Unconventional Sourdough: Delicious and Simple

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I've always found traditional sourdough unnecessarily demanding. Too much needless faff: rigid feeding schedules, precise temperature monitoring, and rules. So, I developed something better.

My hybrid approach combines biga - a stiff pre-ferment that builds flavor foundations while reducing final proof time - with sourdough starter to create exceptional bread without rigid schedules. You'll learn to bake by feel—no scales required. Did I invent this method? Probably not. Trial and error led me here. I wanted delicious bread.

Don't let the multi-day process throw you. This method requires about 5 minutes of active time daily.

Why this method works:

1. Extended fermentation (up to 36 hours) develops complex, layered flavors impossible with quicker methods
2. Parallel fermentation creates complementary flavor profiles
3. Flexible timing

You'll need:

Ingredients

• Unrefined sea salt (essential for mineral content)
• Bread flour (one 1.5kg bag)
• Grain flour
• Active sour-dough starter
• Water
• Diastatic malt powder (for enzymatic activity)
• Brown sugar or another natural sweetener: honey, malt syrup, maple syrup...

Equipment

• Large mixing container with lid
• Measuring cup for water
• Danish dough whisk (worth the investment)
• Baking steel or stone
• Two shallow trays
• Sharp blade or lame

This recipe uses a 1.5kg bag of strong white bread flour, standard in most Scottish supermarkets. Typically I buy 20kg bulk bags - save money with better quality flour - and measure by cup; however, these smaller bags provide convenient pre-measured recipe amounts.

Diastatic malt powder sounds weird, but it's an enzyme-rich powder that bakers use to enhance yeast activity. It's worth it.

Day One: Setting Up The Ferments

Everything starts with biga:

Your biga needs:

• 750g flour (half your bag)
• 450g water (60% hydration)
• ¼ teaspoon dry yeast (just enough to ensure activity)
• ¼ teaspoon brown sugar or a splash of natural syrup

First, dissolve the sugar and yeast in water.

Add half your flour to a container and pour in the liquid. This can get potentially messy. Use a lidded container for efficient mixing: add ingredients, seal, and shake for 30 seconds. A bowl works too, but expect mess!

Break up any remaining clumps with your fingers or a dough scraper to ensure proper hydration:

The shaggy, partially mixed structure is intentional. This creates micro-environments where fermentation occurs at different rates. The maximized surface area for yeast and bacterial activity prevents complete gluten development - producing complex flavors and oven spring.

Cover with plastic wrap and poke a few small holes for excess gas to escape. Fermentation begins within 2-3 hours.

Sourdough Starter: The Scraping Method

Traditional starter maintenance creates unnecessary work and wastes flour. Instead of daily feedings and discarding excess, I advocate for the scraping method—a practical approach for home bakers.

Simple concept: maintain a small amount of active starter in the refrigerator and feed it the night before you plan to bake.

For feeding, use eight tablespoons of whole-grain flour mixed with approximately 2/3 parts water by volume. Whole grains are needed because they contain wild yeasts and enzymes from all parts of the seed—bran, germ, and endosperm provide a steady, varied food supply for your microbial culture.

With both ferments working overnight, parallel fermentation begins.

Day Two: Building Structure

For today, you'll need:

• Your fermented biga
• Active starter
• Rice flour (for dusting bannetons)
• Remaining bread flour (750g)
• Water (450-500ml, adjust based on dough feel)
• Sea salt (2 tablespoons)
• Diastatic malt powder (½ tablespoon)

Sea salt is essential for this recipe; not table salt. Minimally processed salts like sea salt or Himalayan pink salt retain natural minerals—like magnesium and potassium—that table salt loses during processing. These minerals strengthen gluten and influence fermentation in ways that improve your bread's structure and flavor.

Morning Mix

Morning reveals two distinct aromas: biga's sweet, malty notes and starter's sharp acidity.

With your dough whisk ready (its open design prevents dough buildup), pour water into your container and incorporate the starter, salt, and diastatic malt powder.

Tear your biga into chunks, breaking down larger pieces with your whisk. Use your body weight to push the dough down into the container. If neglected, you may have unhydrated flour clumps.

Add the remaining flour and mix. The dough will look shaggy, but that's perfect. Now comes your first rest. The flour thoroughly hydrates during this time, and enzymes break down carbohydrates, developing extensibility without kneading.

