what do you really need to bake good sourdough bread?
baking in taipei, without my usual suite of tools, has really pushed me to reflect on this question.
i optimistically brought doug, my sourdough starter, with me, to taiwan.
i say optimistically because it turns out it’s pretty rare to have an oven in a typical taiwanese kitchen. i walked into my airbnb to find a countertop air fryer, a robust blender, and a cabinet where an oven might have been installed.
luckily, a lack of a proper oven was nothing a bit of resourcefulness and a lot of enthusiasm from my roommate couldn’t solve.
together, we managed to get access to a toaster oven for an afternoon, cobble together a suite of tools, and still get pretty incredible results. i’m sharing the process below if ever you find yourself in a similar situation.
may your days be filled with bountiful carbs, wherever you may find yourself!
equipment
- standard sized toaster oven. i used a panasonic toaster oven which had a maximum temperature of 230°C
- 8″ x 4″ enamelled steel pot with lid. we had this vardagen pot from ikea, but i think any 2 qt dutch oven would work.
- soup sized bowl. i used the bowl from this dinera set from ikea, the size of this cereal bowl
- thin paper or a tea towel. i used thin coffee filter like paper to line my bowl to create a “proofing basket”
necessary tools
- kitchen thermometer. i brought my thermopop from the u.s.
- kitchen scale. also brought from home, i have this one
optional tools
- lame. i brought my wiremonkeyshop one with me because it is small and i am extra.
- parchment paper. this would help, but i managed without. i used some coarse brown rice flour instead.
- bench scraper. or dough knife! i brought one from home, but you could use whatever large, sharp knife you have on hand.
notes
- toaster ovens have lower maximum temperatures than a regular oven. my bake times were much longer in order to bake it all the way through and achieve the crust color i wanted.
- toaster ovens are smaller than regular ovens. i’d recommend making smaller loaves. i used 450g of flour for two loaves.
- toaster ovens heat up much faster than regular ovens. i also used a non cast-iron, non-dutch oven. as a result, i reduced the pre-heat time.
toaster oven sourdough
formula
levain build
- 12 g unfed levain
- 48 g water @ 85°F
- 12 g whole wheat flour
- 48 g bread flour
dough formula
- 382 g bread flour
- 68 g whole wheat flour
- 360 g water @ 90°F
- 11 g salt
- 104 g ripe levain
method
8 am: feed levain
- refresh your starter using levain build formula, and stiff starter method.
12 pm: autolyse
- in a large bowl or lidded pot, mix all flours together.
- slowly add the water, mixing with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon or with your hands, making sure to incorporate the water into the flour well.
- stop when all the flour is hydrated.
- let sit, covered, for 40 minutes.
12:30 pm: bulk fermentation
- sprinkle salt evenly over autolysed dough. incorporate gently by folding dough over a 2-3 times. then, measure out ripe starter, and add to bowl.
- mix using wet hands, alternating between using stretch & fold and pincer method, for about 6-7 minutes.
- let dough rise at room temp until it appears gaseous, about 7 hours in the springtime taipei (kitchen ~80°F)
- this dough needs 4 sets of coil folds, spaced 45 min apart, starting at the beginning
7:30 pm: divide & shape
- generously flour your clean, flat surface. gently guide dough onto the table.
- using a bench knife, dough scraper, or regular knife, divide into two parts.
- shape each part by gently tugging, folding, and rotating the dough a few times until it forms ball.
- flip dough over, seam side down on an unfloured surface. gently tug and twist to seal
7:35 pm: proof
- if no proofing basket, line a soup bowl with a coffee-filter like paper or a tea towel. generously flour the lining.
- flip the dough over with a bench knife, and gently transfer the dough, seasm side up, into the makeshift proofing basket.
- place bannetone inside of a plastic bag to cover, and place in fridge overnight for 12 – 16 hours.
- repeat with second half of the dough.
[next morning] 10:00 am: preheat oven
- place your enamel pot with lid on into the toaster oven. pre-heat oven to 230°C or 450°F (ie. the highest setting it would go) for 30 minutes.
10:30 am: score
- dough is proofed when it passes the finger dent test. remove one bowl from fridge.
- generously flour the bottom with flour. i used coarse rice flour here because it was easily available here in taiwan, and it burns less easily.
- very slowly, flip dough out of the bowl, and onto a cut piece of parchment paper or paper.
- optional: score your loaf with a lame, a single blade, or a very sharp knife. i like to score boules by drawing an X, or a square.
10:35 am: bake
- transfer scored dough to enameled pot.
- with the lid on, bake for 35 minutes.
- then, take the lid off. bake for another 18-20 minutes, or whenever the crust turns the color you like it (i go for a pretty deep brown).
- for the second loaf, place empty enameled pot with lid on back into toaster oven to re-heat for 5 more minutes before repeating the same scoring & baking procedure.
2 pm: slice & enjoy
- allow bread to cool completely (at least 1.5 hours) before slicing and eating!
- i didn't have a cooling rack, so i just used a fork to prop up the loaf which allowed the air to circulate.
Hi Erica, thank you for sharing this using a toaster oven, find it really helpful! I myself only have a toaster oven, with a max temp of 230c, hence am still experimenting.
May I know what setting do you use? Electric top bottom or convection fan setting?