toaster oven sourdough
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.
