Pink Valentine’s Day themed Sourdough bread

 Happy Valentine’s Day! Today I want to share a sourdough bread that I recently did for Valentine’s Day. Using sweet potato powder, you can turn your bread pinkish purple without using any artificial coloring. It’s really beautiful and doesn’t affect the taste. I love doing different kinds of sourdoughs and this one is really cool! I used my sourdough recipe, but you could also use any you feel comfortable with.

Ingredients

475 g or 3 1/2 cups All-purpose flour

100 g or 1/2 cup Starter, active and bubbly 

325 g or 1 1/3 cups Water 

10 g or 2 teaspoons Salt

10 g or 2 teaspoons Sweet Potato Powder

Instructions

1. Feed a sourdough starter 4-12 hours before starting the dough, ensuring it is active and bubbly.
2. Combine warm water, active starter, salt, and flour with a wooden spoon or even just your hands in a large mixing bowl. 
3. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and allow to rest for 30 minutes for the water to hydrate the flour. 

Stretch And Fold

1. Grab the edge of the dough and pull up stretching it out as you pull upwards. This may be difficult and you may need to kind of bounce the dough to get it to stretch. Place dough that is in your hands back into the center. Turn the bowl about a quarter turn and complete another stretch and fold. Repeat two more times. This is considered one round.
2. Thirty minutes later, complete another round of stretch and folds. Just do this every 15-30 minutes.
3. Cover with a lid, damp towel, or plastic wrap. I also grease that bowl so it is easier to get out the following morning. Let the dough bulk ferment in a warm place, i put it up somewhere high. Leave it there over night or 6-12 hours.

Shape

1. Scrap the dough out of the bowl  the dough on a clean work surface that has been lightly dusted with flour. Fold the dough onto itself and roll up. Then shape into a ball by gently spinning it toward you.
2. Optional - Let the dough sit out for 15-20 minutes uncovered. This prevents the dough from sticking to the tea towel during the overnight rise. 
3. Turn over and shape. I do this by folding the two sides over to meet in the middle, pinch together and then repeat on the other two sides. This creates surface tension which helps give it more oven spring (a good rise).
4. Transfer to a floured banneton or bowl with a floured tea towel (typically floured with rice flour, this is not necessary and all-purpose will work just fine) seam side up. 
5. Cover with plastic or place in a plastic bag and tie the ends. Let the dough rest for 12-15 hours in the refrigerator. You can also let the bread rise at room temperature for 3-4 hours. I like using the longer rise time in the refrigerator because it is easier to score and feel like the oven spring is better.

Bake

1. Preheat Dutch oven at 500 degrees 
2. Remove dough from fridge and place on parchment paper 
3. Dust with flour and score 
4. Place dough into Dutch oven and put the lid on. Bake for 20 minutes with lid on. 
5. Remove lid with oven mitts and bake for another 15-20 minuets until golden brown. 

Please let me know if you try this recipe and how it turned out!