The Food Farm Broa

This recipe is adapted to be a sourdough bread from the original recipe in A Kitchen in Burgundy by Anne Willan.

INGREDIENTS

175g cornmeal or polenta

25g table salt

750ml boiling water

100g active sourdough starter

2 tbsp of sunflower oil

700g white flour (we use Milmore Downs’ white flour with a touch of Bran)

A cast iron camp oven or Le Creuset type pot with lid to cook the bread in Corn or rice flour for dusting

METHOD

1

Put the cornmeal in a bowl, stir in the salt, add the boiling water and whisk vigorously to remove any lumps. Leave to cool. When at 37°C or below, fold in the starter and oil. In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, measure the flour and then add the wet ingredients. Mix with a dough hook for five minutes. If you don't use a stand mixer, bring it together with a spoon and then knead by hand for five to ten minutes. 2 Select a large bowl that can accommodate the dough at least doubling in size. Oil the bowl and the underside of a plate well to stop the dough sticking. Tip the dough into the bowl and then tip the ball of dough upside down so it is now covered in oil. Fold into a tidy shape and cover the bowl with the oiled plate. Put in a warm room for 18 to 24 hrs until it's doubled in size. 3

The next stage is made easier with a bread proofing basket, but I use a piece of cotton sheet. Select a bowl for the final proofing that is smaller than the cast iron pot you're going to bake the bread in. Line the clean bowl with the cloth and then dust liberally with corn or rice flour to prevent sticking. Gently tip the ball of dough into the centre of the bowl lined with the floured cloth. The dough should plop into the base of the bowl more or less in shape. A dough scraper is handy to help release the dough neatly. 4

Put the camp oven in your electric oven and turn to full heat and allow approximately an hour for everything to get really hot. Putting the bowl of dough on top of the stove will assist the final rise. Spread a cloth over the top of the dough to prevent drying out.

5

To finish, carefully remove the pot from the hot oven with mitts and take off the lid. Do everything on a heat proof surface as it will be extremely hot! Take the bowl of dough and pin the floured-cloth onto the edges of the bowl with your fingers and tip the dough into the centre of the camp oven. It will start smoking as soon as it hits and the flour will burn – that's OK. Slash the top of the bread with a very sharp knife to assist the rise.

6

Cover with the lid and bake in the oven at full heat for 30 minutes, then drop to 200°C and remove the lid for another 30 minutes. Remove the bread and check the bake – it should be well coloured and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

rack.•

Leave to cool well on a