Hawkridge Daily Loaf
1 Loaf
5 minutes
8 hours
1 hour
9 hours 5 minutes
This is our tried-and-true delicious same-day sourdough bread recipe, with infinite possibilities and immense flexibility, adapted for bread machine assistance (because there are barn chores to do!).
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 120g sourdough starter
- 180g water
- 360g organic flour (see notes)
- 5g course sea salt
Instructions
This recipe has so much flexibility! We generally use the breadmaker for the dough prep, and then choose our baking option depending on time of day and time available at that time of day! See the notes for all the different ways we use this recipe, including different flour combinations and additions for variety.
Dough Prep
- Using the breadmaker, add the ingredients in the order recommended by your machine’s instructions (mine is wet ingredients, followed by dry ingredients). Make sure there is at least a 20 minute delay before mixing starts to let your ingredients autolyse first.
- If you’re baking in a Dutch oven, just use the dough cycle. If baking in the bread machine, use the fully automated cycle, or a combination of the dough/bake cycles to get the right rise time. See the bake section below.
Rise Up
- When the dough cycle is complete, remove dough from bread machine. Turn it out onto a cutting board generously dusted with flour.
- Gently shape into a loaf, dust the outside with a little flour to make sure the outside isn’t tacky, and add to proofing basket or a bowl lined with a cotton tea towel.
- Store somewhere warm-ish and ideally humid for around 6-8 hours. Time will vary depending on temperature and humidity and how you’re feeling that day. It can go shorter if you need to rush it or longer. Throw it in the fridge if you want to proof longer than 8 hours (which develops more of a sour flavour), or even overnight. Experiment in your kitchen- you’ll find it varies from season to season. Try not to ignore the proofing for longer than 10 hours– that’s usually when I start to see mine collapse if I forget about them.
Bake
Baking in a Dutch Oven
- Preheat oven to 450° Fahrenheit. Line a Dutch oven with a bit of parchment paper.
- Turn the loaf out of the basket/bowl to the Dutch oven, and score the top if you like. Brush with a little water or add an ice cube to the Dutch oven to create some humidity in there while it bakes for a beautiful, crispy crust.
- Once the oven is at temp, add the Dutch oven with the lid on and turn the heat down to 400° Fahrenheit. Set a timer for 45 minutes.
- Remove the lid for the last 15 minutes of baking.
- Remove from oven and Dutch oven and place on a rack to cool.
Baking in the Breadmaker
I’ve found the key is having at least 6.5 hours of proofing time.
If yours has a fully automated cycle that allow for 6.5 hours of proofing time, set it for whatever time you want your loaf to be ready and forget it!
If yours only has a faster-bake cycle (i.e., under 4 hours), use the dough cycle first. When it finishes, let it rest in the machine for 6-8 hours, and then start the bake cycle.
Notes
Baking Schedules
For perfect Dutch oven loaves with dinner:
8:30 am – Dough Prep. If adding to breadmaker, make sure there is at least a 20 minute delay before mixing starts to let your ingredients autolyse first.
12:00 pm – Remove from bread machine, gently shape, dust with a little flour, and add to proofing basket or a bowl lined with a cotton tea towel. Store somewhere warm and ideally humid.
4:25 pm – Preheat oven to 450° Fahrenheit. Line a Dutch oven with a bit of parchment paper. Turn the loaf out of the basket/bowl to the Dutch oven, and score the top if you like. Brush with a little water or add an ice cube to the Dutch oven to create some humidity in there while it bakes for a beautiful, crispy crust. Once the oven is at temp, add the Dutch oven with the lid on and turn the heat down to 400° Fahrenheit. Set a timer for 45 minutes.
5:15 pm – Remove the lid for the last 15 minutes of baking.
5:30 pm – Remove from oven and Dutch oven and place on a rack to cool. It’ll still be warm with dinner! Bonus: your oven is already hot for whatever you’re making for dinner!
For fresh breadmaker sandwich bread ready in time for making kid lunches:
After the kids are in bed/sometime before 10:00 pm ideally – Dough Prep. If adding to breadmaker, make sure there is at least a 20 minute delay before mixing starts to let your ingredients autolyse first.
If yours has a fully automated cycle, set it for whatever time you want your loaf to be ready in the morning and forget it! Sweet dreams!
If yours only has a faster-bake cycle (i.e., under 4 hours), just use the dough cycle before bed. I’ve found the key is having at least 6.5 hours of proofing time, but this can be a bit longer in winter, especially if I forget to put a log on the fire before heading to bed and the kitchen temp drops. This will mean a 5:00 am wake-up call to then start the bake cycle, but it’ll give you time to do some barn chores (and/or drink coffee) before the kids are up.
6:00 am – Either way (fully automated or dough/bake cycles) your fresh sandwich loaf should be ready! Let it cool before slicing.
—
Tech/No Tech
It is possible to do all the work sans tech, but we do find the breadmaker a BIG time savings, particularly for the dough cycle. Similar results can be achieved with a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, or, of course, with a lot of kneading by hand.
We do strongly recommend a kitchen scale for weighing your measurements– although you can do this by look and feel after a while, the scale helps with consistency.
—
Variations on a Theme
Light Rye Loaf
- Try a combination of 230g organic all-purpose flour and 130g organic rye flour.
Whole Wheat Loaf
- Experiment using a combination of 200g organic all-purpose flour and 160g organic, heritage variety whole wheat flour for a lighter loaf.
- The more whole wheat, the more dense the loaf– try a 100% whole wheat loaf to see what you think and know that you can completely play with the ratio of all-purpose to whole wheat to create your own perfect blend.
- Grocery-store varieties perform more like all-purpose (in our experience). Try to get your hands on the slightly more coarsely-milled stuff from a local farmer!
Cinnamon Rasin Loaf
- Add 1 teaspoon of honey or maple syrup in with the wet ingredients.
- At the add-ingredient stage of your dough cycle, add in 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and 1/2 cup of raisins.
Red Pepper, Sundried Tomato, and Olive Oil Loaf
- Add 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil in with the wet ingredients.
- At the add-ingredient stage of your dough cycle, add in 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper powder and 1/4 cup of thinly sliced sundried tomatoes.
Honey Pumpkin Seed Loaf
- Add in one or two teaspoons of honey with your wet ingredients.
- Before baking, brush the top of the loaf with a little water and sprinkle on some pumpkin seeds.
Rosemary Sea Salt Loaf
- Before baking, brush the top of the loaf with a little olive oil and sprinkle over some fresh or dried rosemary and a little extra coarse sea salt.
—
Favourite Ways to use Leftovers
Fresh bread will keep for only a day or two before becoming stale, but full loaves freeze perfectly! Here are some of the other ways we use up every last crumb:
- best ever french toast
- homemade croutons
- bread crumbs
- hamburgers or meatballs
Recommended Products
Products from Hawkridge Homestead’s harvests:
