Sourdough Recipe

This tried and tested recipe is an excellent starting point for baking your own sourdough. Be sure to carefully read the full recipe beforehand, allowing plenty of time for ample resting, rising and proving.

Ingredients —

250g Strong White Flour
5g salt
75g Sourdough Starter
+/- 170g Water

Equipment —

1 large mixing bowl (+/- 2l capacity)
1 small mixing bowl (+/- 1l capacity)
1 Pastry brush for greasing the tin
1 loaf tin (800g capacity)
1 Proofing basket (800g capacity)
1 Roasting tray
1 Shower cap

Method —

One: For this recipe you require 2 mixing bowls: 1 big and 1 small. The small bowl when placed upside down on the big bowl can act as a lid.

Two: In the smaller mixing bowl mix the flour and salt together. 

Three: Make sure everything is thoroughly mixed together and set aside. This is the dry mixture.

Four: Weigh the sourdough into the large bowl.

Five: Weigh out the water (hand warm 30 ̊C to 37 ̊C) in the measuring jug/pitcher and transfer ¾ of it into your large mixing bowl with the weighed out sourdough.

Six: Dissolve or break up the sourdough (In the large mixing bowl) in the ¾ warm (hand warm 30 ̊C to 37 ̊C) water. Start with ¾ of the water because all flour will absorb slightly different amounts of water.

Seven: Once the sourdough is dissolved or broken into bits, add the dry mixture, stir the mixture slowly with your hands until it comes together and there are no dry bits at the bottom of the bowl.

Eight: If it doesn’t come together and it seems a bit dry, add a little or all of the remaining water you weighed out in the measuring jug/pitcher in step 5.

Nine: At this point the dough should come together and be slightly sticky. If it is still a bit dry and you have put all the water into the mixture, add some more water remembering to record how much you have added for next time. 

Ten: Cover the mixture with the small bowl that had the flour mixture in it. 

Eleven: Leave to stand for 10 minutes.

Optional: Make a cup of tea. ☕️

Twelve: After 10 minutes knead the mixture for 10 times.

Thirteen: Start by squashing the dough with your knuckles and fingers to flatten out any lumps. It should now look pancake- shaped. 

Fourteen: Lift a portion of the dough up from the side and fold it into the middle and press with your knuckles.

Fifteen: Turn the bowl 90° clockwise and lift another portion of the dough up from the side and fold it into the middle and press with your knuckles.

Sixteen: Repeat steps 13 and 14 another 8 times 10 times in total.

Seventeen: Turn the ball of dough over in the bowl and, make a finger mark in the dough (to indicate the first knead), and cover with the bowl that had the flour in it.

Eighteen: Leave to rest for 10 minutes making sure that it is covered.

Optional: Make another cup of tea. ☕️

Nineteen: Repeat steps 13 to 17 another 3 times making sure the mixture is covered between kneads and remembering to mark the dough indicating the amount of kneads done. If the dough starts to resist and starts to tear put less pressure as you knead also if you can only knead it 8 times and it starts to resist making it difficult to knead stop.

Twenty: After you have done 4 kneads with a 10 minute break between them leave the dough to rise for 1 hour, making sure it is covered. If the dough is not covered a skin will form and this will affect the end result.

Twenty-one: You are looking for a smooth, elastic dough. If you think the dough is not kneaded enough repeat steps 13-15 another time. 

Twenty-two: After 1 hour, the dough will have increased in volume, gently punch down to de-gas your dough.

Twenty-three: Remove from the bowl, using a light sprinkling of white flour so the dough does not stick. Shape into a ball.

Twenty-four: To shape the ball of dough into a rounded loaf: first, flatten the dough slightly with your palm. 

Twenty-five: Take a corner of the dough and fold it right over to the opposite side then turn the dough 90° clockwise,

Twenty-six: Repeat step 25, four to five more times until it is a roundish shape and then turn the dough over, tuck in the underneath of the dough with your fingers as you rotate the dough clockwise until you’ve formed a rounded ball.

Twenty-seven: Coat the top with flour and place into a proofing basket that has been coated with flour seam up, or a greased baking tin seam down.

Twenty-eight: Allow to proof +/- 2-6 hours or until the dough is +/- double in size. Make sure you cover the loaf in the tin with a shower cap, if the loaf in the proofing basket starts to skin up cover with a shower cap.

Twenty-nine: After +/- 2 hours, pre heat the oven to 250C (500F) Gas 9 on fan setting with a deep (roasting) tray at the bottom.

Thirty: When the loaf is ready to be baked, place the dough (in the proofing basket) in the fridge for 30 minutes to stabilise it. If the loaf is in a tin it does not need to go in the fridge, as the tin will stop it from spreading out and if the oven is not ready place the loaf in the refrigerator to stop it over proofing.

Thirty-one: Once the bread is ready for baking, turn out of the proofing basket onto a hot tray. 

Thirty-two: Slash (score) the loaf with a very sharp serrated knife or a razor blade with a design of your own choice.

Thirty-three: Place the loaf in the oven at 250C (500F) Gas 9; pour a cup of tap water on the hot, deep (roasting) tray to form steam, lower to 220C (425F) Gas 7.

Thirty-four: If the loaf is in a tin follow step 33 remembering to slash (score) the top of the loaf with a sharp serrated knife or razor blade. Or leave it plain before placing in the oven.

Thirty-five: Bake for +/- 30-40 minutes until golden brown.

Thirty-six: The loaf will be baked when tapped on the bottom and you will hear a hollow sound. If you are not sure leave it in the oven for a further 10 minutes.

Thirty-seven: If you want to develop the crust, once the loaf is baked through lower the temperature to 180C (350F) Gas 4 and leave it in there for 10-15 minutes longer this will toast the loaf giving it a thicker crust.

Thirty-eight: Turn out of its shape and allow it to cool.