Ingredients
Method
- Prepare the Starter (leaven) by mixing all ingredients together the night before you intend to bake and leave it on a kitchen counter covered with kitchen paper.
- Now, if you prepared your starter, have fed it correctly and have your sponge (dough), you are ready to start baking Sourdough Bread.
- Using a mixing bowl add Flour, Water and your Sponge, omitting the salt. Leave it for 1 hour to fully hydrate (Autolyse).
- Now, add the Salt and mix it with the dough - this will dehydrate the mixture.
- Work the dough in the bowl. If it needs more flour or water, now is the time to adjust it: your mixture should be sticky and loose enough for you to pull it from the bowl.
- Now, you start stretching it and tucking it under while rotating the bowl. Do this 5 times, turning the bowl.
- Then, cover your bowl with a damp cloth and leave it to rest for approx. 45 minutes. Repeat the process 5 to 7 times. This is called bulk proofing.The dough will change it’s characteristics and become manageable, silky and smooth.After this stage, cover your bowl and put it in the refrigerator overnight.
- In the morning, shape your dough by folding it in the middle and rolling it to create tension, then put it in a well-floured proving basket.Cover it and leave it to rise for at least 4 hours (or overnight in the refrigerator).
- Turn it out of the bowl onto a non-stick baking paper and score the surface of the dough.Lift it with the paper and put it into a heated baking stone or cast iron dish/casserole and spray with water.
- Cover with a lid (if using a casserole) and cook your bread in a pre-heated oven at 230 degrees for 20 minutes. Then, take off the lid and cook it for another 20 minutes until golden and sounding hollow when tapped.You should now have a delicious sourdough loaf.
Notes
You can also double the doses and make three medium sized loaves instead of a bigger one.
You can freeze your bread and enjoy it another day.