How To Make Sourdough Easily!
WHY HAS IT TAKEN ME SO LONG?!
I’ve a long history with both wanting, and not wanting to make sourdough. The not wanting is because of an East London w*&ker stay at home Dad family I didn’t like when I lived in Leytonstone. They didn’t have a television, they didn’t eat anything processed, they didn’t get called “Mummy and Daddy” (because “we’re all people” they got called Dan and Kate by their own kids), they didn’t, basically, have much fun and yet they did so very definitely love to tell people all these facts about themselves in the manner of “so therefore I am much, much better than you”!
Don’t worry, this won’t offend them, they dont “do” social media – they’re better than that remember! And being better, they made their own sourdough. This encouraged me to NEVER make my own sourdough…
However… I’ve succumbed and am just hoping the sourdough isn’t a gateway drug into being just like Dan and Kate because…
It is actually SO much better for your tummy. There’s some sort of science as to how the gluten is made meaning that even if really sensitive to it, often sourdough will be gentle for you. And I’ve really noticed a difference being someone witg a sensitive tummy. It’s clean, made with literally only flour, water and salt, and it contains absolutely no commercial yeast at all.
So, with a wince, I am going to tell you how to make sourdough because it’s delicious, as well as better for you than other bread. AND, most importantly, it’s easy to make.
IT REALLY ISN’T HARD:
I think the time element and different things that have to be done before you can actually make a loaf (building a starter, creating a levain, making a dough, resting it…) can feel daunting but honestly, take it a step at a time and soon you’ll be doing it without thinking!
HOW:
Follow these steps and yo won’t look back. All you will need is string white bread flour, water and salt for the ingredients. Then you need a cast iron dish with a lid, 2 mixing bowls, a silicone spatula, a sharp knife, a jar with a lid (Kilner style jars are great because of the way the clasp means you can half close it easily – important for sourdough starters) and greased proof paper.
MAKE YOUR STARTER:
The starter is built over a week or so and kept alive by feeding it every day. It will be the yeast for your bread and is made with 50g of strong white bread flour and 50g of warm water. On day one mix this together and leave in a container with a lid slightly open over night. The next day add to with another 50g of strong white bread flour and 50g of warm water, and do this every single day. This is called feeding the starter. In about 5 days time it’s ready to use it to make a levain. You will know it’s ready when it’s bubbly.
If it gets watery, this is alcohol made by the starter to tell you it’s needs feeding. I feed mine most days but if I miss one and it gets a bit watery, it’s fine, just feed it again and it’ll become active. You can also keep it in the fridge with a closed lid and make it go dormant. In order to activate it again, remove it from the fridge 24 hours before you want to use it, feed it, and feed it again 24 hours later then it should be bubbly and ready again. If it’s not, keep daily feeding it until it is.
About once a week (if feeding regularly), you will need to pour half the starter away (or make other recipes with it, or give it in jars as gifts) and just continue to feed it. So, that’s your starter. SIMPLE!
MAKE A LEVAIN:
This is what will act in place of the commercial yeast. When your starter is ready take a big spoonful and put it in a small bowl before adding 100g of strong white bread flour and 100g of warm water. Mix it together then leave it, uncovered, overnight. I just leave mine next to the starter and come back to it the next morning.
MAKE THE BREAD:
Now you’re ready to make a loaf of sourdough. But you STILL won’t get to eat it for another 24 hours, sorry! It does get to a point where you will feed your starter, make a levain, prepare the next day’s dough and be baking all in one day so you have a production line and a loaf being baked every morning but getting started does mean you have to wait… It’s worth it I promise!
First up: Take yesterday’s levain and remove the crust from the top (I think letting it create a crust makes it super active and brilliant underneath so it’s important in my book). Discard the crust and pour the rest of the levain into a big bowl. Add to this, 600g of warm water and mix it together! It will look lumpy and odd but this is right!
Next: Add 1kg of strong white bread flour and bring it all together to make a dough. Make sure all the flour is mixed in and then cover it with a tea towel, place in a warm place like the airing cupboard and leave it for around half an hour.
Then: After half an hour, take it out and add 20g of salt and 40g of tepid water to the dough. This will make the mixture like chewing gum in texture and you really need to thoroughly scrunch, with your hands, the salty water through the dough as this is the last time you will mix it!
After that: Cover it again, and pop it back in the airing cupboard for another 20 minutes/half an hour before taking it out and stretching it up and over itself. The stretching is what makes the gluten start working. You need to cover it back over and put it back in the airing cupboard, before stretching again, two more times at 20 minute intervals.
The last prove: Cover it one more time and leave it for around 4/5 hours after the third stretch. This is the final prove of the bread and sees it rise, hopefully, to the top of the bowl.
Chill out: When risen, tip it onto a floured surface, before chopping into two halves using a knife and bringing the sides up on each ball to create tighter balls of dough. Flour two separate mixing bowls and put one doughball into each bowl, cover and then chill overnight, ready to bake in the morning!
Watch this part one from my Instagram tutorial, for a video of all the steps to this point.
NOW YOU’RE READY TO BAKE:
In the morning your bread is ready to be baked. Turn your oven up as high as it will go and pre-heat a cast iron casserole dish with a lid. Take your doughballs out of the fridge, one at a time, and tip the ball onto a greased proof paper square before scoring the top with a big cross.
When the cast iron casserole dish is hot, take it out of the oven and lower the doughball, inside the paper, into the dish. Cover with the lid and bake for half an hour before taking it out and removing the lid to bake for another 10 minutes finishing off time!
Take the bread, in its paper, out of the dish to cool down and add the second doughball in the same way (or use it to make pizza bases if you prefer) and complete the same baking process. Your bread is ready!
Here’s the part two of my video tutorial over on my Instagram page.
TO END:
The starter can be used in other recipes. If you have one which uses a 7g sachet of commercial yeast mixed with water to activate it, try using 100g of starter in its place. Other things you can do with your soughdough are to use the recipe to make pizza dough instead of a loaf, one ball will make about 4 large pizzas. Or if you fancy mixing up your bread loaves then try adding some filling ingredients at the salt and water stage of making the dough. It does really well with cheeses, nuts and olives, but you could even add chocolate for a sweet treat!
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