How to make Sourdough Bread

Background

Zillo's Sourdough Bread Recipe

General principle

The secret to good sourdough bread is taking your time, being patient but being on the case when needed.

Once you have a good working sourdough culture (or mother, or starter), the process of making bread is straightforward. You will take a little of your culture and combine it with rye flour and water in a bowl. Once this has risen well you will add salt and caraway seeds, knead it and then let it rise again. You'll repeat this kneading/rising cycle a couple more times, then bake it in a hot oven.

I like to bake my loaves in a cast iron bastable, as this is good for trapping the moisture in the early stage of baking, but you can bake it on a tray or in a tin. But in this latter case be sure to place a tray of water on a lower shelf for this stage.

Once you are comfortable with this method, you will get a feel for it, your understanding and confidence will grow, and you can then experiment!

Nomenclature

• dsp = desertspoonful
• tsp = teaspoonful

Getting the starter going

• Get a bit of starter from a friend or from the moon. Around two dsp is a good amount, in a regular jam jar.
• Add 2 dsp rye flour and mix till creamy.
• Let it grow, watching it. If the temperature is high it will grow quickly.
• Once it is near to filling half the jar, refrigerate it or use it.

Using the starter to make sourdough bread

• Spoon 50g (2 dsp) starter into a bowl.
• Add 140g rye flour.
• Add 160ml water.
• Mix, and leave for 8 - 12 hours. By this time it should have risen well.
• Add 310ml water.
• Add 600g of your chosen flour for the bread.
• Mix gently, not with vigour, and wait 50 minutes.
• Add 2 tsp salt.
• Add 1 tsp caraway seeds.
• Mix gently for 2 minutes.
• Now, give it 5 minutes of deep kneading.
• Let it prove for 50 minutes.
• Fold it over 4x.
• Wait another 50 minutes.
• Fold it over 4x again.
• Have patience for another 50 minute wait!
• Now, cut the dough in half, knead each half a bit and put them into floured/oiled proving containers.
• Let them prove for 2-2½ hours - or more as necessary, dependent on environmental factors; or else let them prove slowly in the fridge for 8-16 hours.
• Half an hour before it should be ready to bake, heat the oven to max. (Gas Mark 9).
• When ready, add a tray of boiling water to a lower shelf in the oven, and gently tip the nascent loaves onto baking sheets on a higher shelf.
• Bake for 10 minutes on high, then turn it down to Gas Mark 7 for another 40 minutes or so.
• Remove and place on a wire rack to cool.

Replenishing the starter

• After taking out 50g of starter for the incipient dough, it needs to be replenished.
• So, add 2 dsp rye flour and a little water to the remains of the starter.
• Mix well and refrigerate (presuming you won't need it for another loaf straightaway).