I’ve been mixing my sourdough in a bread machine for years, but with rising energy prices I thought it would be more economical if I could bake one in the bread machine rather than our now ageing oven.
I googled, and found some timings on My Greek Dish. I used my recipe, taken from BBC Food, with a few tips taken from YouTube over the years. I am constantly refining technique, flour types, and hydration so this is by no means set in stone.
The method makes paler and softer sourdough than oven baked, particularly if left in the bread pan overnight to cool (see end of recipe),which is preferred by my family.
300g active starter
500g flour
10g salt
250g + 2 tbsp
I start my sourdough over 24 hours before, taking my pot of starter out the fridge around lunchtime the day before the evening I plan to bake. We have an off peak electricity tariff (to charge electric cars) between 10pm and 3am, so my timings are based on baking at 10pm.
My starter always contains just over 100g of 50/50 bread flour and water. Currently it is 100% wholemeal bread flour. I have experimented with higher quantities of white bread flour in my starter but this can develop a very vomity smell!
12:00 Day Before - starter out the fridge
22:00 Day Before - top your now active starter up with 50g strong bread flour and 50g water. Cover and leave out in the counter overnight
08:00 Baking Day - weigh 100g of starter into a bread machine bread pan. Add 100g strong bread flour (I use wholemeal bread flour), and 100g of water. Roughly combine the ingredients with a silicone spatula, taking care not to scratch the bread pan, then mix on the dough cycle. Turn the dough cycle off after 15 minutes (which is when mine stops the initial mixing) and leave until 2pm.
14:00 Baking Day - your starter should be bubbly and ‘lively’. Add 500g flour and 250g water. Mix for 15 minutes on the dough cycle. Switch off, and set a timer for 30 minutes.
14:45 Baking Day - add 2 tsp salt and 2 tbsp water. Mix with the dough cycle for 15 minutes. Turn the bread machine off and leave for 30 minutes.
15.30 Baking Day - Mix with the dough cycle for approximately 5 minutes. Our machine starts mixing slowly, then speeds up. So I turned it off once it speeded up. Turn the bread machine off and leave for 30 minutes.
16.05 Baking Day - Mix with the dough cycle for approximately 5 minutes. Turn the bread machine off and leave for 30 minutes.
16.40 Baking Day - Mix with the dough cycle for approximately 5 minutes. Turn the bread machine off and leave for 30 minutes.
17.15 Baking Day - Mix with the dough cycle for approximately 5 minutes. Turn the bread machine off and leave for 30 minutes.
17.50 Baking Day - Mix with the dough cycle for approximately 5 minutes. Turn the bread machine off and leave for 4 hours for the final prove, until the dough has roughly doubled in size.
To bake, set the Bake option for 1 hour 15 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE LID whilst the sourdough is baking and let the heat escape. Bread machines do not get as hot as ovens, so you need every precious degree of heat.
A friend who I taught to make sourdough following the BBC's recipe commented that all the mix and rest steps sounded like 'a lot of faff'. This method works for me as I am in the house most of the day as a cook from home for a living but if can't be bothered/aren't on hand all day, try the My Greek Dish method which only proves for 3-4 hours after the initial mixing (with all the ingredients) until the dough has doubled in size. I do note their recipe has sugar/honey, which may make it rise slightly quicker.
Finally, when the cooking time is up leave the bread in the machine to cool before turning out. I ended up leaving mine in the bread pan overnight as a) it was midnight and I wanted to go to bed, and b) I had used an old bread pan (from one of my four bread machines!), and it had stuck. The following morning I gently eased the pliable bread away from the edges of the pan and eventually shook it out. Now I know this method works I will use a newer non-stick pan. Or possibly take the dough out before the final proving, clean the bread pan, remove the paddle, lightly grease the pan, and then return the dough to prove.
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