Sprouted Rye Sourdough with Olive and Tarragon

Instructions

1. The photos in the gallery below depict a double batch, but the ingredients above are for a single loaf of bread.

2. The first rise of this dough took 4-5 hours from the initial mixing. With cooler temperatures or less lively starter, you can expect this timeframe to be longer. The final proof was entirely in the refrigerator for 13-14 hours but a room temperature final proof is fine too, or a combination of some time at room temperature and some time in the refrigerator.

3. Mixing and Bulk Fermentation

4. Thoroughly mix the flours, water, sourdough starter, and salt in a bowl that has enough room for the dough to double in size. Cover and let the dough rest 20-30 minutes.

5. Add the halved olives and tarragon and continue mixing until they’re evenly distributed. Cover and let the dough rest again 20-30 minutes.

6. Do 1-2 rounds of stretching and folding or coil folding with a 20-30 minute rest in between.

7. When the dough has expanded to a bit less than double (75-90%), end the bulk fermentation. In a warm kitchen, my dough needed 4-5 hours.

8. Pre-Shaping, Bench Rest, and Shaping

9. Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto floured work surface and pre-shape it into a ball.

10. Cover the dough (you can invert your mixing bowl over the dough) and let it rest about 20 minutes.

11. Shape the dough, place it seam side up in a floured proofing basket, and cover.

12. Final Proof

13. Let the dough rise again until it has expanded but still curves at the edges. You can bake the dough the same day by proofing at room temperature for 1-2 hours. If you want to refrigerate the dough and the ambient temperature is over 75°F, refrigerate it immediately after shaping. Otherwise let it rise for 20-60 minutes at room temperature before putting it in the refrigerator. The dough can be refrigerated for up to 16 hours, depending on how cold your refrigerator is. My dough was in the refrigerator for 14 hours.

14. Before baking, preheat your oven and baking vessel to 500°F for 30 minutes.

15. Flip the dough out of the proofing basket onto a sheet of parchment paper or a silicone bread sling and score. Load the dough into your baking vessel and oven.