Sourdough pot bread with parmesan and basil

Why baking bread in a flower pot?
Well, I have to admit that I don’t know if there are any benefits.
Except that it looks cool. It’s also the perfect gift. Easy to do, inexpensive and quite creative. And everybody wants a sourdough pot bread, don’t they?

I found inspiration in Johan Sörbergs book Riddarbageriets bröd. In the original recipe, there was dill and Västerbotten cheese.
The recipe also called for commercial yeast. I had to change that of course. I always try to replace commercial yeast with a sourdough starter, if possible.
The recipe was aiming for a bread suitable for typical Swedish crayfish. I think dill and Västerbotten cheese is a perfect choice for that. However, not so many people in the world eat crayfish the way we do here in Sweden, so I decided to change the recipe.
So I used parmesan cheese and basil instead. I also replaced some of the wheat flour with durum wheat flour.
And suddenly I became a little bit more Italien.

Before I start with the recipe, I would like to say a few words about the clay pot. Any clay pot with a diameter of approximately 5 1/2″ / 14 cm will do.
I bought the one on the pictures on IKEA for 3.5$.
Even if the pot is new, I strongly advise you to clean it carefully. You should also grease it a lot before you use it.
First time I baked this sourdough pot bread I only brushed some olive oil on the inside. I can tell you that getting the bread out of the pot was a challenge. Next time I used butter and bread crumbs with a much better result.

ABOUT FLOUR AND STARTER

For this recipe, I have used wheat flour with a protein content of 11.5%, and Durum wheat flour with 12%. I used a wheat starter with a hydration of 100%.

PREPARING THE DOUGH

I mixed flour, water, and sourdough starter and let it rest for an hour.
After that, I added salt and performed a stretch and fold.

BULK FERMENTATION

I performed a total of 3 stretches and fold during bulk fermentation, spaced out with 30 minutes. After that, I let the dough rest during the remaining time of the bulk fermentation.
Total time for bulk fermentation was 4 hours at a temperature of 73ºF / 23ºC.

FORMING THE LOAF

Dump out the dough on a lightly floured working surface, and flatten it gently. Spread grated parmesan cheese and basil all over the dough. Fold two sides against each other so that they overlap. Then fold the other sides against each other. See the pictures below. The cheese and the basil should be enclosed in the dough.
Form the dough to a ball. Cover the hole in the bottom of the pot with a small piece of parchment paper before you place the dough into the pot.

FINAL RISE

Place a plastic bag over the pot and the dough and let it ferment until it passes the finger poke test. The loaf in the pictures needed 1 hour and 40 minutes at a temperature of 73ºF / 23ºC.

BAKING

Preheat the oven to 480ºF / 250ºC. Remove the plastic bag and score an X on the top of the loaf. Place the pot into the oven and add a lot of steam with your preferred method. The easiest way is to pour water on a second preheated baking sheet in the bottom of the oven. Never pour water directly onto the bottom of your oven. It may crack if you are unlucky.
This bread needs about 35-40 minutes in the oven. You may have to lower the heat during the last 10-15 minutes.

This sourdough pot bread has a very soft, quite tight crumb with a lot of Mediterranean flavors. Those of you who think the crust is the best part of the bread will perhaps be a bit disappointed.
I use to cut it in small pieces and place it in the middle of the table, together with a bowl of olive oil, crushed garlic, and herbs as a dip.

Sourdough pot bread with parmesan and basil

A sourdough pot bread with a soft crumb and lot of Italien flavors. Perfect for the buffet table, or for dipping in olive oil with garlic and herbs.

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Servings 1 loaves

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 250 gram water
• 375 gram Wheat flour
• 40 gram durum flour
• 120 gram sourdough starter 100% hydration
• 20 gram olive oil extra virgin
• 35 gram Parmesan cheese grated
• basil fresh
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
• 9 gram salt

Instructions

 

• Clean the pot carefully before you grease it with butter and breadcrumbs on the inside.
• Mix all flour with water. Make sure that all flour is hydrated. Let the dough rest for an hour. You can also let the dough autolyze for an hour. In that case, mix the starter together with the salt afterward.
• Add the salt and perform one stretch and fold session*.
• Perform 3 additional sets of stretch and folds during bulk fermentation, spaced out by 30 minutes.*
• Let the dough rest for 3.5 -4 hours at a temperature of 78ºF/25ºC if possible.
• Lightly flour your work surface and dump out the dough. Flatten the dough gently with your hands. Add grated cheese and basil on top of the dough.
• Fold two sides against each other so that they overlap. Then fold the other sides against each other. The cheese and the basil should be enclosed in the dough. Form the dough to a ball. Cover the hole in the bottom of the pot with a small piece of parchment paper before you place the dough into the pot.
• Place a plastic bag over the pot and the dough and let it rise until it passes the finger poke test. The time required depends a lot on ambient temperature so don't look at the clock.
• Preheat the oven to 480ºF / 250ºC. Remove the plastic bag and score an X on the top of the loaf. Place the pot into the oven and add a lot of steam with your preferred method. The easiest way is to pour water on a second preheated baking sheet in the bottom of the oven.
• Bake for 35-45 minutes. Let the bread cool before you remove it from the pot.

Notes

*For those who want to learn more about the stretch and fold technique may find this video helpful. You can also look at one of my previous recipes.

Keyword sourdough bread

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