Kefir Sourdough

 

So this was a hard-core home baking session. With home-made Kefir yoghurt starter, and hydrated with home-made Kefir, too. 

Starter: 

1.2-1 Kefir/flour, in a jar, with a cloth over the top to catch any extra yeast but keep out bugs. About 8 hours saw it triple in size - I was taken aback, I tell you. I used 100g of each but found I had to splosh in a bit more Kefir because it was too dry.

Combine: 

• 500g flour 
• The 200g - odd of starter 
• Salt 
• Sugar - about 2tblsp (not sure if I would use again, was pretty sweet) 
• about 300g more Keifr 
• Good glug-glug of olive oil 
• splash of water for extra as the dough was thick, might increase Kefir next time
• (Our flour consistently absorbs more moisture than in standard recipes)

First and second resting period: 

After about an hour, give it a good pummel. Put it back in it's comfy greased rising-bowl and cover until it's healthily doubled in size. This one took about 6 hours. 

Pummel massively. Not much more flour needed, pretty independent-minded dough, this. Line Dutch oven with baking paper, put formed loaf in. I greased too, just in case. Allow to rise again. (about 1.5h) then cut a couple of slashes over the top ('for steam', apparently, though I think it's more for looks) before putting it in to bake.

Bake for about 30 minutes, covered, in a 215 oven. I feel perhaps it could have done with a touch more, in retrospect, but it did sound hollow when tapped. 

Leave to cool for at least an hour before cutting, or it will be squishy. 

Fluffy, squishy, pretty moreish. Technically it is a 24-hour Thing (possibly more, depending on conditions) but not actually all that much prep time, just waiting for yeasty stuff to work. Kinda fun.