Chickpea Flour Sourdough

Three-word description for this bread: healthy, creamy, and delicious! This is the best Chickpea Flour Sourdough. I love chickpea flour, it brings such a creamy texture to sourdough bread, almost like butter. Chickpea flour is also full of fiber, which provides another reason why you should try this recipe!

Ingredients

Sourdough starter 

• 5g sourdough starter
• 35g water
• 30g all purpose flour or bread flour
• 5g rye flour

Dough

• 270g bread flour (90%)
• 30g chickpea flour (10%)
• 207g water (69%)
• 21g (7%) cold water added along with salt. Total hydration 76%
• 60g levain (20%)
• 6g salt (2%)

Directions 

Starter

• 7 am add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let it sit at room temperature 74-78F until in about 8-10 hours starter reaches its peak (triples or more in volume). Learn how to make starter from scratch here.

Dough

• 5 pm mix water with all flour and cover, let it rest for 1 hour to complete the autolyse.

• During the autolyse process the flour absorbs the water, becoming fully hydrated. This activates gluten development.
• 6 pm add sourdough starter. 
• Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 minutes, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 3-4 minutes until well incorporated. 
• Also if for some reason you don’t have a mixing machine, you can incorporate starter into the dough by hands. Using Rubaud method or slap and fold method (about 5-7 min).
• Cover, let it rest for 30 minutes.
• 6:30 pm add salt and extra water. 
• The process of adding extra water is called bassinage, it helps to tighten up gluten. Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 min, or with KitchenAid on speed 3 for 5-6 minutes until well incorporated. The dough should come up together, but still be sticky on the bottom.
• Please note, if you perform mixing by hands, using Rubaud method or slap and fold method, that takes about 10 minutes. Do a couple of stops in between kneading, it helps tightening up gluten.
• Continue gluten development and structure building by performing stretches and folds during the warm fermentation period.
• Leave to rest 30 min. At 74-78F /23-26C.
• 7 pm wet your hands and perform 1st stretch and fold.

• 7:45pm 2nd stretch and fold.
• 8:30 pm 3rd stretch and fold.
• 9:15 pm 4th stretch and fold.

Performing stretches and folds helps with gluten development. Keep monitoring the dough, if it rises too fast, you can shorten the time between stretches to 40 minutes or less.

• After the final stretch let the dough proof for 30 minutes at 76-80F/ 23-26C. You should see some bubbles on the surface, the dough has to become lighter. We are looking for 40%-50% rise. 

Preshaping Sourdough

• 9:45 pm Transfer the dough on to a work surface and dust its top with flour. Flip the dough over so the floured side faces down. 
• Fold the dough onto itself so the flour on the surface remains entirely on the outside of the loaf. This will become the crust. 
• Place the dough round on a work surface and let it rest for 30 minutes uncovered.

Shaping Sourdough

• 10:15 pm dust the dough with flour. Use a dough scraper to flip it over on to a work surface so the floured side faces down. 
• Starting at the side closest to you, pull the right 2 corners of the dough to the left, then fold them up into half of the dough. Repeat this action on the left side too.
• Finally, roll the dough. Shape it into a smooth, taut roll.
• Transfer the roll, seam side up, into a prepared proofing basket (loaf pan with kitchen towel).

• Cover it with plastic and return the dough to the 80F (27C) environment for 15 minutes. 
• Then transfer the dough to rise for 14-24 hours in refrigerator.

• Preheat your oven to 500 F, place a cast iron pan with the lid inside for 45 minutes – 1 hour.
• Remove the dough from the fridge. 
• Flip it over on a parchment paper, score it with a sharp knife or a scoring lame. 

• Transfer it on to the hot cast iron pan, cover with lid (to create steam for a beautiful and crusty crumb).
• Bake at 500F for 15 minutes with lid on.
• Remove the lid, lower temperature to 450F. 
• Bake for 20 more minutes until golden brown.

