Tomato Basil Sourdough
Roasted tomatoes, garlic, & fresh basil bring big summer flavor to this soft, chewy sourdough loaf. It’s super savory and highly aromatic, with a lovely orange hue.
Servings: 1 loaf
Equipment
- Dutch oven optional, but recommended
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
Tomato purèe
- 1 ¼ pounds fresh tomatoes
- 5 large garlic cloves peeled
- salt & pepper
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
Tomato basil sourdough
- tomato purée, from above (should be roughly 275 grams)
- 75-100 grams lukewarm water
- 10 grams salt
- 150 grams active, bubbly sourdough starter
- 500 grams bread flour
Instructions
- Feed your starter: Feed your sourdough starter and keep in a warm place until very bubbly and at least doubled.I like to feed my starter the night before or first thing in the morning when I'm planning to make a loaf.
- Roast the tomatoes: While your starter is munching and growing, make the tomato purèe. Preheat the oven to 425° F.Core your tomatoes (1 lb 4 oz), chop them into thick wedges, and arrange them on a baking sheet with 5 whole, peeled garlic cloves. Sprinkle all over with a little salt & pepper and roast until the tomatoes are soft and bubbly and lightly charred, about 25 minutes.
- Make tomato purée: Place roasted tomatoes & garlic in a food processor, add the ¼ cup fresh basil, and purée until completely liquified, 1-2 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove skins and seeds (you can discard those).Leave the tomato purèe to cool at room temperature until ready to use*.
- Mix dough: When your starter is ready, weigh your tomato purée in a large bowl. It should be roughly 275 grams, but if it's a bit over or under, that's fine. Add enough lukewarm water to bring this liquid mixture to 350 total grams. Then, whisk in 10 grams salt and 150 grams active sourdough starter.Add 500 grams bread flour and mix until it forms a cohesive, shaggy dough. Cover and rest for 30-45 minutes.
- Stretch and fold**. Pull dough from one side and give it a long stretch, then fold dough back to the middle. Turn bowl a quarter turn, stretch again and fold back to the middle. Repeat on all four sides, cover the dough back up, and allow it to rest again.
- Continue with stretch-and-folds. Over the next few hours, you’ll repeat this process of stretching and folding the dough about every 30-45 minutes or so. Plan to stretch and fold a total of 4-5 times, or until dough feels hydrated, smooth, strong, and elastic.Let the dough rest again for about 30 minutes after the final stretch and fold.
- Shape: Shape dough into a ball or loaf. Place seam-side up in a lined bowl/banneton.
- Continue bulk fermentation: Cover dough and allow to ferment at room temperature until puffy, airy, and risen by 30-50%, about 2-4 hours.
- Refrigerate overnight: Transfer to the fridge to rest overnight.
- Score & bake: Preheat oven to 450° F. Carefully turn dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and score the top of the dough in any desired pattern with a very sharp knife or bread lame. Lift dough into a Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 25 minutes, then remove the lid and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, or until bread is golden brown and baked through (205-215° F internal temperature). Allow bread to cool for at least an hour before slicing.
Notes
*You can make the tomato purée up to 2 days ahead of time if you'd like. Keep it refrigerated, but be sure to pull it out of the fridge and let it warm back up to room temperature before mixing it into your dough.
**Stretching and folding: If you make sourdough often, this dough may feel a bit drier and stiffer than what you're used to. This makes the process of stretching and folding a little bit more difficult, but don't fret! I promise it will be delicious.