RECIPE: Sourdough Bread

Thanks to Silvia from our Cookery School office for her photos of her first try at baking sourdough during the lockdown

At Cookery School we teach to empower so that everyone has the confidence to replicate recipes again and again at home. We also teach by principle – if you can understand how to make bread, you can make a whole range of different bread using the same principle.

During our time at home, in isolation, these principles have never been more pertinent, when we all need to cook a lot more. We will be sharing simple, home-cooked weekly recipes with you, so that your experience of cooking during Covid-19 is a positive one, with new recipes learnt and delicious dishes enjoyed.

Sourdough bread: basic principles

• The difference between a sourdough starter and commercial yeast is that a starter contains a diverse and slower-acting mixture of yeasts and helpful bacteria. Commercial yeast gives the loaf a quick and relatively predictable rise
• With sourdough baking, the dough typically takes longer to rise
• There are four main stages to making sourdough bread once you have a sourdough starter
• The recipe below is based on a tried and tested recipe by Moro & our friend Dan Lepard also has some great recipes in his book – The Handmade Loaf – more of his tips below

Sourdough loaf
Makes two loaves

Ingredients
900g unbleached organic strong white bread flour
700ml cold water
250g sourdough starter
2 teaspoons fine sea salt

Method
1. In a large bowl, mix the following ingredients together until smooth. Cover and leave
overnight – for about 12 – 15 hours:

• • 450g unbleached organic strong white bread flour
• • 700ml cold water
• • 250g sourdough starter

 

2. The next morning beat in by hand or by machine for about 5 – 10 minutes, until smooth:

• • 450g unbleached organic strong white bread flour’
• • 2 teaspoons fine sea salt

 

3. Rest for another 5 – 10 minutes then beat well again.

4. Oil and flour two bread tins about 22cm x 11cm.

5. Divide the dough between the two tins.

6. Sprinkle well with flour or semolina.

7. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rise until dough has reached top of tin.

8. In a preheated oven 450ºF/230ºC bake the bread for about 45 minutes.

9. Test to see if bread is cooked by tapping the bottom which should sound hollow.

10. Remove bread from tins and allow to cool on cooling rack before cutting.

Dan Lepard’s tips

We spoke to bread expert Dan Lepard who runs our very popular bread making classes  about his tips for making sourdough.

 

Cooking during Covid-19
We have a wealth of experience to share in these unprecedented times if you need help cooking during Coronavirus. We’ll be giving you tips and recipes on using store cupboard ingredients, preserving, pickling & above all making the most of your valuable ingredients & not wasting food. PLEASE let us have YOUR questions and SHARE on Facebook or Instagram what you’ve been cooking & our founder Rosalind will be able to get back to you with answers so we can all learn from each other.

Category
Recipes