RecipeSourdough In a Nutshell

Metric Recipe
Flax Seeds – 525 g baked in approx. 175 g of water
Sunflower Seeds (Toasted) – 300 g
Sesame Seeds (Toasted) – 150 g
Water – 880 g
Bread Flour – 1.925 kg
Whole Wheat Flour – 200 g
Salt – 58 g
Sourdough Starter – 845 g

Standard Recipe
Flax Seeds – 1 lb. 2.5 oz. soaked in approximately 6 oz. of water.
Sunflower Seeds (Toasted) – 10.5 oz.
Sesame Seeds (Toasted) – 5.3 oz.
Water – 1 lb. 15 oz.
Bread Flour – 4 lb. 3.9 oz.
Whole Wheat Flour – 7 oz.
Salt – 2 oz.
Sourdough Starter – 1 lb. 14 oz.

Methodology

Prepare Starter
Our recipe calls for a starter composed of 100% hydration with adequate fermentation time of approximately 16 hours.

Presoak Flax Seeds
Flax seeds should be soaked in water for 12 hours in advance of preparing the final dough.

Mix Ingredients
Scale ingredients and process in a Spiral Mixer. Reserve toasted seeds and mix all other ingredients for 3 minutes on low and 3 minutes on high to form an improved mix. Next, add toasted seeds, mixing on low speed until thoroughly incorporated.

Bulk Ferment
After mixing, a bulk ferment is done for approximately 1 hour. This bulk dough is then flipped and allowed to ferment for another 30 minutes.

Dividing
Using either a manual or mechanized process, divide the dough into 1 – 1.5 lb. pieces.

Pre-shaping & Resting
After dividing, pre-shape dough and allow dough to rest for approximately 10 minutes.

Final Shaping
Shape your sourdough into their final loaves. You may also choose to use a bannetone basket to help give your loaves a distinct shape and look.

Proofing
We recommend proofing overnight for approximately 8 – 12 hours. This will help the dough develop character including flavor and air pockets.

Scoring
Scoring helps give the sourdough a decorative look. In addition, it also helps direct the flow as the bread expands during the baking process. This can help avoid “blowouts.”

Bake
Baking may vary according to your production environment (factors include temperature, altitude and humidity). In our facility we baked at 460° F (237.7° C) for approximately 30 minutes. We also applied steam during the beginning of the baking process for about 20 minutes, and opened the vent for the remaining 10 minutes to help develop a nice crust.

Cool & Serve
Enjoy your freshly baked Sourdough either fresh out of the oven or with butter. Yields approximately 7 – 11 loaves.

About Erika Baking Equipment

Erika Baking Equipment is the leading manufacturer and distributor of retail/commercial bakery equipment. For over 20 years, we have provided our customers with both excellent equipment and outstanding customer service. Our products include: bagel/bread/roll slicers, bread and roll systems, cake slicers, cookie presses, depositors, divider/rounders, mixers, sheeters/makeup tables, ovens, and more!