Ruby Beetroot & Thyme Sourdough
Ruby Beetroot & Thyme Sourdough

Ruby Beetroot & Thyme Sourdough

Preparation: Feed your sourdough starter at a 1:1:1 ratio if you want to bake the same day. Feed with a 1:5:5 ratio if you want to leave it overnight. It should be active and bubbly, and doubled in size.

This sourdough loaf has a tangy, earthy, subtle flavor thanks to the beetroot powder and thyme leaves, and gives a deeper color than using fresh beets. This is a high-hydration dough, which allows the beautiful red beet color to remain after baking, but it can feel messy and difficult to handle at the beginning of the stretch and folds. It will eventually come together into a sticky ball. Use wet or lightly oiled hands to prevent sticking, and a bench/bowl scraper can help with moving it around.

Round Timeless loaves
PREP TIME8 Hours+ Overnight Proofing Time
COOK TIME45-50 Minutes
SERVES12-14 Full Slices, One Large Loaf
TOTAL TIME8 Hours, 45 Minutes

INGREDIENTS:

  • 100g active sourdough starter
  • 25g freeze-dried beetroot powder
  • 400g bread flour
  • 355g water
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • Handful of thyme sprigs, leaves removed

METHOD:

  1. When your sourdough starter is ripe and bubbly, measure out 100 grams. Place starter in a large bowl with water, beet powder and mix with a dough whisk until well mixed. The liquid should be evenly colored and a deep red (add slightly more beet powder if you want to adjust the color).
  2. Add the bread flour, salt, and thyme leaves, mix to form a shaggy dough. Cover with a tea towel and leave for an hour at room temperature.
  3. Begin the stretch and folds: with the dough still in the bowl, pick up one edge of the dough with two hands, lift it up and stretch it over the dough, pressing it down on the opposite side. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat, continuing until you have done it 4 times. The final stretch will feel tighter than the others. Cover and leave another 45-1 hour. Repeat, doing stretch and folds 4 times over 3-4 hours. After this, leave the bowl at room temperature, covered, until the dough is puffy and at least doubled in size. 
  4. Tip the dough onto a bench lightly dusted with rice flour. Using a bench scraper or your hands, gently shape dough into a rough ball. To build surface tension, pick up small sections of dough from opposite sides of the ball and fold them underneath the dough. Continue folding around the entire ball until the surface feels smooth and tight.
  5. Turn the dough so the smooth side is facing up. Using your pinky fingers to guide the dough, gently pull the edges toward you while rotating the ball 90° after each pull. Repeat this pulling and rotating motion until the dough forms a tight, smooth ball.
  6. Place the shaped dough seam-side up in a well-floured banneton and refrigerate overnight.
  7. When ready to bake, preheat your Krustic Dutch oven in the oven at 450°F for an hour.
  8. Remove the dough from the fridge, place seam side down onto the Silicone Transfer Mat and dust the top with rice flour. Score as desired, leaving one long line for an expansion score.
  9. Place it in the preheated Dutch oven for 25 minutes, remove the lid then continue cooking for a further 20-25 minutes until crunchy and browned all over. 
  10. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool at least an hour before slicing into pieces and eating with butter and honey.
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GALLERY:

NOTES:

  • If the dough is too sticky to handle, use slightly damp hands and tools to do stretch and folds. Try not to add any more flour as this can lessen the color and make the dough too dense.
  • If you’d rather use fresh beets, you can substitute the powder for 1 cup cooked mashed beets. Be sure to reduce the water by 50 grams to 305 grams and increase flour only if necessary.
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