WHITE SOURDOUGH

You will be in heaven from the moment you bite into the thick, crunchy crust.

MAKES 2 LARGE LOAVES

✣ 400g (14oz) ferment

(see instructions opposite)

✣ 1kg (2¼lb) strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting

✣ 20g (¾oz) fine sea salt

✣ 700ml (1¼ pints) water You will need:

✣ Two proving baskets, dough scraper

Put the ferment into

1

a large mixing bowl, add the flour and salt then pour in the water. Using the round end of your scraper, combine all the ingredients, ensuring you bring up all the flour from the bottom. The dough will feel sticky, but keep going. Mix until everything is combined and the sides of the bowl are clean. Turn the dough out onto an un-floured surface, scraping all the dough out of the bowl.

Skim the dough across 2

your work surface – keep your scraper almost flat against your work surface and use it to skim the dough so that it spins around. The bottom of the dough will stay sticky. The top of the dough will have a natural smooth skin forming over it, and by ensuring the top is always on top and the bottom on the bottom you are in control.

Knead the dough by 3

gently picking it up off the work surface. As you lift up the dough, turn your hands towards you so that the dough swings. Gently slap the tail of the dough down on the surface. Stretch the dough upwards and outwards, and then forwards over itself like a wave. By doing this you form a big air pocket.

Repeat steps 2 and

4

3 until the dough becomes stronger and more elastic and alive (around 4 or 5 times).

After the final skim, the dough should feel tighter and stronger, and the film on the surface of the dough should be stretching all the way around and underneath the dough, so that it no longer feels sticky to the touch.

Very lightly skim your 5

work surface and bowl with flour. Form the dough into a ball and, using your scraper, place it back in the bowl. Cover with a large freezer bag or baking cloth and leave to rest for 45 mins.

Turn out the dough

6

and re-form into a ball, then cover and leave to rest again for a further 45 mins.

Divide the dough in 7

two and re-form each piece into quite a loose ball as before. Cover with a baking cloth or a large freezer bag and leave to rest for a further 15 minutes.

Dust your proving

8

baskets well with flour. Shape each ball of dough roughly according to the shape of your basket and place, top-side downwards, inside.

Cover again and allow 9

to prove for 4–6 hrs until just under double in size. Alternatively, you can prove the dough for 3 hrs and then put the baskets in the fridge overnight. Bring them out 1 hr before you want to bake.

Preheat the oven 10

to 240C/Gas 9, then put in a baking stone or upturned tray to warm up for 1 hr.

Lightly dust a baking 11

tray with flour. Turn out the dough from each basket onto the tray, keeping it the same way up. Using a lame (a double-sided blade) or the tip of a sharp knife, slash the top in criss-cross pattern (or as you like).

Slide the loaves 12

onto your hot stone or baking tray. Bake for 5–6 mins, then turn the heat down to 220C/

Gas 7 for 20 mins. Turn it down again to 200C/ Gas 6 for a further 5 mins, then open the door slightly so that it is just ajar for a final 2–3 mins, until the ‘burst’ of the crust is a rich golden brown. Allow the loaves to cool completely on a rack before eating. >>

MAKES 2 MEDIUM TIN LOAVES

✣ 150ml (¼ pint) full-fat milk

✣ 200ml (7fl oz) cool water

✣ 500g (1lb 2oz) strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting

✣ 10g (1/3 oz) fresh yeast

✣ 20g (¾oz) caster sugar

✣ 20g (¾oz) fine sea salt

✣ 50g (1¾oz) cold unsalted butter

✣ A little vegetable oil or butter, for greasing

1 Put the milk and water into the bowl of a food mixer, then add the flour. Break up the fresh yeast and add to one side of the bowl. Add the sugar and salt on the other side of the bowl to the yeast. Break up the butter on top. Mix on a slow speed for 4 mins, then increase the speed to medium for about 10–12 mins, until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl.

2 Lightly flour the work surface and also a clean bowl. Use your scraper to turn out the dough onto the work surface.

3 Form the dough into a ball and leave to rest in a bowl, covered, for about 1½ hrs until just under double in size.

4 Divide the dough in half; shape into balls, as above.

5 Lightly grease two medium bread tins with oil or butter and place on a baking tray. Gently press a ball of dough into each tin. Cover as before and allow to prove until the dough has reached the top of the tins.

6 Preheat the oven to 230C/ Gas 8. Put the baking tray into the preheated oven. Bake for 20–25 mins until golden brown, then remove from the tins and cool.