golden brown and the center of bread reaches 206-208F (97C). NOTE: Check bread after 10 minutes uncovered. Maybe consider reducing heat to 400 for the uncovered stage.
4. Allow bread to cool in pan for 15 minutes before gently turning it out onto a cooling rack (careful, the pan will still be hot!) to cool for at least 1-2 hours (until it no longer feels warm) before cutting into it. 

Notes

To bake the same day:
Follow recipe through step 4 under the “Forming the Dough” section. Immediately after transferring dough to pan, preheat oven to 450F (230C). Allow dough to rest uncovered while oven preheats, at least 30 minutes. Once oven is preheated, follow directions in recipe starting with step 2 under the “Baking” section. Note that bread will not be as flavorful or nutritious & texture will not be as great if it is not allowed to sit in the fridge overnight.

Storing & Freezing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
You may also freeze this bread. Freeze the whole loaf by wrapping tightly in plastic wrap and then wrapping in foil. When ready to thaw, keep covered completely and defrost at room temperature before unwrapping. 

We prefer to freeze pre-sliced: Cut bread into slices and storing in a plastic Ziploc bag (remove as much air as you can before freezing). If you struggle with freezer burn or plan to freeze the bread longer than a few weeks, you can individually wrap each slice in plastic wrap before closing in the plastic bag.

Nutrition
Serving: 1loaf | Calories: 1820kcal | Carbohydrates: 364g | Protein: 59g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 4678mg | Potassium: 459mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 9IU | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 4mg

Sourdough Blueberry Muffins - Option 2

This recipe comes from the Little Spoon Farm blog.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour

1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar (recipe calls for 1 cup)

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon corn starch

zest of half a lemon

1 cups (150 g) blueberries fresh or frozen

Wet Ingredients

8 tablespoons (113 g) butter melted (I use vegetable oil)

2 large eggs

½ cup (125 g) sourdough starter discard

3 tablespoons (45 g) sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract

Crumb Topping

3 tablespoons (45 g) butter melted

½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar

½ cup (60 g) all purpose flour

Directions

1. Crumb topping: Place the melted butter, flour and sugar in a bowl and use a fork to mix until it becomes a coarse crumble. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Line a 12 count muffin tin with paper liners or grease generously to prevent sticking.
3. Dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, corn starch, lemon zest and salt with a fork. Add the blueberries and toss the mixture to coat. Set aside.
4. Wet ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk all the wet ingredients until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. (If the batter is too stiff, add 1-2 tablespoons of water or milk to help thin it down.)
5. Divide the batter evenly into 12 muffins and sprinkle the top with the crumble topping. Make sure to press the crumble, gently, on the top of the batter.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let muffins cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing to cool on a cooling rack.

Sourdough Rolls

This recipe comes from the Little Spoon Farm website.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (100g) sourdough starter
2 tablespoons (28 g) butter
1 cup (240 g) milk
3 tablespoons (44 g) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 g) salt
½ cup (100 g) active sourdough starter
3 cups + 2 tablespoons (375 g) bread flour

1 tablespoon melted butter (for brushing the top of the rolls after baking)

Directions

The night before (5 minutes, plus 8-12 hours rest)

Just before bed the night before you want the rolls, combine the ingredients to make 100g of starter. I used 35g each of active starter, unbleached flour, and filtered water. That way, there's a little extra to account for the amount that sticks to the jar. Cover the jar and let rest at room temperature overnight.

Mix the dough (1.5 hours)

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, milk, sugar and salt together over low heat. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl and allow it to cool down to room temperature.
2. Add the flour and active sourdough starter to the bowl of the cooled butter mixture and stir with a spatula until the ingredients are combined and there are no dry bits left in the bowl. Cover the bowl and allow to rest at room temperature for one hour.
3. After the ingredients have rested for one hour, use the dough hook attachment on speed 3 for 8-10 minutes. 

NOTE: If you don't have a dough hook, you can perform three sets of stretch and folds spaced 30 minutes apart, keeping the bowl covered between sets. To perform a set, pick up the dough on one side and stretch it up and over itself. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat this step until you have turned the bowl a full circle. 

First rise (2-ish hours)

Cover and allow the dough to rise for 2 hours or until it has risen by 50% in size.

Shape and second rise (3-4 hours)

1. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide it into 12 pieces, approximately 65 grams each. Shape each piece into a ball by gathering up the sides and pinching them together. Turn the dough over so that the seam side is down on the work surface and gently form a smooth ball.
2. Arrange them in a lightly greased glass baking dish. Cover the dish with a tea towel and let rise for 2-4 hours, depending on temperature.

Bake (25-30 minutes)

About 20 minutes before you are ready to bake preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 25-30 minutes or until they are golden brown on top. The internal temperature of the rolls should be 190°F when fully baked. Brush the top of the roll with melted butter and serve.