BIROTES SALADOS (MEXICAN SOURDOUGH BREAD)

Steps:

• Starter Build
• Mix the ingredients for the birote sourdough starter 3-4 hours before you plan to mix your dough. If you need a longer build time, use less starter and replace with more flour and water (e.g. 40 grams sourdough starter, 30 grams water and 30 grams additional flour).
• Cover and let the starter ripen somewhere warm until it is at least doubled in size.
• Final Dough Mixing
• Combine all the dough ingredients in a large bowl, including the ripe sourdough starter, and mix until everything is well incorporated, then cover.
• Over the next hour, do three sets of stretching and folding of the dough with 20-minute rests in between. After just the first round, the dough should feel cohesive with almost nothing coming off on your hands. If it's somehow very wet still and not holding together, add a 30g (1/4 cup) more flour.
• When the dough has almost doubled in size, scrape it out onto a well floured work surface.
• Shaping
• Divide the dough into five (237g) or six (197g) pieces, and roll each piece into a ball.
• Let the dough briefly rest while you flour your linen couche or tea towel where the dough will proof.
• Flip over a dough ball and pinch it into an oval, then roll it into a tapered tube. If it still feels loose, stitch the tube tighter and then re-roll it. You can see a short video of this below.
• Place the shaped dough seam-side up on the couch and fold the linen a bit to give the dough side support. Repeat with all the dough pieces and then cover with the couche or another tea towel.
• Final Proof and Baking
• Let the dough proof for about one hour while you prep your oven.
• Put a stone, steel, or baking sheet on your oven's middle shelf. If you have a large roasting pan, plan to use it over your dough and stone for steam. If not, put an aluminum pan with a pinhole poked into it on the oven shelf under the stone. This creates a drip system for steam. When making the pinhole, test over your sink that water drips through it about 1-2 drops a second.
• Preheat your oven set-up to 500°F for 30 minutes.
• Place a sheet of parchment paper on an upside down or rimless baking sheet.
• When oven preheat and final proof are complete, boil a cup of water in the microwave if you're doing the drip pan.
• Flip the birotes onto the parchment paper and score them down the center and at a slight ~60° angle (as opposed to 90°).
• Slide the parchment sheet onto your hot stone. Immediately pour the cup of boiling water onto the aluminum pan below or place the inverted roasting pan over your dough, and close the oven door to trap the steam.
• Bake for 10 minutes at 500°F (with the roasting pan over the dough if using).
• Turn the oven temperature down to 475°F (remove the roasting pan) and bake another 10 minutes. Rotate the baguettes if needed to get even browning.
• Turn off the oven and prop open the door with a wooden spoon for an additional 10 minutes.
• The birotes can be left out for 1-2 days, after which it's best to wrap them to keep them from hardening and toast them before eating to re-crisp the crust. You can also wrap and then bag them to freeze as soon as they've cooled completely. Defrosting info can be found here.