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.
Nomenclature
dsp
=desertspoonful
tsp
=teaspoonful
Getting the starter going
- Get a bit of starter from a friend or from the moon. Let it be in a jar of about 5x its volume.
- 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).