Simple Sourdough

This is a really simple sourdough recipe that requires very few ingredients. I have had great success altering this base recipe to turn it into spiced fruit loaf, garlic olive and herb loaf and a maple syrup, coffee and date loaf.

I will go into these variations in an upcoming video soon.

To watch how to make my Sourdough- my youtube video is linked here:

For my basic sourdough recipe you will need an active starter. You can make one yourself, rehydrate a dehydrated one or feed someone else's 'discard starter' to be active and fed.

I usually feed my starter a few hours before making this loaf. Time is everything when it comes to this sourdough. So be patient. :)

Simple Sourdough ( for one loaf)

INGREDIENTS:

100 g ACTIVE sourdough starter (so feed the starter a few hours before starting to make the dough.

300 g water (non-chlorinated)

10 g Salt

10 g Sugar/ or/ honey

500 g Bakers Flour ( all purpose plain flour can be substituted if need be.)

METHOD:

1. Using electric scales that measure precisely to the ml, weigh your stater and water into a large bowl.

2. Mix together with a wooden spoon (or spurtle, as I use) or dough whisk to combine.

3. Add Flour, salt and sugar and mix together to create a 'shaggy' dough. I use my hands to try and combine as much of the flour into the wet ingredients.

4. cover bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour (TIMING IS EVERYTHING)

5. After the hour is up, working around the outside of the dough, lift from the edge and fold over to the centre- continue working around the bowl doing this with the dough.

6. cover the dough again and rest for 15 Mins, before repeating this process, stretching the dough as much as you can before it begins to 'tear' with each 'stretch'

7. Continue this stretch and folding process with 15min rest times for the next 1-2 hours or until the dough seems nice and pliable.

8. Form your now pliable dough into a tight ball and rest (seam side down) in your bowl, covered as before for 5 hours (this is the bulk proving and I have found my sourdough success or failure comes from this proving timing. I have been successful proving for 3hours min to 5 hours max, with 5 hours being the optimum time).

9. After the bulk proving time, lightly dust your work surface with a little rice flour, also generously dust your proving basket/towel inside a basket with the rice flour to avoid sticking.

10. Gently ease the dough from the bowl onto the floured surface, ensuring the top of the dough lands face down onto the flour.

11. using a dough scraper, you want to ease the dough into a ball and gently place it into your prelined/ pre floured basket, with the smooth 'top of the dough' being in the base of the basket and the seam facing up.

12. working around the edges of the dough, gently pull the sides into the centre and stick down into itself. this creates a tight dough ball and keeps the end result neat and tidy.

13. wrap the neatly 'sewn up' dough with a clean kitchen towel and place into the fridge overnight (12 hours minimum. You can leave the dough in the fridge for 12 hrs to 3 days. the longer the dough sits in the fridge the more sour the flavour profile will be.) The fridge is where the fermentation occurs- giving sourdough its 'health properties".

14. To bake your sourdough:

preheat your oven to a HOT 240*Celcius, with a dutch oven inside. Once the oven reaches temperature, remove the dough from the fridge (dont do this until the oven is at temp.)

15. place a piece of baking/parchment paper on your work surface and gently sprinkle with more rice flour.

16. gently tip the sourdough (seam side down) onto the parchment paper and smooth over any lumps of rice flour.

17. using a bread lame or razor blade, GENTLY scour your loaf in any design you like. Cutting at least one deeper scour through the length of your loaf will allow expansion in the oven and keep your design in tact.

18. carefully place your dough into the dutch oven (keeping it on the parchement paper) and pop the lid on the dutch oven.

19. Lower your oven temp to 220*

This is where I lower my oven temp to 220*C , but your oven may be hotter or cooler than mine so experimentation on oven temps will be required to work our your exact temperatures.

Bake for 45 mins. then remove (careful everything is HOT at this point) and allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 3 hours- This is difficult, but cutting into your loaf too soon will result in a gummy loaf.

20. ENJOY

* Sourdough can be sliced and stored in the freezer for use at any time.

* If you make sourdough as often as I do, and you have left over 'stumps' that don't get eaten, don't waste them, they make perfect breadcrumbs.