Once you have your starter active and sound, you’ll be dying to start putting it to good use! (If you don’t have a starter yet, here’s how I make mine)
This is probably the easiest sourdough recipe in existence and utilises just one type of flour. It’s good to bake with just one type of flour until you start to gain an understanding in how hydration and flour choice affects the loaf.
It’s a great start to get used to the consistency of the dough as sourdough is notororiously harder to work with due to its higher water content compared with normal doughs.
The great thing about this bread is that there is no kneading required whatsoever!
So give this one a try and feel free to mix up the amount of water to reach the desired hydration level. The recipe here is at 70% hydration and is a great starting point! But feel free to give it a go at 65%, or 75% and see how just a little bit of water can affect the overall loaf!
Ingredients
- 500g Strong White Bread Flour
- 350g Water
- 150g Starter
- 10g Salt
Method
Mix flour, water and salt in a large bowl and allow to rest (autolyse) for half an hour covered with a damp tea towel.
Mix in your starter and allow to rest for another half hour.
Perform your first of 3 folds of the dough, the second and third being performed at 30 minute intervals.
Allow to rest for another hour covered by a damp tea towel.
At this point, your dough will have been fermenting for 2.5 hours, flour your banneton or shaping vessel (if you dont have a banneton, you can flour a clean tea towel and place in a bowl).
Shape your dough and place in the vessel.
Cover with a plastic bag or cling film and place in the fridge to proof overnight (if you want to bake the same day, you can skip this step and instead allow to ferment at room temperature for another 3 hours).
In the morning, preheat your dutch oven to 250 degrees C for an hour.
Tip dough straight from the fridge onto a baking sheet and place in the preheated dutch oven.
Bake covered at 250C for 25 minutes and uncovered at 220C for a further 20 minutes.
Allow to cool on a wire rack, slice and serve.
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