No Knead Flax Sourdough Bread

I baked this flaxseed sourdough bread with my whole wheat sourdough starter yesterday. I noticed sourdough starter made with whole wheat flour is much more active than the one made with all-purpose flour.

After about two weeks of consistent feeding,  it can rise almost doubled in volume merely 1 hour after it's been fed.  Yesterday, I got a major overflow over the top of the jar. I have to put a plate under it to collect and used for baking immediately. 

I learnt how to create sourdough starter not long ago. Now feeding the sourdough starter has become my weekly routine. All thanks to the warm and humid weather here in Singapore (temperature is ~29°C with 74% humidity).  In addition, I guess I must have very active wild yeasts floating around my kitchen.  As a beginner, I did not encounter much problem raising a starter.  My starter is very active, full of bubbles. I can simply leave my jar on the table, anywhere in my house.  Follow a regular feeding schedule, my sourdough starter is ready within 5 days.

Whole wheat sourdough starter is my 2nd jar of starter I created two weeks ago. Not only it's more nutritious than all-purpose flour starter,  it also contains more sourdough-friendly microorganisms. In another word, sourdough starter made with whole wheat flour at the beginning of the process is much stronger .

I blogged about the process of making a starter with all-purpose flour in a post written in Chinese. For whole wheat sourdough starter,  the method is similar.

Day 1,  combine 50g whole wheat flour and 50g water (use boiled cooled water as most of the chlorine will be gone). Stir thoroughly to form a smooth batter. Put into a container and cover loosely. Place the container in a warm place in your kitchen.
Day2,  combine 100g bread flour and 100g lukewarm water , and add to the container. Stir thoroughly to mix well. Cover loosely and place the container in a warm place in your kitchen.
Day3,  mix 200g bread flour and 200g water, and add to the container. Stir thoroughly to mix well. Cover loosely and place the container in a warm place in your kitchen.
Day4-Day5, do the same as above.

Your sourdough starter should be ready by now. It rises nicely with lots of bubbles a few hours after feeding. It also smells pleasantly acidic. You can refrigerate the starter now, and feed once a week or more depending how often you bake. If it's not ready, keep feeding it regularly. It will gain strength, for sure.

A word of advice, always keep your container clean during feeding. This is important especially at the very beginning of the process when the microorganisms in the starter are still weak.

With a strong starter, sourdough bread is really quite simple to make. No kneading is needed as the yeast and lactic acid bacterial (LAB) "do" it for you during the long fermentation process. I usually bake twice during weekend. My family can easily finish 1 loaf a day, and I keep the rest for weekday breakfast. The tangy taste of sourdough is really addictive. No other bread can beat the amazing flavor that comes from the sourdough starter.

FLAX SOURDOUGH BREAD

(make 2 loaves)

Ingredients:

• 200g active, fed sourdough starter (100% hydration)
• 400g Bread flour
• 100g flaxseed meal
• 200g water , more or less
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• extra flour for dusting

Directions: (Weather : Summer; Temp: 28-30°C)

1. In a large bowl, mix flour, flaxseed meal, starter and water until all combined together.
2. Cover with cling wrap and leave it in a warm spot and let rise until double in size, approximately 4 -6 hours.
3. Remove the dough from the bowl, and place onto a well floured station so that it does not stick.
4. Sprinkle salt over the dough, gently fold the edges from the outside in to form a round loaf. Add olive oil as you fold and shape the dough.
5. Coat the bottom of the baking tin (* I used a 26cm oval ramekin ) with flour. Place the dough inside for a second shorter rise, about 1-2 hours. It is ready when the dough is puffy.
6. Right before your bread goes into the oven, make shallow slashes in the center of the dough. 
7. Preheat your oven at 230°C.
8. Place your bread into the oven and reduce the temperature to 220°C. Bake for 45-50 minutes. 
9. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing.