Sourdough Bread By Tiong Bahru Bakery

The pandemic and lockdowns have shone the light on sourdough bread, with many discovering the joy of baking their own artisanal slow-fermented bread at home.

Want to attempt your own? We got our hands on a recipe for basic sourdough bread from Tiong Bahru Bakery's resident baker and sourdough expert, chef Paul Albert. But of course, you'll be needing a sourdough starter, and we have a comprehensive guide on how to make one.

If you need more hands-on guidance, check out Tiong Bahru Bakery's sourdough workshop, which has classes for both novices and those who are more advanced. Read more about it here or click here to book classes.

Note: The prep time listed below is not inclusive of the wait time before using the starter in your recipe, which is optimally six to seven hours after feeding your sourdough starter. It is also not inclusive of the time needed for the dough to rise before baking, which is a minimum of six to eight hours.

Yield: 1 loaf
Prep Time: 180 mins
Cook Time: 60 mins
Difficulty Level: 5/5

Ingredients

• 400g artisanal French flour
• 280g water
• 80g active sourdough starter
• 9g salt
• Some polenta (for dusting)

Items needed

• A bowl
• Your clean and dried hands

Steps

AUTOLYSE AND BULK FERMENTATION

01. First, mix the active sourdough starter, water, salt, and flour in a bowl using the “Rubaud” method (i.e. using your hand as a scoop) until you get a nice and smooth dough.

02. Shape it into a nice ball and put a towel on top, rest for 30 to 45 minutes.

FIRST FOLD

01. Items needed: Water and some flour
01. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface. Wet your hands with water and do the first fold (tight) on the dough. Using both hands, gently stretch one end of the dough upwards and fold it over the centre. Do this on four sides of the dough (North, South, East, West).

02. Put it back on into the bowl and let it rest for 30 to 45 minutes.

SECOND FOLD + FINAL RISE

01. Items needed: Water and some flour
01. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface again. Wet your hands with water and do the second fold (less tight). Put it back into the bowl and let it rest for 60 to 90 minutes.

DIRECT SHAPE

01. Items needed: Water and some flour
01. Prepare your breadbasket by sifting a bit of rice flour on it. Remove the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Don’t overpress it while doing the final shape of the sourdough.

02. Place the sourdough in the bread-proofing basket (or banneton) and let it rise for 30 minutes at room temperature.

COLD RETARD

01. After 30 minutes, your dough should rise. It should also bounce back when you press it slowly. You can then place it in your fridge, wrapping the dough with a towel overnight (2°C to 4°C) for a minimum of 15 hours).
01. If you want to bake it the same day, let the dough rise for six to eight hours at room temperature.

BAKING

01. Items needed: Oven and a Dutch oven
01. When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to the highest temperature. Place your dutch oven in it for 30 minutes. Remove your dough from the fridge. Sift a bit of polenta into the dutch oven (be careful, it’s hot!) and place your dough in it.

02. Score the dough with your blade, place the dough in the dutch oven with the lid on before putting it into the oven. Bake it for 25 to 30 minutes at 240°C.

03. Remove the lid carefully and continue to bake for another 20 to 30 minutes at 200°C until you get a beautiful golden brown colour. When you knock on the bottom of your loaf, it should sound hollow. Let it cool down for at least 45 to 60 minutes before enjoying.

PRO TIPS

01. When the loaf is fully cooled down, wrap it in a tea towel or plastic wrap to prevent the bread from drying.
01. Consume the sourdough loaf within three to four days. If you want to keep it longer, you can slice and wrap the bread individually, and store it in the freezer.
01. The best way to enjoy it is to pan-fry with a bit of ghee, olive oil or butter until it becomes golden brown.
01. Images: Tiong Bahru Bakery and The Singapore Women’s Weekly

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