Sourdough bread

Who doesn't love the smell of freshly baked Sourdough? Now you can make all kinds of Sourdough creations using my simple recipe. No need for fancy equipment,  just utilise what you already have in your kitchen. 

A cast iron Dutch Oven is a great addition to your kitchen if you don't already have one,  but a simple casserole with a lid or even just a couple of loaf tins (use one inverted as a lid) work equally as well.
Just 3 ingredients - flour, salt and water.

Don't forget the love. You'll notice when you watch my YouTube tutorial, I use simple terms and keep the mixing process straightforward as well. You just need to allocate time and a little patience. 

Happy Baking love Liz x

50g sourdough starter
350g water - from the tap
500g plain flour
10g salt

• Firstly, you will have to make sure your starter is "fed" and active.

• This means, the night before or early in the morning you will need to "feed" your starter with 50g plain flour and 50g water.

• It's ready to use when it doubles in size and has tiny bubbles all over the top. Another way of testing it is doing the "float test Basically, fill up a glass with water, take a tiny bit and if it floats, then its ready to go.

Fruit Loaf Version

Add these Ingredients into the 'Master Recipe'

Add

1 full teaspoon each of Ground Ginger Cinnamon Mixed Spice

Nutmeg 1 teaspoon

Vanilla Extract

200g Dried Fruit ( I use 100g Dates for sweetness and 100g Mixed Fruit)

Plus 50g water for each loaf as the fruit is very thirsty and will dry your loaf out if you don't add extra.

I add 12 Dried Apricots when I shape
the loaf.

Mix all of these together roughly, cover and let sit on the bench for one hour.
Gently grab a side of the dough and fold to the centre, stretching the dough at the same time, continue all around the dough until it forms a nice ball. This usually takes about 20 folds. Cover and leave for 30 minutes.

Perform the same folding technique, stretch and fold, four or five times around the dough ... cover and leave for 30 minutes. Do this step three more times. This is helping the gluten to form.
Once the dough is holding a nice ball shape after the last "stretch and fold'. just leave on the bench to prove.

Depending on the temperature in your home, this can take as little as 4 hours or if you started mixing later in the day and its cold, you can leave it out overnight. (This is also when its ready to use as PIZZA BASE) You will notice big bubbles forming on the surface, this is a great sign and probably ready to shape into a loaf.

• Tip out the dough onto a floured surface and shape into a round ball, tucking the bottom under with each turn, kind of use your left hand to tuck, as you turn anticlockwise with your right hand. This will make sense when you do it!!
Once you are happy with the shape, you need to "TENSION" the dough. Do this by dragging across the bench, turn slightly and drag again. This will make the top of the dough nice and tight. It may have air bubbles come to the surface, that's fine. You can pinch them with your finger to pop any big ones.

• This is when you need your bowl (22cm is perfect) with a tea-towel dusted with rice flour ready. Carefully place your shaped dough, top side down, into the bowl and cover. The rice flour is gluten-free and stops the dough from sticking.

• Put it in the fridge overnight.

• You can leave the dough like this for up to three days. The longer you leave it, the more "sour" it will become.