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Is there a substitute that I could use for the orange blossom water? It isn’t available where I live and I would like to try your recipe. If there is a substitute, what would it be and how much would I use? I thought possibly more zest or orange extract.
Oh, this is on my to make list! I have been making the zucchini sourdough you posted. Then when I had fresh pumpkin puree … made a pumpkin oatmeal sourdough (no spices just a bit of honey) … so this is right in line with those being a wonderful seasonal recipe. Thank you, Melissa!
I suggest using a couple of Tablespoons of orange zest. Or a couple of drops of orange extract along with the 1 Tablespoon of zest listed in the recipe. I’m sure it’ll be nicely aromatic. Enjoy!
Sorry to be a little dense (I mainly bake with the no-knead method), but could you clarify the timings of the stretch and fold parts? When you say “Stretch and fold the dough four times every 20-30 minutes” - how many times/over what period? (As written, you could interpret this as stretch and folding every 7 minutes for 10 hours, and that didn’t seem right.) I want to try this, but would like to clarify the timing of these steps first.
Also - if I don’t have durham flour, what would you suggest to replace (I have white whole wheat flour, bread flour, and all purpose flour on hand)? Thanks!!!
I’m glad you’ve had a good experience with the zucchini sourdough. I hope you like this bread too. Your pumpkin oatmeal sounds like a super idea!
Sorry about the confusion. Only four stretch and folds total, and don’t knock yourself out if you have to shorten the time between or the number of them. If flour, water and leaven are mixed at 0:00, you can stretch and fold at 20 min, 40 min put in additions, 60 min and 1hr 20 min. (It’ll all take a little longer because of mixing additions etc.)
I think any of your other flours would work well, and you’ll likely get a taller loaf than what I got with whole grain durum 
Super! I think I’m going to try this today - will tell you how it goes! 
Sorry - one more question. You put the salt in the “additions” portion of this recipe, with no salt in the dough part, but I just reread your reply, and you indicated salt should be added to flour/starter/water mix. Is this an error, or on purpose, to leave the salt out of the dough part? (If error, and I’m about to do second fold, any way I can rescue it?)
Do you have to bake it in a clay baker?
Kristin,
In theory, you might get better gluten development by adding the salt in with the additions, during the second stretch and fold i.e. following my recipe (and not my reply in these comments). But I doubt any difference would noticeable.
I’ll edit the comment so as to prevent future confusion. Hope everything is progressing okay!
-Melissa
Brenda,
A high heat tolerant closed vessel like a clay baker or dutch oven will work to give you the crusty artisan bread look and texture.
You can also do this in the open oven on a pizza stone or even a flipped-over cast iron pan. Check out the ciabatta recipes here on Breadtopia for how to create moisture in this situation.
If you want to do it as a tin loaf, I suggest proofing in the bread tin and baking at 350 until the internal temperature is at least 190 F, possibly covering with foil if the bread starts to brown too much. I’d love to hear about your results if you go this route as I’m not sure how things would go.
If it is because the sides need support, will it work as well in the Lodge LCC3 Cast Iron Combo Cooker, Pre-Seasoned, 3.2-Quart? I have neither, but one of my Craftsy bread classes baked a boule in that one. I am contemplating which to buy. Your advice would be appreciated. Thank-you.
Thank-you, I didn’t see your detailed answer before I wrote the next comment. I guess either the clay baker or the Lodge combo cooker would work. I would love to try your recipe.
You know, I ought to know better than to try a new recipe/technique when I’m distracted trying to get a lot of other things done… So I let it rise too long (7 hours) given that I’m in South Texas and also had a hot kitchen this morning - so it was extra gooey and puffy and harder to wrangle. Then I used the smallish Le Creuset oval baker that I use for plain 1-lb sourdough loaves - too small. The loaf poofed up really big in the oven and pushed the lid off the Le Creuset in the oven. So it’s a really ugly loaf. But it’s delicious, and I also keep walking by and sniffing it - aromatherapy in the kitchen! Totally making this again (with either a different container or foil instead of a lid). Thanks for your help with my questions!
I’m baking this right this moment. After the suggested baking time, the internal temp was just about 160 so I put it back in for another 10 or so minutes, when I’ll take the temp again. Smells great!! I’ll post photos if it’s a success, if I can remember how to post them.
BTW, I let mine ferment overnight in the fridge after about 8 hours on the counter top.
You’re welcome! Wow on the loaf lifting off the lid - that’s amazing oven spring. Next time, you could also scale back the recipe by 20%. I’ve always liked baking two loaves at once, and so early on in my baking before I got gear heavy, my second vessel was the porcelain inside of a slow cooker covered in foil. It worked pretty well, so perhaps that’s an option too.
Donald, That exciting! I can’t wait to see/hear how it goes.
(I find it slightly easier to upload photos from my phone, for what it’s worth. Then I don’t have to pull from the cloud/Google drive, save on my laptop and upload.)
My sourdough starter was really ripe and ready to go! I used apple sauce in place of the other method and it made for a really high hydration dough. My friends at the local library, where I’m the president, raved about it but some suggested adding a little cinnamon next time. I’m still working on uploading pics.
Mine also took longer - checked it after 30 minutes at 450F (500F burns loaves in my oven) and was only 101F internal (with the poofy lid lifting), was ready after another 40 minutes at 450F. Probably because it was in the fridge for that last rise. It is DELICIOUS - even better the next day. I think I may halve the recipe next time and try it in my little Le Creuset oval #22 that gives me such nice regular loaves - I have a number of Le Creuset (since I cook with them), but I like this shape/size for an oval loaf. (Also, if I keep making the full recipe I’ll weigh 600 pounds from constantly eating it all uncontrollably…) This recipe is a winner!!! (I should maybe add - I didn’t have orange blossom water and used KA Fiori di sicilia (just because I had it in the pantry). Worked well if you just happen to have that around instead. Eating a thick slice now with cream cheese on it. Nom nom nom…