Easy Sourdough Recipe
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
This is a super easy recipe that hopefully demystifys making process of making a delicious sourdough loaf.
Author:
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • Ingredients:
  • 150g active, fed starter
  • 350g water, tepid, preferably filtered
  • 500g strong bread flour
  • 10g sea salt
  • fine polenta or cornmeal for dusting
  • .
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the water and sourdough starter, then mix in the flour and salt until it forms a rough dough. Cover with cling film and leave for an hour. This is the autolyse period. Basically this hydrates the flour and starts breaking it down and starts to build gluten.
  2. For the next 2 hours, every 30 minutes, grab a portion of the dough, stretch and pull it upwards and then fold it over to the other side of the bowl and tuck under. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat until you have done it 4 times and the bowl has gone around 1 full turn, cover with cling film and repeat 4 times over the 2 hours.
  3. On the final turn, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size. Be patient, this will depend on the strength of your starter and how warm the ambient temperature is.
  4. Once doubled in size, tip onto the work surface and gently fold it into a ball, pulling each side into the middle. Do not worry about knocking the air out before you do this. Flip the ball over, cup your hands either side of the dough and gently turn the ball a quarter of a turn, tightening the dough. Repeat 3 or 4 times to get a nice tension on the dough. Do not worry too much as the fridge trick will help later.
  5. Liberally flour the bread proving basket and pop the ball of dough in it seam side up. Oil some cling film and lay it on top.
  6. Allow to proof until double in size and pop in the fridge overnight.
  7. In the morning, preheat the oven for at least 30 mins at 240c (220c Fan) with the Dutch oven in the oven.
  8. When the oven has been preheated, remove the dough from the fridge. Cut a circle of baking parchment larger than the loaf and scrunch it up then flatten out.
  9. Sprinkle the base of the loaf with polenta, lay the baking parchment on top, then place a tray on top of that.
  10. Flip everything over carefully and allow the dough to gently release from the proving basket. Slash the top with a serrated knife.
  11. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven, remove the lid (carefully it will be red hot), pick up the loaf on the baking parchment and drop it into the Dutch oven. Replace the lid and put it in the oven for 20 mins. After 20 minutes, remove the lid and bake for a further 30-40 minutes, depending on how dark you like the crust.
  12. Remove from the oven and carefully take the loaf out of the Dutch oven. I use a couple of spatulas and cool on a wire rack.
  13. It is best to let it cool thoroughly before cutting.
Recipe by Cluck, Muck & Cook at http://cluckmuckcook.co.uk/easy-sourdough-recipe/