Darth Vader Sourdough

The lovely Darth Vader, after the Empire Struck Back, invited me over to "Eat Bread With Me". I have to say that he was mysteriously polite and well mannered and - you will be as surprised as I was - an excellent cook. Aside from all the macaroons, fancy cakes and superb tea, he had made, especially surprising for me, the Vader Sourdough Bread (as he calls it).  If we cook mirroring ourselves, what type of bread could be more perfect for him? I shall say that it tasted pretty good but, that I was suspicious about the sand like texture that I felt from bite to bite, but, hey, he told me to rest assured that charcoal is, indeed, a wonderful detox agent. As he said this, I could not help but wonder what type of detox it did on him. Did it remove his Dark Side or what?

Nevertheless, as sweet as he was, he handed over this priceless recipe and now it is yours: 

Ingredients For Starter:

• 36 g of Mother Starter  
• 50 g of Filtered Water 
• 10 g of Whole Wheat Flour
• 40 g of Bread Flour
• Total 136g 

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Manually it should take  about 6 minutes, the dough will be very sticky. By mixer, mix on lowest speed until all ingredients are well incorporated and increase to next speed for about 2 minutes. If it is not a sticky ball at the end, adjust water or flour. Leave it covered at room temperature for 6 to 10 hours or until it nearly doubles in size. 

Final Ingredients:  

• 136 g of starter (total previously made)
• 218 g of Filtered Water
• 20   g of Whole Wheat Flour
• 320 g of Bread Flour
• 7     g of Salt 
• 9     g of Edible Charcoal Powder
• Total 701g

Combine water with charcoal than with flour and mix into a well incorporated dough, let it rest for 20 to 60 minutes (autolyse).

After autolyse is done, add salt and the starter and mix for about 2 minutes at low speed and then about another  3 at next speed up. If doing it by hand it should take about 8 minutes. The dough should be very sticky: don't add flour. 

Let dough bulk rest for 2 and half hours doing 4 stretch and folds every 30 minutes. 

Degas the dough gently, pre-shape and let it rest for 30 minutes covered with plastic wrap. Make the final shape and let it proof for about 2 and half hours or until you can press your finger in the dough and it slowly rises back.

Bake at 440ºF in a  preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Use steam the first 15 minutes. If using a dutch oven, bake covered for 25 minutes and uncovered for the remaining time.

Let it cool in a cooling rack and enjoy it!  

P.S.  In real life the bread looks darker then the photo and the truth is that you can combine 1Tbs of edible charcoal powder to any of your favorite recipes to achieve similar results.