Sourdough Bread

Starter

I always remember the aroma of homemade bread at my grandmother's house, which gave me such a sense of happiness and warmth. Making my own sourdough bread makes my home warm and welcoming, just like hers.

Serving size

2 loaves

Difficulty

Medium

Ingredients

— 570g water — 200g sourdough starter (that passes the float test) — 455g organic flour — 17g salt

Cooking Time

40–45 min 72h preparation

Intensity

–

Allergens

Gluten

Method

1. In a large bowl, mix the water with the sourdough starter and whisk. Add the flour and mix with a spatula until there are no dry lumps.

This forms the dough. Allow to rest for 1 hour.

2. After 1 hour, sprinkle some salt on top of the dough and mix it in with wet hands.

3. Start to stretch and fold over the 4 corners of the dough and allow to rest for a further 30 minutes. Repeat the folding and resting 4-5 times until you reach a total of 5-6 folds. This process should take about 2.5-3 hours.

4. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for an additional 1 hour after the final fold.

5. Cover the bowl with a lid or cling film and place in the refrigerator for 12-22 hours to get the first rise.

6. Remove the dough from the fridge and place it on a surface, lightly dusted with flour. Split the dough, form it into two balls (two loaves), and allow to rest for 20-30 minutes.

7. Once rested, shape the dough into two round balls by gently cupping your hands around the dough and rolling it on the counter, creating surface tension.

8. Generously dust a tea towel with flour and line it in a medium-sized bowl. 9. Add one ball of dough into the bowl, bottom side up, and dust with flour. Fold the corners of the tea towel to cover the dough. Repeat the process with the second ball of dough and place both in the fridge for 3-4 hours, allowing them to rise.

10. Preheat the oven to 250°C approximately 45 minutes before baking the bread and place a

Dutch oven dish with the lid inside to heat up.

11. Put the dough onto some parchment paper and gently dust it with some flour. Now score the surface of the dough with a serrated knife.

12. Remove the Dutch oven dish from the preheated oven and add the dough and parchment paper into it. Be careful as the dish will be very hot.

13. Cover with the lid and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

14. Remove the lid and bake for a further 10–15 minutes until the loaf is deep brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

15. Put the loaf on a cooling rack and allow to cool for 1-2 hours.

16. Once cooled, slice and enjoy.