Sour Dough Bread With Wood Fired Barbecue

SOUR DOUGH WITH WOOD FIRED BARBECUE
By Jay Erickson

The next best thing to having a wood-fired brick oven for baking bread is having the use of a Primo Junior charred-wood burning barbecue.
I have wanted a wood fired brick oven for some time, but haven’t gotten around to building one, so I thought the primo Junior would be a good substitute for my dream oven.
First, I’ll describe the procedure for harvesting natural sour dough and a technique for baking it. Second, a more versatile commercial yeast oat bread using leftover oats from breakfast.
The sourdough starter I use evolves with time. My measuring system is the sense of sight, touch and smell.
I use a ceramic bowl that holds about a gallon. I find a fry pan lid that fits the bowl. You could also use a glass or plastic container. However, I would not recommend using a metal container.
To begin, place 1-cup organic rye flour, 1-cup organic whole-wheat flour,1/8 teaspoon ground cumin,1-Tablespoon whole milk and 3 cups water in your bowl, stir and set aside covered in a warm out of the way area for 48 hours. The yeast you want to cultivate is naturally in this slurry.
After 48 hours discard half of your mixture and replenish with another cup of organic rye and another cup of organic whole-wheat flour and three cups water and returning it to it’s warm secluded area. After twenty-four hours the procedure changes a little. For the next six to eight days, discard two cups of the mixture and replenish with one cup unbleached white flour and one cup water and return the bowl to it’s sanctuary each day. After this stage, your starter should be very active with fermentation after each feeding.
Now we are ready to put together bread dough. I like to use a large stainless steel mixing bowl. With half of your starter in the bowl (don’t forget to replace one cup flour and one cup water to your starter to keep it working for another use.) Also in your bowl add two tablespoons olive oil, and1/2 cup water and three cups unbleached white flour with one-tablespoon sea salt. The dough will undoubtedly need adjusting to form a soft ball that holds its shape using either water or flour. Your dough should be a little sticky requiring a dusting of flour as you knead the dough for eight to ten minutes. You should feel the dough become pliable and elicit as you work the glutens.
I place the dough in a pie tin and generously oil and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit out at room temperature for six to eight hours then place the dough in the refrigerator overnight.
In the morning cut the dough in half and on a floured surface (I use a rye and whole-wheat mixture) shape the loaves by rolling and causing tension on the outer surface but not disturbing the gas bubbles that have formed inside the dough.
Place the loaves on an upside down sheet pan that is generously covered with corn meal. This aids in sliding the loaves onto the hot bricks described latter. Let the loaves rise in a warm location until they double in size. (The loaves size also need to fit within the perimeter of the fire bricks.) With a scoring blade or a sharp serrated knife score the top of your loaves. A sprinkle of flour may help the scores stay open.






The Primo Junior is a double walled ceramic barbecue/ smoker that retains heat and burns chard wood instead of charcoal briquettes, increasing its health value by limiting carcinogens
I ignite the charred wood with a stovepipe type starter with a little kindling and newspaper. Once burning I dump the coals in to the Primo bed and add plenty of charred wood so as to last an hour. You may need to add more between multiple baking.
Replacing the grill racks, I lay firebricks across the top (although a pizza stone would be ideal,) insuring the lid of the cooker closes properly.
By using the top and bottom air vents to control the temperature, heat the cooker to 450 degrees for fifteen minutes. You are now ready to slide your bread loaf/ loaves off the sheet pan and directly onto the firebricks. After doing so open the lid every thirty seconds and spray a mist of water from a spray bottle to insure a nice crust, repeating four times.
Leave the lid closed and bring the temperature back up to 450 degrees for twenty minutes then check your bread, it may need rotating. Close and bake another ten to fifteen minutes, making sure the flue vent doesn’t close on you after opening the lid and causing your temperature to lower.
I like to see three shades of brown on the top of the loaves with the cut edges developing a dark brown. Your loaves are finished when they sound hollow with the thumping of their under side with your finger.

If sourdough sounds like too much of an undertaking, try this oat bread. The steps can fit into a person’s routine making it seem effortless.
The night prior in a three quart bowl, make a slurry with one cup unbleached white flour, one tablespoon dry yeast and a cup of water, stir. Let set out during the night and when you make oatmeal in the morning cook enough to ensure having one and a half cups cooked oats extra. When your oats cool, add to the slurry and stir. It is best to leave this slurry for several hours. After which you start your bread dough by placing the slurry into a large mixing bowl and adding ¼ cup olive oil 1cup water, 3 cups unbleached white flour with 1 1/2 tablespoon sea salt. Adjust the flour and water to make soft dough that holds its shape. Knead for eight to ten minutes on a floured surface. Wet hands aid in handling sticky dough. Let the dough rise a couple of more hours.
Knock the dough down, cut in half and shape. Score tops and let rise until doubled. Bake in Primo Junior or a hot 450-degree oven for thirty minutes with the water spray method.
Now I can enjoy fresh fire baked bread as I decide where to build my permanent wood fired brick oven.