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Sourdough loaf

Makes one small loaf

If you want to make and bake your sourdough loaf on the same day, you need to start in the morning and bear in mind that the dough will need at least 6 hours to ferment before you bake. I prefer how the flavour develops with an overnight fermentation in the fridge, but sometimes we don’t think that far ahead. How long you’ll need for the fermentation will depend on how warm your kitchen is and the time of year etc., so you’ll have to play some of this by ear, but I’ve found the only way to crack it is to keep baking until you get a feel for it.

300ml lukewarm water

130g rye starter

390g flour (310g plain/20g rye/60g spelt)

10g sea salt

Optional additions

20g each of linseed, buckwheat, white sesame seeds, walnuts, flax or pumpkin seeds – or a mixture of all of the above. Basically, whatever you fancy or have in your cupboard that needs using

1 Measure your water into a bowl, spoon in the starter and whisk with a fork until dispersed and no lumps remain. Mix the flours, salt and any seeds or nuts in another bowl. Make a shallow well in the flour and pour in the starter mixture. Using a blunt knife, whisk the liquid into the dough, rotating the bowl and cutting through until you have a well combined, sticky ball. Add a little more water if the dough is not coming together. Leave to rest for 30–40 minutes. This process is known as autolyse – while the dough rests, the flour fully absorbs the water, hydrating and kick-starting enzymes that will stimulate gluten development. Don’t skip this step!

2 Still working in the bowl (the dough will be very sticky and wet) use wet fingers or a silicone spatula to dig under the edge of the dough and bring that edge up over the ball. Turn the bowl clockwise and repeat the lifting, stretching and pulling motion a good 10–15 times round the bowl. Cover and leave for 30 minutes, then repeat the lifting, stretching and pulling motion another 15–20 times. This is to develop the gluten structure of the bread. If you are baking the bread the same day, cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave it somewhere warm, like on a shelf above a radiator, for at least 5 hours. Otherwise (and preferably) leave it overnight in the fridge, covering the bowl with cling film – this will give the bread a fantastic depth of flavour.

3 If it’s been in the fridge, take it out and allow it to warm up for about 20 minutes. Use wet fingers or a clean spatula to repeat the lifting, stretching and pulling motion 12–14 times around the bowl, scraping any dough that sticks to the side of the bowl back into the dough – the aim here is to create air inside the bread so don’t push down too hard. If it’s too tense to stretch and pull this many times then don’t overwork it.

4 Leave the dough for 40 minutes somewhere warm, covered. Repeat the lift and pull motion 10 more times – you should feel now that the dough has some real tension in it.

5 Brush a large sheet of baking parchment with a little olive oil, followed by a little water, and dust with a thin layer of flour. Using a spatula or dough scraper, and without pushing too much air out, gently scrape the dough out of the bowl onto the parchment. Wet your hands slightly and tuck any stray bits under the bottom of the dough to form a neat ball. Dust it lightly with flour.

6 Grab hold of the parchment and lift it, along with the dough, back into a bowl. Dust lightly with a little flour and leave to prove for 45 minutes – 2 hours, until visibly puffed up and almost doubled in size.

7 Preheat the oven to 250°C/230°C fan/gas 9 (or its hottest setting) and put a round, lidded ovenproof pot or casserole dish in there to warm up.

8 Once the dough has proved, remove the pot or casserole dish from the oven (wearing oven gloves and being very careful as it will be stinking hot), place it on a heatproof surface and take the lid off. Now quickly lift the parchment and dough into the pot. Use the spatula to smooth the paper away from the dough and up the edge of the pot. Scatter the top of the dough with a little water and use a very sharp knife to make slashes in the top of the dough to help it rise. I do four in a square about 5cm in from the outer circumference. This gives the steam that builds up inside somewhere to go. If you forget, the bread will naturally break open, which is fine.

9 Cover and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, then lift the lid off. Your bread should be risen and smelling good. Depending on how golden the crust is looking, you might want to turn your oven down to nearer 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6, but if it’s still reasonably pale don’t do this. Bake the bread for another 5-10 minutes, or until golden and crisp.

10 Once you’re happy that your loaf is baked, remove it from the dish and quickly peel off the parchment. Transfer the bread to a wire rack and allow to cool before slicing and tasting. However tempting the smell of the freshly baked bread is, try not to slice it until it’s completely cool as this can squish the crumb.