Turmeric Sourdough

Turmeric, known as the Golden Spice, originated in India where it was used as a culinary spice.  It comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant which is part of the ginger family.  It’s interesting to learn that, before it was commonly used as a spice for food, it was used to as a natural dye for skin and clothing.

Turmeric is high in antioxidants and contains powerful anti-inflammatory properties, which is why it has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years.  It is still used for menstrual pain, traumatic injuries, spleen, etc. and also has shown strong evidence of being a preventative herb, helping to ward off many diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

When I make curry, I usually add a teaspoon of turmeric.  Turmeric has a spicy and bitter flavor, so adding too much turmeric to your dish will probably overtake the flavor.  Today, I made my sourdough by adding just 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric.  The color is beautiful and it doesn’t affect the flavor of my sourdough.

Ingredients (Hydration is about 72%):

Step 1 – Mix and rest for 1 hour

400g	Bread Flour
30g	Dark Rye Flour
15g	Spelt Flour
¼ tsp	Turmeric
320g	Water

Step 2 – Mix and rest for 30  mins

10g	Salt
90g	Starter

Directions:

1. Feed your starter with equal amount of water, flour and starter until it is active and ready to use (you will see a lot of bubbles).  (Picture 1)
2. In a mixing bowl, combine all flour, turmeric and water.  Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rest in room temperature for 1 hour.  (Pictures 2-3)
3. After 1 hour, add 90g of starter and 10g of salt.  Use your hand to pinch and fold the dough over and over to get it nice and mixed.  The dough is much more wet and sloppy than it was during the first mix.  Cover the dough and set the timer for 30 minutes.  (Pictures 4 & 5)
4. Now we are going to stretch and fold the dough – Lift one side of the dough straight up until you meet resistance and fold it across the center.  Turn the bowl 90 degree and perform the stretch-and-folds (the dough is probably very relaxed in the beginning).  Once you have finished all the way around the bowl back to where you started, you have completed one set.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set the timer for 30 minutes.  (Pictures 6 & 7)
5. Repeat Step 4 above three more times.
6. After the last set of Stretch-And-Fold, lightly fold the dough a couple of times, cover the dough and let it rest for 1-2 hours.
7. Dust your work surface with flour, and fold the dough a couple of times and shape the dough to a ball.  (Pictures 8-11)
8. Dust the banneton basket with rice flour, carefully transfer the dough to the basket. Cover with a towel and put it in the refrigerator for 5-10 hours.  (Pictures 12-14)

Baking the bread:

1. During the dough’s last 45 minutes of final proof, preheat the oven and the cast iron pan at 500F (preheating the pan for at least 45 minutes).  (Picture A)
2. Remove the basket from the fridge.  Put a piece of parchment paper on top of the banneton basket and put a chopping board on top of the parchment paper. (Picture B)
3. Now hold the basket and chopping board tight and flip over the banneton basket.  (Picture C)
4. You can score the dough either a line or a cross.  (Picture D)
5. Remove the cast iron pan from the oven and slide the dough to the pan.  (Picture E)
6. Cover the cast iron pan and turn the oven temperature down to 450F and set the timer to bake for 20 minutes.
7. After 20 minutes, uncover the pan and continue to bake for another 20 minutes.**’
8. Let the bread cool down completely on a cooling rack before slicing it.

Note:  Each oven is different, you may need to adjust the cooking time for longer.