Enjoy your chickpea flour sourdough loaf 🙏

Chickpea Flour Sourdough

1247kcal

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Prep 45 minutes mins

Cook 35 minutes mins

Total 1 day d 3 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

This artisan bread is healthy, creamy, and incredibly delicious. By incorporating chickpea flour (garbanzo bean flour) into the dough matrix, you inject an exceptionally velvety, butter-like interior crumb texture and a rich boost of dietary fiber, wrapped inside a thin, crackly crust.

Cuisine Modern Artisan

Ingredients

Sourdough Starter Levain (Night Before)

• ▢ 5 g Sourdough starter culture
• ▢ 35 g Water
• ▢ 30 g All-purpose flour or bread flour
• ▢ 5 g Rye flour

The Main Dough Base

• ▢ 240 g Bread flour (80%)
• ▢ 60 g Chickpea flour (Garbanzo bean flour / 20%)
• ▢ 210 g Main water (70% – Used for the core autolyse mix)
• ▢ 60 g Active sourdough starter levain (20% – From the stage above)
• ▢ 6 g Salt (2%)
• ▢ 30 g Cold water (10% – Held back as bassinage adjustment water)

Equipment

• ▢
  Stand Mixer (A KitchenAid or standard mixing machine handles the high-hydration chickpea flour base effortlessly)
• ▢
  Proofing Basket (Banneton or a clean bowl cleanly lined with a dry kitchen towel)
• ▢
  Cast Iron Pan with Lid (Or a heavy Dutch oven to capture pressurized steam for maximum oven spring)
• ▢
  Sharp Scoring Lame (Or a fresh razor blade for clean expansion cuts)
• ▢
  Parchment Paper
• ▢
  Kitchen Scale

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

Night Before – Levain Optimization

1. 10:00 PM – Starter Build: In a small glass jar, add your 5g of starter culture to 35g of water and whisk together cleanly. Stir in 30g of all-purpose or bread flour and 5g of rye flour. Mix thoroughly, cover loosely, and let it sit at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) overnight for 8 to 10 hours until the starter reaches its peak and at least triples in volume.

Day 2 – The Chickpea Autolyse & Core Mixing

1. 8:00 AM – The Core Autolyse: In your stand mixer bowl, combine the 240g of bread flour, 60g of chickpea flour, and 210g of main water. Mix thoroughly with a spoon just until all dry flour patches entirely disappear. Cover tightly and let it rest on your counter for 1 full hour. During this autolyse, the flour proteins absorb the liquids completely, becoming fully hydrated to naturally initiate strong gluten bonds.
2. 9:00 AM – Sourdough Starter Integration: Add 60g of your active overnight starter peak directly into the yellow-hued autolysed dough. Turn your mixing machine on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or use a KitchenAid mixer on speed 3 for 3 to 4 minutes) until the starter is completely incorporated. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
3. 9:30 AM – Bassinage & Salt Incorporation: Add your 6g of salt along with the remaining 30g of cold bassinage water into the bowl. Mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or on a KitchenAid on speed 3 for 5 to 6 minutes) until the extra water is fully absorbed. The dough will pull together cleanly but should remain sticky on the bottom of the bowl. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes at a stable warm temperature of 74–78°F (23–26°C).

Bulk Fermentation Folds

1. 10:00 AM – Table Stretch and Fold: Spray your clean work surface lightly with water and wet your hands. Gently tip the sticky dough out and execute one large stretch and fold across the table to organize early gluten elasticity. Fold the dough cleanly over onto itself, place it into a bulk proofing container, cover, and let rest for 45 minutes.
2. 10:45 AM – 1st Stretch & Fold: Wet your hands slightly. Lift one side of the dough up cleanly from the container edge and fold it directly over the center. Repeat this action for all four quadrants of the dough mass to build structured vertical strength. Cover and let rest for 45 minutes.
3. 11:30 AM – 2nd Stretch & Fold: Execute your second structured round of quadrant folds to continue organizing the expanding gluten network. Cover and let rest for 45 minutes.
4. 12:15 PM – 3rd Stretch & Fold: Execute the third and final stretch-and-fold round. Cover and let the dough proof completely untouched for 30 minutes at a warm 76–80°F (24–27°C). The dough should look visibly lighter, show distinct surface bubbles, and hit a clean 50% volume rise.

