Sourdough/Levain/Desem
| Ingredients | Quantity (gr) | Bakers % |
| Sourdough Starter | 5 | 5 |
| Flour (any) | 50 | 100 |
| Water | 45 | 90 |
- Feed your starter regularly with fresh flour ! You can use white flour, whole grain flour, rye flour or a combination of different flours.
- Day 1 morning • If you keep your starter in the fridge, take it out. Take away all of the starter expect about 5g (a spoon). You can save the leftover starter for use in cookies, (pan)cakes. Refresh the remaining starter by adding 50g of flour and 45g of water. Put an elastic around your jar on the level of the starter. Leave the starter on the counter.
- Day 1 evening • Check whether your starter has at least doubled in volume (check the elastic). If so, refresh it again as above. Leave the starter on the counter overnight.
- Day 2 morning • Check whether your starter has at least doubled in volume. If so, use all of the starter except for 5g in your dough. You can refresh the remaining 5g, leave it on the counter for your next dough or put it in the fridge for you next bake.
- You may change this refreshing scheme depending on your schedule.
Country/Campagne/Boeren
| Ingredients | Quantity (gr) | Bakers % |
| White Wheat Flour | 335 | 80 |
| Wholegrain Wheat Flour | 67 | 16 |
| Wholegrain Rye Flour | 17 | 4 |
| Water (Lukewarm) | 314 | 75 |
| Sourdough Starter | 84 | 20 |
| Salt | 6 | 1,5 |
- Mix your dough • Mix all ingredients except the salt in a bowl with luke warm water. Keep one hand clean to hold the bowl. Mix a few minutes until no dry ingredients are left, intensive kneading is not necessary . Try to reach a final dough temperature of around +/- 26 degrees Celsius. Cover it and let the dough rest for 30min.
- Add salt • Add the salt to the dough, pinch the dough with a wet hand until the salt is fully incorporated. Cover it and let the dough rest for 30min.
- Bulk Fermentation (4 to 6h)• Give the dough a first stretch & fold. Pull the sides of the dough up and fold it in the middle while turning the bowl. After 30min, give the dough a second stretch & fold (and feel the difference). After 30min, give the dough a third and final stretch & fold. Be gentle… Cover it and let the dough rest for the remaining bulk fermentation. Total bulk will depend on the dough temperature and the room temperature.
- Divide & preshape • With a wet hand and a dough scraper, divide the dough into two pieces (or more). Lightly pre-shape each piece into a Boule. The dough should stick a bit to the table to create tension. Give a bench rest of about 30 minutes.
- Final shape • Prepare a basket or a bread tin which will hold the dough during proof. Cover the basket with a clean towel and dust with (rice) flour. Grease your tin with oil or butter. Lightly cover the pre-shaped dough with flour and turn it with your dough scraper upside down. Shape the dough into a Batard or a Boule. Stretch & create tension. Transfer it to the basket or the tin and cover it.
- Proof • Let the dough proof on room temperature (2-3h) or put it in the fridge for a cold proof (12-24h), depending on your schedule.
- Bake • Preheat your oven as hot as possible for about 30min. When baking in a cast iron pan (e.g. a Creuset), put it in the oven with the lid on during preheating. Take the hot pan out of the oven and take the lid of. Transfer the bread in the pan. Score the bread with a sharp knife. Put the lid back on and put it in the oven. If you don’t use a cast iron pan, make sure you add enough steam in the oven at the beginning of the bake (e.g. with a plant sprayer or by adding hot water in a preheated tray at the bottom of the oven). Bake for 20min on 230 degrees Celsius. Take the pan out of the oven and take of the lid. Bake without the lid for another 20min on 220 degrees Celsius. Keep an eye on the bread. Let the bread cool at least for one hour before cutting (if you manage to wait 😊).
Sourdough/Desem Pizza au Levain
| Ingredients | Quantity (gr) | Bakers % |
| White Wheat Flour | 300 | 100 |
| Water (Lukewarm) | 225 | 75 |
| Sourdough Starter | 45 | 15 |
| Salt | 5 | 1,6 |
- Mix your dough • In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, water (and sourdough starter). Mix thoroughly until no dry flour remains. The dough may feel sticky initially, which is normal.
