Turmeric sourdough bread

5 from 1 vote

This turmeric sourdough bread is truly amazing. It makes for a stunning loaf that has an eye-catching bright yellow crumb, is packed with antioxidants and carries a mild peppery taste that we just cannot get enough of. Great with soups, stews or to make toast.

Prep Time3

Cook Time35

Fermentation10

Total Time13 35

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: sourdough bread

Servings: slices

Calories: 191kcal

Author: Jessica Laroche

Ingredients

100 g active and fed sourdough starter
325 g water
10 g salt
500 g bread flour
1.5 teaspoon ground turmeric or 5 grams
a few cracks of ground black pepper

Instructions

You will need a bubbly, fed and active sourdough starter to make this recipe. You might need to feed once or twice before using to get good results. See blog post for more information.

Mix the dough

In a large mixing bowl, add the active sourdough starter, water and salt. Stir well until uniform. Then, add the bread flour, turmeric powder and black pepper. Stir until mostly combined, the dough should be shaggy at this point. Cover and let it rest for about 20 minutes.

Stretch and fold

Proceed to 2-3 stretch and fold sessions with about 30 minutes of resting time in between.
To stretch and fold: grab the dough on the opposite side of the bowl, pull it up until it cannot stretch anymore, then fold it back down on the dough. Rotate the bowl about 90º and repeat with the dough on the opposite side. Keep going until the dough is too tight to stretch (I usually do about 4 stretches per session). Cover, rest for 30 min and repeat 2 times.

Bulk fermentation

Place the covered bowl of dough in a cozy area and let it ferment for 8-12 hours. The fermentation time varies widely depending on temperature: it ferments faster in a warm spot and slower in a colder area. The dough is ready when it has doubled in size.

Shape

When the dough is done fermenting, then transfer over a clean and lightly floured surface (you can use a bowl scraper). Pre-shape in a ball, then place the bowl over upside down and let it rest for about 20 min (bench rest).
Then, lightly cover the surface of the dough and use a dough scraper to flip the dough on itself on the counter. Stretch/shape the dough into a large rectangular. Flip the bottom of the dough up to the middle, then flip both sides and finally, grab the bottom of the dough and roll all the way up. Then use your fingers to seal both edges

Final proof

Flour your basket or banneton and use a dough scraper to transfer the dough seam side up into your basket. Squeeze the dough on the seam side to help seal it, cover and rest for 1-3 hours in a cozy area or room temperature or for 8-10 hours in the fridge (I did a cold ferment).

Bake

When almost ready to bake the bread, then transfer your Dutch oven into your oven and preheat the oven to 450º for at least 30 minutes.
Place a large piece of parchment paper over the dough in your basket and place something solid over it, like a small pan or cutting board. Use both hands to flip the dough on the parchment paper.
Score the dough and transfer to the preheated Dutch oven by pulling on the sides of the parchment paper.
Bake covered for 30 minutes. Then, remove the cover and bake for another 5-7 minutes uncovered or until golden brown on top.
Once done, let the loaf cool down completely (about 2 hours) before slicing. This is important, be patient! Enjoy!

Video

Notes

If after feeding your sourdough starter the levain does not double after 4-8 hours, then repeat the feeding steps (discard-feed-wait). If your levain isn't active enough, your bread won't be as good, so be patient! If you use a sourdough starter from the fridge, then expect to have to feed 2 or 3 times before seeing enough active action to use. You can also add a small portion of rye flour to boost its activity.
I highly recommend using bread flour as described in the recipe. Bread flour is higher in protein, which helps develop a better gluten network for a superior crumb. I used the bread flour from King Arthur.
Bulk fermentation: Fermentation time varies widely depending on the temperature of your house. Usually, bulk fermentation takes about 8-12 hours at around 68-72ºF compared to 4-5 hours at 75-80ºF. Again, your dough is ready to shape when it has doubled in size. Using warm (not hot) water to mix the dough can also speed up the fermentation process.
Final proof: I like doing a cold fermentation once the dough is shaped and in the basket or banneton. I find that the loaf spreads less while baking and it makes the scoring easier, too. I did a final proof in the fridge overnight or about 10 hours. You can also speed out the process and do your final proof at room temperature for about 1-3 hours.
This no-Dutch oven sourdough bread guide will show you how to bake your loaf without a Dutch oven.
There are more tips in the blog post, so be sure to check it out!
Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.

Nutrition