This simple recipe makes a spectacular 100% whole-wheat loaf using sourdough starter and Honoré flour. Elizabeth DeRuff originally found Honoré’s sourdough bread recipe through a Mother Jones article featuring a formula developed by Jonathan McDowell from Washington State University’s Breadlab. She adapted his recipe with techniques from the San Francisco Baking Institute’s genius baker Dave Miller and Marin County’s own Craig Ponsford.
If, as a home baker, your question is “Can I do this?“ the answer is yes, absolutely! Bread baking requires practice and it might take a while to get your technique and rhythm down, but the reward is worth it.
Note: Levain can be purchased online or homemade. (Find Elizabeth’s recipe at HonoreMill.com/recipes.) Ripe levain should have a slightly sweet, fermented aroma and have bubbles throughout. To test if the levain is ready, use the float test: Gently drop a small spoonful of levain into a glass of water. If it floats or sinks slowly, your levain is ready.
Ingredients
- 506g filtered water, at room temperature
- 120g ripe sourdough levain, homemade (see recipe at honoremill.org) or purchased
- 580g Hourani Blend flour
- 12g best-quality sea salt
- Olive oil for greasing
- Sonora flour for kneading
- 1 cup brown rice flour plus 1 cup Sonora flour
Preparation
To the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the dough hook, add the water. Using a large spoon, gently stir in the ripe levain, then stir in the flour and salt. Beat on low speed until all the flour is incorporated, 5–8 minutes.
Turn out the dough into a large bowl or glass baking dish lightly greased with olive oil. Let rest for 25–30 minutes.
Stretch and fold the dough over itself: Using wet hands, pull up one side of dough and drop it over the top of the dough. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and continue to pull, fold and drop, turning the dough between each fold, three more times. Turn the dough seam side down and let rest for 25-30 minutes. Then stretch and fold as before, turn seam side down, and let rest for another 25-30 minutes.
Dust the top of the dough with Sonora flour and use the rest to flour a work surface. Dump the dough out onto the floured work surface and dust again with flour.
Using a floured bench scraper and floured hands, loosen the undersides of the dough on the counter and flip the dough over. Brush off any loose flour. Pull the four imaginary corners of the dough up and over towards the middle of the dough. Flip the dough over so that it is seam side down, leaving a smooth, round top. Continue to flour your hands and the bench scraper, as needed.
Next, using the floured bench scraper, pull the dough across an unfloured area of the counter (the dough needs to grip the counter) to create surface tension. Reposition the dough and drag again, turning the dough so that a round shape develops. Repeat several times until the surface membrane of the dough is tightly stretched and becomes thinner.
Place the Sonora and brown rice flours in a sieve. Lightly dust a bread proofing basket or large colander lined with a linen or cotton kitchen towel with the flour blend. Place the remaining flour mix in a large bowl. Transfer the dough, seam side up, to the flour in the bowl. Use your hands to pat flour onto the side of the dough, then transfer the dough, seam side up, to the prepared proofing basket or lined bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let proof until the dough has risen by 1 inch, 2–3 hours at warm room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
An hour before you want to bake, place a Dutch oven with a lid in the oven and preheat to 500°F. When the oven is ready, carefully turn the dough, seam side down, into the hot pan. Using a straight razor or sharp knife, score the dough across the top, cutting about ¼ inch deep. Cover with the hot lid and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to bake until deep brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the dough reads 212°F and comes out clean, 8–12 minutes longer. Transfer the bread to a rack and let cool before slicing.
