My Perfect Sourdough
Making sourdough bread is a two day process so I have included timings for the actual work involved. I use a cast iron round casserole dish, like Le Creuset, but a Pyrex style glass dish with lid would work just as well.
Equipment
- Casserole Dish with Lid
Ingredients
- 600 g strong flour
- 325 ml water
- 10 tbsps sourdough starter
- 10 g salt
Instructions
Day 1 - 8am – The Sponge (3 minutes)
- Put 300g flour, all the water and sourdough starter in a large bowl.
- Mix together with a spoon.
- Cover and leave for 10-12 hours.
Day 1 - 8pm
- Add the remaining 300g flour and the salt.
- Use your hands to incorporate the flour and salt into the Sponge. (3 minutes)
- Turn the dough out on to a floured board
Stretch and Fold
- Gently shape the dough into a sausage.
- Visually divide the sausage dough into three parts.
- Fold the left hand third into the middle of the remaining two thirds.
- Fold the right hand third over the other two, so that you have three layers of dough.
- Give the dough a half turn.
- Repeat the Stretch & Fold 3 or 4 times. (5 minutes)
- Leave for 30 minutes.
- Repeat 1-6 of the Stretch and Fold (5 minutes)
- Leave for 30 minutes.
- Repeat 1-6 of the Stretch and Fold (5 minutes)
- Leave for 30 minutes.
- Repeat 1-6 of the Stretch and Fold (5 minutes)
- After the final Stretch and Fold shape the dough into a ball and dust with flour.
- Put the ball of dough in a floured bowl.
- Cover and leave overnight.
Day 2 – 8am
- Put a casserole dish with lid in the oven and turn heat to highest setting.
- Leave for 30 minutes.
- Take the casserole dish out of the oven, sprinkle a little flour inside and then put the dough in. Put the lid back on and return to the oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove lid and bake for further 5 minutes to brown the top.