Look at this fantastic bread! Turmeric sourdough bread has a crispy crust and a vivid yellow inside full of air pockets. It’s easy to make, it tastes delicious and it has a subtle turmeric flavour which pairs wonderfully with sweet and savoury.
Some months ago I made my first sourdough starter and my first sourdough bread. They both turned out perfect. And, my sourdough starter is still alive, by the way. Wink. In this recipe, I took another way of making bread and I cut out half of the steps made in my first sourdough bread recipe. As a result, making the bread is way more simple and the result is just fantastic.
The best thing about this turmeric sourdough bread, besides the amazing colour, is you can pair it with anything. For example, it tastes lovely with butter and honey or marmalade, with a slice of cheese, salami or prosciutto. Also, it’s a great addition to soup, salad and goulash.
Furthermore, I have a couple of quick tips for you on how to get a perfect sourdough bread. Try them out and let me know how it goes and which tip helps the most.
Tips for a perfect sourdough bread
- let the dough proof two times for a long time
- score it before baking it (that helps the bread to expand while baking)
- create some steam in the oven (also this helps the bread to rise and expand)
- if not using a dutch oven, simply place a piece of aluminium foil on top of it (to catch more steam and to expand)
- wrap the baked bread in a kitchen towel (it will help to keep it fresh and prevent the crust from drying out)
In case you are wondering when to start making bread, well, it really depends more on when you want to eat it. I think. Wink. Anyway, you can start in the morning, bake it in the late afternoon and eat it for dinner or you can start in the afternoon, bake the next morning and eat it for breakfast. However, I will leave the time management to you. Wink. Whatever you do, you can’t go wrong.
Also, if you love bread but don’t manage to eat the whole boule in a couple of days, you can freeze it. This turmeric sourdough bread freezes wonderfully. Cut it in slices, put in plastic food bags and put them in the freezer. Hm, I would say, up to six months. And when you want some bread, simply take the slices out of the freezer, pop them in the oven at 180º C for 7-10 minutes and then enjoy it.
But in the end, good freshly baked bread is not meant to be kept for a long time. We should enjoy it while fresh. Fresh bread tastes the best. For more bread recipes, check these out: Mediterranean sun-dried tomato bread, flour-free paleo nut and seed bread, crispy sourdough bread, lovely salty braided breadsticks.
Ingredients for a boule (round-shaped dough) of turmeric sourdough bread:
- 400 g flour
- 230 ml of lukewarm water
- 5 g salt
- 2 Tbsp turmeric powder
- 170 g sourdough starter
First proofing and stretch and fold
To begin, in a larger bowl mix (using a hand mixer with dough hooks) flour, water and salt. Then, add the turmeric and the sourdough starter and continue mixing until smooth and not sticky. It will take you around 10-12 minutes.
Once it’s all smooth, cover it with a slightly damp kitchen towel, place it in a draft-free place and leave it to proof for 3-4 hours.
After the first proofing, flip the dough on a dusted work surface and start with the “stretch and fold” step. With one hand, simply stretch out one side of the dough and then fold it over the dough. After each stretch and fold, spin the dough and repeat. Continue doing the same move until you complete two whole spins.
Shaping and second proofing
Now, it is time to shape our dough in a boule. Boule is the most common way to shape bread dough. In other words, you are shaping your dough in a round shape. Flip the dough over (seam down) and using your hands, tuck and gently drag the dough towards you. After each drag, spin the dough and continue with the same move until the dough has a lovely round and tearless shape.
Furthermore, take a bowl, pie dish or a pie plate (important that it has higher edges) or a bread proofing basket, place a clean kitchen towel in the bowl and dust it generously with flour. Moreover, lay the dough in it (seam side up), by flipping it, again, sprinkle it with flour and fold the towel’s edges over it.
Then, place the bowl back in a draft-free place to proof for 4-5 hours or overnight.
Scoring the boule and baking
At this point, preheat the oven to 230º C, place a parchment paper over a baking sheet and prepare an oven-proof dish with hot water. Place the baking sheet upside down on the bowl and then flip them over both together.
Then, remove the bowl and slowly remove the kitchen towel as well. Moreover, with a very sharp knife or a razorblade score the boule and put it in the oven. Lay a piece of aluminium foil on top (no tucking it in, only lay on top) and place a dish with hot water at the bottom of the oven, in order to create some steam.
Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the aluminium foil and bake for 20 more minutes. When the crust is lovely golden-brown and when you knock at the bottom and it sounds hollow, the bread is just perfect.
Take the boule out of the oven and let it cool down. I wrapped mine in a clean kitchen towel in order to keep it fresh. Cut the turmeric sourdough bread into 1-2 cm thick slices and serve these lovely golden slices either with sweet or savoury toppings, next to a bowl of soup, as tapas or with a salad.
Enjoy!
PS
If you like the recipe, if you make the recipe or if you have any new ideas how to improve or change it, let me know in the comments section below or alternatively share your photos and reactions with me on Instagram (@Passionspoon), Facebook or Twitter (@PassionSpoon1). Simply use the hashtag #passionspoonrecipes in your posts. I would love to see them! (wink)
