Polenta and Roasted Garlic Sourdough

I baked this polenta and roasted garlic sourdough loaf for my friend, she shared it with her family, then her son reached out to me asking for more. He said it was the best bread he has ever tasted.

So if you like garlic and polenta, this bread is definitely for you. And definitely double the ingredients, because my loaves are very tiny, usually we eat them in 1 day.

Ingredients

Sourdough starter 

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

Soaked polenta

• 50g polenta
• 60g hot boiling water

Dough

• 250g bread flour
• 175g water
• 50g soaked polenta( for autolyse)+ 50g soaked polenta for lamination.
• 60g levain (20%)
• 6g salt (2%)
• 5-6 cloves of garlic roasted 
• Cornmeal flour for coating the loaf

Directions 

Starter

• 10 pm add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let sit at room temp 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.

Soaker

• 10 pm cover polenta with boiling water and boil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, let it soak overnight, covered.

Dough

• 7 am mix water, flour and 50g polenta soaker, cover, let it rest 1 hour for autolyse.

• During the autolyse the flour absorbs the water, becoming fully hydrated. This activates gluten development.
• Meanwhile cover garlic in foil and roast for 30-50 minutes at 400F until soft. Let it cool down. 
• 8 am add sourdough starter.
• Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 min, 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.
• 8:30 am add salt . Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 minutes, 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. 

Note:  if you perform mixing by hands, using Rubaud method or slap and fold method, that takes about 10-20 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 for 30 minutes at 74-78F / 23-26C.
• 9 am spray water on your work surface, wet your hands and perform lamination, then spread second 50g of polenta (second part) all over the dough and sprinkle roasted garlic. Fold the dough snd let rest.
• 9:30 am 1st stretch and fold.
• 10 am 2nd stretch and fold.
• 10:30 am 3rd stretch and fold.

Note: Performing stretches and folds helps with gluten development. Keep monitoring the dough, if you feel it proofing slowly, you can extend time in between stretches up to 45 minutes.

• 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 

• 11 am 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 

• 11.30 am Dust the dough with whole wheat 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.
• Spray it generously with water and roll it in the cornmeal.
• 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 78F / 26C environment for 15 minutes. 
• Then transfer the dough to rise for 14-24 hours in refrigerator at 40F / 4C.

Baking

Next morning

• 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 the temperature to 450F. 

• Bake for 20 more minutes until golden brown.
• Let it cool for 2 hours and enjoy your polenta roasted garlic sourdough bread.

Polenta and Roasted Garlic Sourdough

1259kcal

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Prep 45 minutes mins

Cook 35 minutes mins

Rise & Rest Time 1 day d 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Total 1 day d 3 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

This savory artisan loaf features an incredibly rich, old-world flavor and a soft, moist texture. By infusing the dough with a cooked cornmeal soaker and sweet, slow-roasted garlic cloves during lamination, you yield an open-crumbed bread with a beautifully crunchy, cornmeal-dusted crust.

Cuisine Italian

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 Polenta Soaker (Night Before)

• ▢ 50 g Polenta
• ▢ 60 g Hot boiling water

The Main Dough & Inclusions

• ▢ 250 g Bread flour (100%)
• ▢ 175 g Water (70%)
• ▢ 100 g Prepared polenta soaker (Divided into two 50g portions)
• ▢ 60 g Active sourdough starter levain (24% – From the stage above)
• ▢ 6 g Salt (2.4%)
• ▢ 5-6 Cloves of garlic
• ▢ Cornmeal flour (Reserved for coating the exterior loaf)

Equipment

• ▢
  Stand Mixer (A KitchenAid or standard mixing machine handles the intensive initial breakdown of the hydrated polenta dough)
• ▢
  Aluminum Foil (For wrapping and roasting the garlic cloves)
• ▢
  Proofing Basket (Banneton or a loaf pan cleanly lined with a dry kitchen towel)
• ▢
  Cast Iron Pan with Lid (Or a heavy Dutch oven to capture pressurized steam)
• ▢
  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 Initialization & Polenta Soaker

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.
2. 10:00 PM – Polenta Soaker: Combine 50g of polenta with 60g of hot boiling water in a small saucepan. Cook and boil over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes until a thick paste forms. Cover tightly and let it soak on your counter overnight to soften the cornmeal starches completely.

