Black Garlic Sourdough Bread
1219kcal
Ingredients
The 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 High-Hydration Artisan Dough
- 240 g Bread flour (90%)
- 60 g Stone ground whole wheat flour (20%)
- 207 g Water (69% - For initial autolyse)
- 27 g Cold water (9% - Reserved strictly for bassinage hydration adjustment)
- 60 g Active sourdough starter levain (20%)
- 6 g Salt (2%)
- Head of black garlic
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (Optional, can be mixed by hand)
- Proofing Basket (Banneton) or a bowl lined with a floured kitchen towel
- Dough Scraper
- Cast Iron Combo Cooker or Dutch Oven
- Sharp Bread Lame or razor blade
Method
Overnight Levain Build & Flour Autolyse
- 7:00 AM (Day 1): In a small glass jar, whisk your 5g of starter culture into 35g of water. Add 30g of all-purpose flour and 5g of rye flour. Mix well, cover loosely, and let it ferment at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) for 8 to 10 hours until it triples in volume and peaks.
- 5:00 PM – The Autolyse: In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine the 240g of bread flour, 60g of whole wheat flour, and the initial 207g of water. Stir until a shaggy mass forms with no dry flour remaining. Cover and let rest for 1 hour so the flour completely absorbs the liquid and kickstarts natural gluten development.
- 6:00 PM: Add 60g of your active overnight starter to the autolysed dough. Mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or on a KitchenAid mixer on speed 3 for 3 to 4 minutes) until fully incorporated. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the inclusion: Cut your head of black garlic in half and gently squeeze the soft cloves out into a small dish. It should look like a thick, sticky paste.
Bassinage, Lamination, and Bulk Fermentation
- 6:30 PM – The Bassinage: Add the 6g of salt and the reserved 27g of cold water directly to the dough. Mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or on speed 3 for 5 to 6 minutes) until the extra liquid is fully absorbed. The dough will look sticky on the bottom but should hold together nicely. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- 7:00 PM – Lamination & Garlic Fill: Spray your counter lightly with water and wet your hands. Tip the dough out and gently stretch it from the center outward as thin as possible without ripping it. Spread the sticky black garlic paste evenly across the entire surface of the dough, fold it up neatly into a tight bundle, and return it to the bowl. Let rest for 45 minutes.
- 7:45 PM: Perform your 1st stretch and fold. Pull the edges of the dough up and fold them over the center to build structure. Rest 45 minutes.
- 8:30 PM: Perform your 2nd stretch and fold. Rest 45 minutes.
- 9:15 PM: Perform your 3rd stretch and fold. Let the dough proof undisturbed for 30 minutes at 76–80°F (24–26°C). Look for bubbles forming on the surface and a 50% rise in total volume.
Preshaping, Final Shaping, and Cold Retard
- 9:45 PM – Preshaping: Gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and dust the top with flour. Flip it over so the floured side is down. Fold the dough over onto itself into a loose round, flip it back over so the smooth side faces up, and let it rest uncovered on the counter for 30 minutes.
- 10:15 PM – Final Shaping: Dust the top with flour. Use a dough scraper to flip it over. Pull the lower corners inward and fold them up over the center, then roll the dough forward away from you into a smooth, taut log or boule.
- Transfer the dough seam-side up into a proofing basket lined with a floured towel. Cover with plastic wrap, let sit at room temperature (around 80°F/27°C) for 15 minutes, then move it into the refrigerator to cold-ferment for 14 to 24 hours.
Next Morning – High-Heat Steam Baking
- Place a cast iron pan with its lid inside the oven and preheat thoroughly to 500°F (260°C) for 45 to 60 minutes.
- Pull the cold dough out of the fridge and flip it gently onto a sheet of parchment paper. Score the top with a sharp razor blade.
- Carefully transfer the loaf into the hot cast iron pan, cover with the lid to lock in the steam, and bake at 500°F (260°C) for exactly 15 minutes.
- Remove the lid from the pan, lower the oven temperature to 450°F (230°C), and bake for an additional 20 minutes until the crust turns a rich, deep golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack completely before slicing.
Nutrition
Calories1219kcalCarbohydrates245gProtein44gFat6gSaturated Fat1gPolyunsaturated Fat3gMonounsaturated Fat1gCholesterol9mgSodium442mgPotassium596mgFiber14gSugar1gVitamin A19IUVitamin C0.2mgCalcium80mgIron6mg
Notes
- Handling Sticky Black Garlic Inclusions: Black garlic cloves are incredibly soft, syrupy, and naturally sticky, which can make spreading them evenly quite challenging. Using the wet-counter lamination method in step 6 is the absolute best way to handle this. Sticking the paste across a broad, ultra-thin sheet of dough guarantees the sweet balsamic flavor notes twist beautifully throughout the entire loaf without clumping into one heavy mass.
- The Technical Role of Bassinage: Holding back 27g of your formula's water until you add the salt serves a specific structural purpose. Salt naturally tightens up the developing gluten network. Injecting a secondary stream of cold water alongside the salt forces the expanding wheat proteins to absorb liquid under stress, resulting in an airy, strong open crumb structure.
- Monitoring the Fermentation Speed: Keep a close eye on your ambient room conditions during the stretch and fold window. If your kitchen runs warm (above 80°F / 27°C) and the dough appears to be bubbling and expanding too quickly, do not hesitate to shorten the resting intervals between your folds to 35 or 40 minutes to prevent overproofing.
- Why the Lid Stays On for 15 Minutes: Baking with a heavy cast iron lid locked down creates an enclosed steam chamber as moisture evaporates from the raw dough. This steam blocks the outer starch layer from drying out into a hard crust too early, allowing the internal gases to lift the dough sky-high for a proud oven spring.