Sourdough Bread

I love making sourdough bread. The thought of eating something that is naturally fermented makes me so happy. It's kinder to my tummy and the taste is unreal. This is a recipe and method I have tried and tested over a few years now.

Nutty, Naturally fermented, tasty sourdough bread

Ingredients:

For Levain

30g sourdough starter*
60g strong plain bread flour
60g water

For Dough

300g water
300g strong white flour
200g Spelt or malted or seeded flour (you can use all white flour if you wish)
10g salt

Sourdough 'Mother' Starter: I will add a separate post on making a starter. Once you have a starter, you will need to keep it in the fridge and 'feed' it once a week with equal amounts of flour and water. So you will need 30g of your raw starter to make your sourdough each week.

Method:

Make the Levain: The first part of the process is called making the 'levain'. I like to make mine first thing in the morning so I can make my bread the same day.

In a clean, glass jar mix 30g of your ripe sourdough starter with 60g water and 60g strong plain flour and stir well.

Just a note here - make sure your sourdough starter has been recently fed, ideally the day before.

Loosely cover the levain with a lid (or you could use clingfilm with a few little holes punched in) and pop into the oven (with just the oven light on, no heat). You don't want to cook it! Leave the door to the oven ajar so it doesn't get too hot. If you are making this in a warm room or during summer - you can just leave it out on the worktop.

Make your dough: When your levain has doubled in size and is nice and bubbly, it should be ready to use. You can check whether it's ready by dropping a little into water. If it floats, it's ready.

In a large mixing bowl, add 300g water (I use warm water from the tap) and then add your levain. Mix well, then add the flours and 10g salt (don't forget the salt - I've forgotten a few times and it doesn't taste nice!). I like to get my hands in at this stage and give it a little mix until flour has just been incorporated. Cover tightly with cling film and pop it back into your oven with the light on and door ajar.

Stretch and folds: You are now going to start the stretch and fold process to develop the gluten and incorporate air. This is an alternative method to kneading. I've tried both ways and this method works best. Just watch my reel on how to do this if you are not sure. Wet your hands a little and pull and stretch each side of the dough upwards and then fold across. Do this on all 4 sides. Repeat this folding SIX times at 30-minute intervals and then leave in your oven to rest for the final two hours until the dough has bulked up and is soft and springy.

Shaping: After bulking, gently coax the dough from the bowl with your fingers (wet your fingers with water so it doesn't stick).

Shape your dough into a boule shape by pulling the dough towards you (see reel). Don't use any flour on your work surface because you want to create some tension in the dough.

Turn your dough so the top (best) side is on the bottom of the banneton. So flip it over carefully. A banneton is a proving basket that you can buy on Amazon). I like to use rice flour as this is the best for not sticking. The seam of the dough might want to open up, so use your fingers to pinch the seam together. Don't worry too much if it opens up - it will still taste lovely, you just might have some big holes!

Final Proving: Cover the dough with lightly oiled clingfilm and make sure you have it tightly covered. Place in the fridge overnight, ready to bake the next morning.

The next morning....

Scoring: For best results bake your bread in a dutch oven, which is a large enamel pot with a lid. You can bake on a baking tray or a baking stone, but I find the dutch oven gives the best rise and texture.

Preheat your oven to 240C (fan oven) and place the dutch oven and lid in the oven to heat for an hour. Handle with extreme care. Don't skip this bit!

Wet some baking paper and scrunch it up (makes it easier to move the dough in/out of the dutch oven). Place the paper onto a large flat baking tray. Turn out your dough out of the banneton carefully onto the tray. If you have floured your banneton well, it shouldn't stick.

Smooth the top of your dough with any excess rice flour or dust the top of the dough with extra strong plain flour and smooth gently with your hand. Adding the flour gives a nice crust and a lovely contrast with the score marks that you are going to do next.

Now you will need to use a sharp blade or lame (you can order one with your banneton) to score deep lines about a half-inch deep into the top of your dough. This will allow the bread to expand and rise as it bakes. You can also use a sharp knife but you don't want to drag the knife through the dough otherwise it might deflate the dough. When you get more experienced, you can start getting creative with your designs. I tend to do just a cross for speed and it seems to give me the best result.

Carefully lift the paper with the dough into your dutch oven. Be very careful not to burn your hands (remember the pan is super hot!).