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–+ servings
Sourdough polenta bread

Crusty sourdough bread with polenta

This sourdough bread with polenta is baked with levain, which gives a soft, tasty crumb. Adding polenta to the surface of the crust before baking makes it extra crackling crispy.
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Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients
  

Levain

  • 100 gram sourdough starter mature, 100% hydration
  • 130 gram Wheat flour
  • 60 gram water

Sourdough bread with polenta

  • 250 gram Wheat flour
  • 200 gram levain
  • 170 gram water
  • 40 gram polenta coarsly ground
  • 6 gram sea salt

Instructions
 

Levain

  • Mix all ingredients for the levain. Make sure that all flour is hydrated. Let it ferment at room temperature for 8-9 hours.

Sourdough bread with polenta

  • Mix flour, water with 20 gram polenta. Make sure that all flour is hydrated. Let the dough autolyze for 1 hour.
  • Add salt and levain to the dough. Make sure the dough and levain are combined thoroughly. Let the dough ferment for 4-5 hours depending on temperature. Perform 3 sets of stretch and folds* in total during bulk fermentation, spaced out by 30 minutes. When it's ready It should have risen considerably and started to forming gas bubbles on the surface.
  • Lightly flour your work surface and dump out the dough. Flatten the dough gently with your hands and form it to a bâtard** There's a link to an excellent video showing how to form a bâtard in the recipe notes. Lightly flour a lined banneton and sprinkle the rest of the polenta before placing the loaf into it.
  • Let the loaves rise until they pass the finger poke test. The time required depends a lot on the ambient temperature so don't look at the clock.
  • Preheat your oven to 480ºF / 250ºC with two oven plates. One to bake the bread on and one just below. If you have a baking stone or dutch oven, use them.
  • Score the loaves in your preferred pattern and place them in the oven. Pour some water on the plate below and bake each loaf in 35-45 minutes.
  • Let the bread cool on wire racks.

Notes

*For those who prefer to use a stretch and fold technique instead of running the dough into a dough mixer, you may find this video helpful. You can also look at one of my previous recipes.
**Maurizio from The perfect loaf has made an excellent video showing how to form a bâtard.
Keyword sourdough bread, starter
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