Extra-Tangy Sourdough Bread.
Extra-Tangy Sourdough is based on this recipe from King Arthur Flour; our ingredients are the same but the method is somewhat different. If you follow our bread recipes you’ll notice some similarities to our Instant Pot bread: the hydration is unusually low and it starts with a large preferment which makes up most of the volume of the final dough. These recipes are an attempt to recreate the tart loaves of Larraburu*, a long-departed San Francisco institution. Makes two 1 ½ loaves.
Ingredients:
1 c (227g) lively sourdough starter @60%
1 ½ c (340g) lukewarm water
5 c (602 g) all purpose flour
2 ½ t salt
Extra Tangy Sourdough Bread crumb closeup: the crumb is fairly open even though hydration is quite low for sourdough bread.
Method: combine the starter, water and 3 c (362g) flour and mix thoroughly; really beat it for a minute or two. (This slightly raises the temperature, which is part of the proofing technique of the Instant Pot bread, and you are welcome to do the first proofing in the IP if you like.) Cover and proof at room temperature or higher for at least 4 hours until lots of bubbles form. Refrigerate overnight, then add remaining flour and salt and knead to form a cohesive dough with good gluten development.
Proof at room temperature for several hours until the dough becomes puffy; King Arthur wants you to do an hourly stretch and fold and this certainly can’t hurt. Divide the loaves into balls, rest 20 minutes, then shape and transfer to bannetons. From this point the bread should be ready to bake fairly quickly. Check after an hour by pressing a finger into the dough; when it bounces back slowly the dough is almost ready to bake. Preheat oven with two dutch ovens to 500 degrees for 30 minutes then load the bread and cover. Bake for 20 minutes then remove cover and turn heat down to 440 degrees. Bake another 20 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the interior temperature is 206 degrees or close to it. Transfer the finished loaves to wire racks and cool before slicing.
*This thread on The Fresh Loaf has quite a discussion of Larraburu, which was one of the original San Francisco sourdoughs, including input from the granddaughter of the owner, and techniques for potentially recreating its extreme sourness. For some reason I had associated Larraburu with the wonderful sourdough smell that would greet you if as you came into San Francisco from the south on US 101, but turns out the bakery was actually in the Richmond district. I’d love to know what the freeway bakery was—the aroma would hit you around the Vermont St exit—if anybody can help.
If you want to know more about San Francisco sourdough, this 1987 article from the New York Times archive is a delightful overview of San Francisco bakeries old and new.
