Sourdough Bread

Freshly baked sourdough bread—a rustic loaf that speaks of time, patience, and the alchemy of simple ingredients. Made with just flour, water, salt, and a living sourdough starter, each boule captures the essence of natural fermentation: a golden, crackling crust that gives way to a tender, chewy crumb shot through with tangy, complex flavor.

Ingredients:

• 800g strong white flour
• 10g salt
• 460ml water
• 320g sourdough starter

Directions:

1. Add the flour to a clean mixing bowl. Mix the salt through the flour. Add the water and sourdough starter to the flour. Combine all the ingredients together to form a rough dough.
2. Turn the dough out on to a clean surface and knead for approximately 10 minutes or until the windowpane effect has been achieved. The dough should be smooth, soft and elastic.
3. When kneading, do not worry if the dough is slightly wet or sticky. Resist the temptation to add any extra flour.
4. Return the dough to the mixing bowl, cover with cling film and allow the dough to prove for 4 hours at room temperature.
5. After 4 hours turn the dough onto a clean work surface and knock the dough back. Knocking back the dough simple involves knocking the air from the dough which helps to equalise the temperature within the dough.
6. Form the dough into a tight round ball.

Prove and bake using a proving basket:

1. Prepare a proving basket by lightly dusting with flour. Place the dough, seamed side facing up, into the proving basket. Loosely cover the proving basket with a clean tea towel and leave to prove for another 3 – 3½ hours.
2. Alternatively, to prove overnight for baking first thing in the morning, place into a fridge and leave overnight.
3. Using a fridge reduces the temperature of the dough allowing it to prove slower and longer which allows for a greater development of flavour within the dough but also increasing its digestibility. As dough ferments or proves the gluten within the dough breaks down. The longer a dough is allowed to prove the more flavour it will contain and the easier it is for your body to digest.
4. To bake, preheat your oven to 230°C / 210°C fan assisted (445°F) Place a shallow baking tray into the bottom of the oven to preheat with the oven.
5. Carefully turn your dough out from the proving basket onto a baking tray dusted with flour (the domed side with the indentations from the proving basket should now be facing up and the seamed side on the baking tray).
6. Using a sharp knife cut the surface of the dough, this is what is known as the baker’s signature. The dough can be cut up to ½ cm deep. (This isn’t just for aesthetics, scoring the bread also helps control where and how it rises while baking)
7. Boil a kettle of water then pour the boiled water into the dish that was preheated in the bottom of the oven, this will create steam in the oven while baking.
8. Place the baking tray with the sourdough into the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a good crust has formed and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the base.