Sourdough bread

Sourdough starter

1. Day 1: Mix 20 g of flour and 20 g of water in a jar. Cover the jar with a lid, but not tightly – just place the lid on top of the jar.

2. Days 2 through 6: Add 20 g of flour and 20 g of water to the mixture in the jar, and mix it once a day.

3. On day 3, sourdough activity should be visible in the form of bubbles, with a pleasant sour aroma.

4. On day 5, the sourdough is ready to be used. Now you can take 20 g of the starter to make the bread, and put the rest of it back in the fridge.

5. Maintain your starter by feeding it every once in a while with a flour and water mixture.

Levain

1. In a high jar, mix the sourdough starter, flour and water.

2. Leave the mixture on the kitchen counter until it doubles in volume.

3. The easiest way to monitor its rising is to mark the initial level of the starter with a rubber band around the jar.

Dough and rest

1. Mix flour, salt and water in a bowl and leave it covered for 15 minutes.

2. Mix in the levain.

3. Knead the dough well, for about 10 minutes. It’s best for a kitchen robot to do the job.

1. Cover the bowl and leave it to prove in a warm spot in the kitchen, allowing the dough to double in volume.

2. After proving, the dough needs to be stretched and folded from all corners to strengthen the gluten. First stretch the dough outwards with your fingers, then fold it over the upper part of the dough.

3. Put the dough back into the bowl, cover it and wait for it to double in volume again.

1. Turn the dough over onto a flour-dusted surface.

2. Stretch the edge of the dough out from the left and right, folding it over the top of the dough, then gently pull the dough from the lower side and roll it up.

3. Place the rolled dough, with the seam side up, into a thoroughly flour-dusted proving basket.

4. Work your way along the entire seam, pinching and slightly turning the top of the dough with two fingers.

1. Cover the basket with a clear shower cap and place it in the fridge.

2. Let the dough rest in the cold overnight.

Shaping and baking

1. Place a large lid-covered cast iron pot into the oven and heat it for at least 45 minutes at 240ºC.

2. Tip the cold dough straight from the fridge onto parchment paper.

3. Sprinkle a bit of flour over the top and gently brush it around.

4. Make a 2 cm deep cut along the entire length of the dough using a razor or very sharp knife at an angle.

5. The cut should be a few centimeters away from the top of the dough.

6. If you want, you can cut a pattern of your choice into the surface of the dough.

7. Carefully uncover the heated pot and gently place the parchment paper with the dough inside, holding the paper at two ends.

8. Put the lid back on and return the pot to the oven.

9. Bake the bread for 15 minutes at 240ºC in the covered pot, then remove the lid and lower the temperature to 200ºC. Bake for a further 25 minutes.

1. After baking, immediately transfer the bread onto a cooling rack and wait for it to cool.

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