Rosemary and Sea Salt Sourdough

By AndreaO

Ingredients

• 8 oz sourdough starter
• 16 oz bread flour
• 5 oz water (plus more as needed)
• 1/2 T coarse sea salt plus more for sprinkling on top
• 2 T chopped rosemary

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from cookingmywaythroughmycsa.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

In the bowl of a food processor with a "dough" setting, mix together the starter, bread flour, and water. Knead in the food processor for about 5 minutes. If the dough seems to dry, add a bit more water (this shouldn't be the case...I think that 5 oz might still be a little much, but that's based on the humidity in my apartment and the wetness of my starter...) Turn off the processor and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

Pour and scrape the dough (it will be quite wet) onto a well-floured surface. Add the salt and chopped rosemary. Knead for about 6 minutes, adding more flour as necessary. The dough should form a smooth ball. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel or with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Take the dough out of the bowl and punch it down, kneading a bit more. Shape the dough into a boule and place it in either a bowl lined with a floured cloth or in a flour-dusted proofing basket. Cover and refrigerate for 8-12 hours.

About 3 hours before you want to bake your bread, take it out of the fridge and let it rise/ferment.

After the boule has finished fermenting, preheat the oven to 500 with a baking stone on the middle rack. Sprinkle cornmeal on a peel, large wooden cutting board or piece of stiff cardboard. Turn your proofing basket upside down on top of the prepared peel. Slash the top (See photo) and sprinkle with coarse sea salt (this is to taste—we used about ½ t, but more wouldn’t have hurt).

When the oven has preheated, gently slide the boule from the peel and onto the baking stone. Toss in a shot glass of water (DON’T HIT THE STONE), close the oven and reduce heat to 450.

Bake for 25 minutes—resist the urge to open the oven door. After 20 minutes, carefully rotate the loaf. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. The loaf is done when it is golden brown and sounds hallow when you knock on it.

Carefully remove from the oven with your peel. Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.