Day 2 – Garlic Roasting, Autolyse, and Core Mixing

1. 7:00 AM – The Flavor Autolyse: In your stand mixer bowl, combine 250g of bread flour, 175g of water, and exactly 50g of your prepared overnight polenta soaker (reserve the other half for later). Mix with a spoon just until dry spots disappear. Cover and let rest for 1 full hour. During this autolyse, the flour fully hydrates to naturally activate early gluten development.
2. 7:00 AM – Roasting the Garlic: Wrap 5 to 6 cloves of garlic tightly in a sheet of aluminum foil. Place into your oven and roast at 400°F (204°C) for 30 to 50 minutes until completely soft. Remove from the oven and let the cloves cool completely down to room temperature.
3. 8:00 AM – Sourdough Starter Integration: Add 60g of your active overnight starter peak directly into the autolysed dough mass. 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. (Alternative: If mixing by hand, incorporate the starter using the Rubaud or slap-and-fold method for 5 to 7 minutes).
4. 8:30 AM – Salt Incorporation: Add your 6g of salt directly 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 salt granules dissolve completely and the liquid is absorbed. The dough will pull together cleanly but should remain sticky on the bottom of the bowl. Let rest for 30 minutes at a stable warm temperature of 74–78°F (23–26°C).

Lamination Inclusions & Bulk Fermentation

1. 9:00 AM – Polenta & Garlic Lamination: Spray your clean work surface lightly with water and wet your hands. Gently tip the sticky dough out and stretch it out as thin as possible across the table without tearing the matrix. Spread the remaining 50g of polenta soaker smoothly over the entire sheet, and scatter your cooled roasted garlic cloves evenly across the top. Fold the dough cleanly over onto itself into a neat package to trap the inclusions. Place into a container and let rest for 30 minutes.
2. 9:30 AM – 1st Stretch & Fold: Wet your hands slightly. Lift one side of the dough up cleanly from the 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 30 minutes.
3. 10:00 AM – 2nd Stretch & Fold: Execute your second structured round of quadrant folds to continue organizing the expanding gluten network. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
4. 10:30 AM – 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 40% to 50% volume rise. (Note: If your kitchen runs cool and the dough is proofing slowly, you can easily extend the rest windows between steps 8 through 10 up to 45 minutes each).

Preshaping, Cornmeal Rolling, and Cold Retard

1. 11:00 AM – 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.
2. 11:30 AM – Final Shaping & Coating: Dust the top of the resting dough round with a light layer of whole wheat flour. Use a dough scraper to flip it over onto your counter so the floured side faces down. Pull the right two corners outward and fold them up over the center. Repeat this matching action across the left side. Roll the dough tightly away from you, shaping it into a smooth, taut, uniform log.
3. The Cornmeal Roll: Spray the exterior crown of your shaped roll generously with water using a spray bottle, then roll the wet top surface completely in a tray of cornmeal flour for a gorgeous, crunchy exterior texture.
4. 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 78°F (26°C) environment 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 cornmeal 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, golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack for 2 full hours before slicing!

Nutrition

Calories1259kcalCarbohydrates254gProtein43gFat5gSaturated Fat1gPolyunsaturated Fat2gMonounsaturated Fat1gCholesterol9mgSodium444mgPotassium517mgFiber9gSugar1gVitamin A122IUVitamin C5mgCalcium89mgIron5mg

Notes

• Why the Split Polenta Application is Essential: Rather than incorporating all 100g of your wet polenta soaker directly into the initial night-before mix, this formula splits it perfectly in half. Adding 50g to the autolyse phase ensures the flour particles completely absorb core hydration without tearing the early gluten bonds. Laminating the secondary 50g later at 9:00 AM packs a highly concentrated, moist ribbon of cornmeal texture right into the center pockets of your final open crumb.
• Mastering the Cornmeal Crust Crunch: Spraying the exterior of your fully shaped dough log with water right before rolling it in the raw cornmeal creates a sturdy starch glue. This holds the coarse cornmeal kernels firmly to the skin throughout the long overnight cold retard. When baked inside the pressurized steam of your cast iron pan, the grains expand and crisp up, providing a spectacular, rustic crunch that contrasts beautifully with the soft crumb.
• Adjusting to Hand Kneading Mechanics: If you don’t own a stand mixer, you can easily execute steps 5 and 6 entirely by hand. Swap out the mechanical hook for the traditional Rubaud mixing method or standard slap-and-folds on your counter for roughly 10 to 20 minutes. Be sure to pause and let the dough rest for a minute or two midway through hand kneading; these quick mini-rests help tighten your gluten fibers naturally without tiring out your hands.

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