Preshaping, Tension Rolling, and Cold Retard

1. 12:45 PM – Preshaping: Gently tip the expanded dough out onto your work surface and dust the top lightly with flour. Flip the mass over so the floured side faces directly down. Fold the outer edges cleanly onto itself so that the raw flour coating remains entirely on the outside of the loaf. Round the dough into a loose ball and let it rest on your counter completely uncovered for 30 minutes to relax the gluten network.
2. 1:15 PM – Final Shaping: Dust the top of the resting dough round with flour. Use a dough scraper to flip it over onto your counter so the floured side faces down. Starting at the edge closest to you, pull the two right corners of the dough outward and fold them up into the center. Repeat this exact matching movement across the left side. Roll the dough tightly away from you, shaping it into a perfectly smooth, taut, uniform log.
3. Basket Stabilization & Fridge Retard: Transfer the shaped roll seam-side up into your well-floured proofing basket. Cover with plastic wrap and return the basket to a warm 80°F (27°C) spot for exactly 15 minutes to stabilize. Slide the basket directly into your refrigerator to rise slowly for 14 to 24 hours of cold fermentation retard at a stable 40°F (4°C).

Day 3 – Blazing Cast Iron Bake

1. Next Morning – Preheating: Preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C). Place your cast iron pan and lid onto the middle rack to heat up thoroughly for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Scoring & Loading: Remove the cold dough basket from the fridge. Flip it over gently onto a sheet of parchment paper and score the smooth surface with one clean, long, deep cut using a sharp lame or razor blade.
3. The Steam Bake: Transfer the dough carefully onto the smoking hot cast iron pan base, drop the heavy lid down tightly to lock in the steam, and bake at 500°F (260°C) with the lid on for exactly 15 minutes.
4. The Open Bake: Carefully lift the hot lid off to expose the loaf, lower the oven temperature to 450°F (232°C), and continue baking bare for an additional 20 minutes until the crust turns an incredibly deep, crispy golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack for 2 full hours before slicing into your rich, creamy chickpea crumb!

Nutrition

Calories1247kcalCarbohydrates236gProtein50gFat9gSaturated Fat1gPolyunsaturated Fat4gMonounsaturated Fat1gCholesterol9mgSodium480mgPotassium886mgFiber14gSugar7gVitamin A38IUVitamin C0.2mgCalcium87mgIron7mg

Notes

• The Structural Impact of Gluten-Free Chickpea Flour: Because chickpea flour is naturally gluten-free and loaded with dense plant-based proteins, capping its inclusion at a balanced 20% ratio is critical. This baseline introduces all of the smooth, butter-like fat notes and golden coloring of garbanzo beans without overwhelming the elastic wheat gluten strands supplied by the 80% bread flour base, keeping your oven spring tall and airy.
• Why the Bassinage Technique is Mandatory for Legume Flours: Chickpea flour is highly hydrophilic, meaning it absorbs ambient moisture at a much faster rate than grain-based flours. Utilizing the bassinage technique—holding back 30g of your target hydration water until the 9:30 AM salt mixing stage—ensures your mixer builds a solid, resilient gluten core before the dough mass becomes completely saturated with the legume starches.
• Alternative Hand Kneading Integration: If you do not own a stand mixer to complete steps 3 and 4, you can easily execute them by hand. Swap out the mechanical hook for the traditional Rubaud mixing method or standard slap-and-folds on your counter for roughly 5 to 7 minutes to integrate the starter, and about 10 minutes to finish the bassinage water and salt step. Be sure to pause for a couple of quick stops mid-knead to naturally tighten the gluten matrix.

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