Sour Dough Bread

Having a sourdough starter at home is the key to successful artisan baking. If you break it down into simple stages and work it into your routine, you will have the secret ingredient to AMAZING bread. Putting the time and effort into real bread may be a commitment, but it’s worth it. The feeling I get when my family tuck into a fresh, warm sourdough loaf for breakfast is the best, and I want you to experience that too. My top tip would be to make two loaves: one for you and one for a gift.

Prep time: 24 hours, including an overnight prove | Cooking time: 50 minutes | Makes 1 loaf

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE SOURDOUGH STARTER 

50g strong bread flour 

50ml water Combine the flour and water in a jar. 

Stir in 2 tbsp bread flour and 2 tbsp water daily over 8 days. When the mixture starts bubbling, it’s ready to use. Keep refrigerated and feed with equal parts flour and water every week and again before making your bread to activate it. 

FOR THE SOURDOUGH LOAF 

Active sourdough starter (you will need 250g for this recipe) 

400g strong white flour, plus an extra 20g to feed your starter before baking 

310ml water 

100g wholemeal or rye flour 

150g mixed seeds 

10g salt

HERE’S HOW:

Place 20g of strong white flour into your starter with 20ml of water and stir together. Leave the starter to activate for 30 minutes, then weigh 250g into a mixing bowl and add the remaining water. If the sourdough starter floats to the top, then the natural yeast in the starter is active and creating CO2, so the bread will rise. Add all the remaining flours, seeds and salt to the bowl and, using your hands or a dough hook, mix until it forms a soft ball. Cover and leave to rest for 20 minutes. Once rested, mix the dough for a further 5 minutes, cover, and leave to prove for 4 hours to slowly double in size. (This seems like a lot of work, but it’s about creating a steady routine rather than being stuck in the kitchen all day.) Once the dough has doubled in size, scoop it out and press the air out of the mixture. Then, holding the dough with one hand, gently pull the dough away from you and fold it towards yourself. Repeat this process, working your way around the dough to help strengthen your dough and develop a nice, open texture. Turn the dough over and cradle it at 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock positions. Then, turn it in your hands to shape it into a nice, round loaf. Line a mixing bowl, double the size of the dough, with a clean tea towel. Dust the towel with plenty of flour and place the dough on top. Put the dough into the fridge overnight for its final prove. (This slows down the fermentation process and develops the flavour.) The next morning, preheat the oven to 220°c, or its max temperature. (I use a special setting on my AEG oven, which is perfect for baking bread.) Remove the dough from the fridge and lift it out of the bowl using the tea towel. Place it onto a baking tray and score the top using a sharp knife so it develops a good crust. Put it into the oven and pour 100ml of water into the base of the oven, or in an oven tray placed at the bottom, to create steam, which in turn will help develop the classic sourdough crust. Bake the bread for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the loaf from the oven, carefully turn it upside down, and tap the base. A hollow sound means it’s baked; a dull thud means it needs to return to the oven. If the latter, return it to the oven, reduce the heat to 180°c, and bake for a further 10 minutes.