EASY SOURDOUGH

Makes 1 loaf

A LITTLE EFFORT

GREAT VALUE

Preparation: 30 minutes, plus 24 hours to make the starter and 2 hours’ proving time

Baking: 35–40 minutes

For the starter: white bread flour 210 g instant yeast 10 g

For the dough: brown bread flour 420 g instant yeast 10 g salt 1T water ¾ cup

1 To make the starter, place the flour and yeast in a glass bowl or jar and top up with 1 cup lukewarm water. Cover and allow to ferment for at least 24 hours before starting the sourdough recipe.

The starter should be bubbly and smell fermented when it’s ready. 2 To make the sourdough, place all the ingredients for the dough and the starter into the bowl of an electric mixer. Combine until a dough has formed. 3 Knead until smooth and springy, this should take 5–10 minutes. 4 Place into a well-greased bowl, cover and allow to prove for 1 hour, or until doubled in size. 5 Preheat the oven to 220°C and tip out the dough onto a well-floured sheet of baking paper taking care not to knock too much air out of it. Cover and let the dough rise once again for an hour. 6 When the sourdough is ready to bake, dust with more flour, slash a pattern into the top and slide onto a hot tray in the oven. Liberally spray water into the oven using a spray bottle – the steam creates a nice crust on the bread. Bake for 25–35 minutes, or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. FAT-CONSCIOUS, DAIRY-FREE, MEAT-FREE

For sourdough, count back a few days from when you want to bake and eat the bread”