- Autolyse • Let the dough rest for 20-30 minutes. This process allows the flour to absorb the water, start gluten development and making the dough easier to knead.
- Add salt • Add 6g of salt & the starter if you didn’t yet at it.. Incorporate the salt by kneading the dough. If kneading by hand, this will take around 15-20 minutes. The dough should become smooth & elastic.
- Add salt • Add 6g of salt & the starter if you didn’t yet at it.. Incorporate the salt by kneading the dough. If kneading by hand, this will take around 15-20 minutes. The dough should become smooth & elastic. Try the “windowpane test” by stretching a small piece of dough: if it forms a thin, translucent membrane without tearing, it’s ready.
- Bulk Fermentation (4 to 6h)• Cover the dough with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let it ferment at room temperature (around 25°C).
- Stretch & fold• After about 30-60 minutes, perform a gentle stretch & fold: grab one edge of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over itself. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. This strengthens the gluten without overworking the dough. Let the dough rest for another 30-45min. Repeat the stretch & fold.
- Divide & shape• Divide the dough into two equal pieces, using a dough scraper or knife. Shape each piece into a tight ball. To do this, lightly flatten the dough and fold the edges toward the center. Rotate the dough ball as you tuck the edges underneath, forming a smooth, tight surface with no visible seams. Transfer the dough balls to a lightly floured tray or a baking sheet. Cover them with a damp cloth or plastic wrap to prevent drying out.
- Proof• For a quick proofing (3-5 hours), leave the dough at room temperature, covered. For an overnight proof (recommended for a better flavour), place the dough balls in the fridge for 12-24 hours. When ready to bake, allow them to come to room temperature for 1-2 hours before shaping.
- Shape•Preheat your home oven to its highest setting (250-275°C) for at least 30 minutes. If you have a pizza stone or…, preheat that as well, as it will help create a crisp, blistered crust. On a piece of baking paper or a floured surface, carefully flatten one dough ball. Gently stretch it into a large circle (about 25-30 cm) by pushing from the center outward. Be gentle to avoid deflating the air bubbles created during fermentation.
- Top with sauce and ingredients • Spread a thin layer of passata (tomato sauce), sprinkle with cheese and add your favorite toppings. Less is more; avoid overloading the pizza.
- Bake • Transfer the pizza (with the baking paper) onto the preheated stone or baking sheet. Bake for 6-10 minutes, or until the crust is golden and slightly charred in spots. Remove from the oven & enjoy!
Rye/Seigle/Rogge
| Ingredients | Quantity (gr) | Bakers % |
| Wholegrain Rye Flour | 190 | 100 |
| Water (Lukewarm) | 115 | 60 |
| Sourdough Starter | 143 | 75 |
| Salt | 4 | 2 |
| Mixture of Seeds | 76 | 40 |
| Water for Soaking Seeds | 76 | 40 |
- Seeds mixture • Make a seed mixture of different seeds (sunflower, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, …) and mix it with the water for soaking. Let it rest overnight.
- Mix your dough • Mix all ingredients in a bowl with luke warm water. Mix a few minutes until no dry ingredients are left, intensive kneading is not necessary.
- Shape• Directly after mixing, scrape the dough in a thoroughly buttered bread tin with a dough scraper. No need to shape the dough, it will be wet and sticky, almost like a cake! Lightly push the dough with a wet hand so it fits nicely in the bread tin. Lightly cover the dough with some (rye) flour, this will help to check dough development during proofing.
- Proof • Let the dough proof on room temperature (2-3h). Wait until you notice cracks in the surface of the dough, be gentle because this dough is very fragile!
- Bake • Preheat your oven as hot as possible for about 30min. Put the bread tin in the oven and bake for 20min on maximum temperature, then turn down the temperature to 220 degrees Celsius and bake for another 20min. Finally, put the bread tin directly on the oven floor and bake for another 20min, this will allow the bread to bake fully and gives it a nice crust. Let the bread cool at least for 3 hours before cutting, we even recommend for rye bread to let it cool 24 hours before cutting so the crumb can fully set after baking.