Building Strength Through Folding

Now some minor kneading. Don't overthink this—consistency matters more than technique.

Begin with stretch-and-folds: Grab an edge, stretch upward until you feel before tearing, and fold over the center - rotate the container 90° and repeat.

After resting for 30 minutes, switch to coil folds: slide wet hands under the dough center, lift until the edges release from the container, then tuck these edges underneath.

Your dough will now feel cohesive and elastic: adult Play-Doh eh.

Divide into two equal pieces and pre-shape it into rough, round balls. Let it rest for 30 minutes.

Final Shaping: Building Surface Tension

Begin by coating the banneton in rice flour. Rice flour doesn't contain gluten and will not become part of your developed network. It's a shield, keeping the shaped dough from sticking.

Final shaping creates the tension for oven spring while preserving your developed gas. Work confidently:

1. Flip a dough round onto a lightly floured surface.
2. Fold the far edge two-thirds toward you.
3. Fold the near edge over that, like closing an envelope.
4. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat these folds.
5. Flip seam-side down
6. Cup your hands around the dough's far side and gently drag it toward you, creating surface tension.
7. Rotate a quarter turn and repeat until you feel the surface tighten.

Transfer each loaf, seam-side up and cover in rice flour. The natural seam creates a weak point that helps control expansion. Move the banneton to the refrigerator and cold-proof for anywhere between 12-30 hours.

Don't exceed 30 hours; beyond that, excessive acidity compromises structure and creates an overly sour taste.

The curve shows why timing matters. When fermentation progresses, dough strength peaks and declines as acids and enzymes break down gluten. If you bake too early (under-proofed), your bread will have dense spots and erratic holes. If you bake too late (over-proofed), the weakened gluten network will collapse during baking, creating a dense, gummy texture.

Day Three: The Decisive Finale

Your dough has developed flavor and strength and is ready to bake.

Creating Your Baking Environment

Avoid single-purpose tools. Instead of expensive Dutch ovens, I use the open baking method: the same steam environment in a home oven at comparably minimal costs.

Create this environment:

1. Position baking steel on the middle rack
2. Place a baking pan on the bottom of your oven for boiling water.
3. Place an inverted oven pan on the top rack for trapping in steam.
4. Heat oven to maximum temperature (250°C/480°F).
5. Preheat thoroughly—40 whole minutes ensures proper heat saturation.

Before baking, gather:

• Sharp blade or lame for scoring
• Peel or board for transferring dough
• Heat-resistant gloves
• Spray bottle filled with water.
• Kettle with freshly boiled water

Scoring

Scoring isn't decoration—it's controlled expansion. A proper score creates point where the dough can expand, preventing random blowouts and creating that "ear" look.

For successful scoring:

• Hold your blade at a 45-degree to the dough surface.
• Make one confident ¼-inch cuts.
• Score immediately before transferring.
• Keep decorative cuts shallow - ⅛-inch.

The Bake

Once scored, move quickly:

1. Transfer your loaf onto the hot steel.
2. Pour boiling water into the steam pan.
3. Spray water into the oven.
4. Close the door.

There's two phases:

1. Steam Phase (30 minutes)
   • Steam prevents crust formation, allowing maximum expansion.
   • Maintain 250°C (480°F) for oven spring.
   • Your loaf will expand.
2. Crust Development (15-20 minutes)
   • Carefully remove the steam pan and inverted tray using oven mitts.
   • Reduce temperature to 230°C (450°F).
   • Rotate the loaf 180°.
   • Watch for deep caramelization without burning.

The Result

A perfect loaf:

• Deep mahogany caramelization (not pale, not burnt)
• A pronounced "ear" where your score expanded
• A hollow sound when tapped on the bottom

Don't cut while warm. Allow the crumb structure to set completely, distributing moisture evenly throughout the loaf. This give's the crust flavors time to fully mature.

The Journey Continues

This method will undoubtedly evolve. However, the principles—patient fermentation, gentle handling, and attentive baking—remain. As you gain confidence, adjust your hydration, experiment with flour blends, or incorporate seeds. There is no single "right way" to make bread—it's weirdly personal.

Like this method? For more prefermented breads Give me a follow! Naan's next on the menu.