Sourdough Bread
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Sourdough

by Ian R•

I was lucky enough to be gifted with a set of breadmaking equipment and a fantastic sourdough starter for a big birthday, and since then I’ve been regularly making loaves to both gift and enjoy. The process takes time, which I rather like, given the fast-paced nature of life these days.

Caring for your Starter

Each day care for your starter by discarding half the starter – you can use this for pancakes or other products, followed by feeding the starter with 40 grams of Strong White (Bread) Flour and 40 ml of room temperature water.

TIP: Use room temperature water and ideally water which has been sitting for a little while to let the chlorine disperse.

Ingredients

  • 50 g Sourdough Starter
  • 350g Water
  • 500g Strong White Flour
  • 9g Flaked / Course Sea Salt
  • Fine Semolina, for dusting

Equipment

  • Large Mixing Bowl
  • Tea Towel
  • Large lid, shower cap or clingfilm to cover the bowl
  • Dough Scraper
  • Baking Parchment
  • (Optional) Banneton
  • Lame (careful with the blade!) or Sharp Knife
  • Enamel Roaster (with lid) or Deep Cast Iron Casserole Dish
  • (Optional) Water Spray Bottle
  • Cooling Rack

Method

  1. Start at least one hour before bed.
  2. Measure 50g starter (it should be very bubbly) into a large mixing bowl.
  3. Add 350g of room temperature water.
  4. Add 500g Strong White Flour.
  5. Add 9g Salt.
  6. Mix together with a clean hand until combined. Clean off any excess dough from your hand.
  7. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
  8. Uncover and knead for around a minute.
  9. Cover the bowl with a lid, shower cap, or cling film (leave a bit of space for expansion).
  10. Leave to rest overnight.
  11. Dust your worktop with fine semolina. (You can use flour, but be careful as this can dry things out too much).
  12. Using a flat spatula / dough scraper, scrape under the right side of the dough, stretch it up and fold over the middle.
  13. Repeat with the left side of the dough.
  14. Repeat with the bottom side of the dough.
  15. Repeat with the top side of the dough.
  16. This should enclose the sticky centre, leaving you with a semolina coated outside, which is much easier to handle.
  17. Form into a loose ball.
  18. Dust with semolina.
  19. Cover and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
  20. Shape your loaf by pinching up from each side into the centre to form a seam and an oval / circular loaf.
  21. Pre-heat your oven to 230°C (with fan).
  22. If you have a banneton:
    1. Dust with semolina.
    1. Gently transfer to the (fabric) lined banneton seam side up.
    1. Leave to prove for 30-60 minutes.
    1. Gently turn out onto a sheet of baking parchment, seam side down.
  23. If you don’t have a banneton:
    1. Gently transfer to a sheet of baking parchment, seam side down.
    1. Leave to prove for 30-60 minutes.
  24. Using a lame or sharp knife, score the bread. A single centre slash is standard, but you can experiment with designs.
  25. Lift the sides of the baking parchment and lower into your roaster / casserole dish.
  26. Spritz with Water.
  27. Cover with the lid and place in the oven. Reduce the temperature to 230°C (with fan).
  28. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
  29. Remove the lid from the pot – beware of hot steam! The loaf should be well risen and starting to brown.
  30. Return to the oven (uncovered) for a further 15-20 minutes.
  31. Remove from the oven and place the loaf on a cooling rack.
  32. Allow to cool completely before slicing.