Your daily BREAD

Bread might require a little patience but it’s as satisfying to make as it is to eat. Even more so with these delicious doughs!

SOURDOUGH FERMENT

Your essential starter.

STAGE 1

✣ 100g (3½oz) strong white bread flour

✣ 100ml (3½fl oz) warm water

✣ 20g (¾oz) honey

Mix all the ingredients

together in a large plastic container, cover with a freezer bag, and leave, undisturbed, in a warm place for 24–36 hrs. The mixture will start to smell a little lactic, darken in colour and bubbles will begin to form (see righthand tub in the inset photo, above). Move on to stage 2.

STAGE 2

✣ 100g (3½oz) strong white bread flour ✣ 200ml (7fl oz) warm water dd the flour and water A

to your ferment, mix well, cover as before and leave in a warm place for 24–36 hrs. The mixture will expand a little (as in the middle tub in the photo), and start to smell sweet and lightly fermented. Time to move on to stage 3.

STAGE 3

✣ 100g (3½oz) strong white bread flour

✣ 200ml (7fl oz) warm water

Add the flour and water

to your ferment, mix well, cover as before and leave in a warm place for another 24–36 hrs. By the end of this stage you should have a total of 800g (1½lb) of ferment. Use half of this to make your bread and keep the rest in the fridge to make another batch of bread.

REFRESHING YOUR FERMENT

Simply weigh the ferment, then mix it with half the quantity of both water and strong bread flour. So, if you have 400g (14oz), add 200ml (7fl oz) water and 200g (7oz) flour. Mix until all the flour has disappeared, then cover the bowl with a large freezer bag and put it into the fridge. The mixture will continue fermenting and slowly expanding, and after 2–3 days you’ll have about 800g (1½lb) of ferment: 400g (14oz) to make your next batch of bread and 400g (14oz) to keep back to refresh again.