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SOURDOUGH LOAF
Organic Strong White flour
Bread made from a sourdough starter has the deepest flavour, a wonderful crust and chewy crumb. It is the best bread you can bake but also, perhaps, the trickiest and therefore a wonderful challenge for a home baker!
The loaf is made with just three ingredients: flour, salt and water. For the best results you need to use organic bread flour - strong white to start with; sea salt flakes - Maldon salt crushed in your hand works well, and filtered tap water that’s been boiled and cooled to avoid a chlorine taint. There is no commercial yeast in the dough; it is risen using a homemade, lively, sourdough starter.
For this starter mix 100g Marriage’s Organic Strong White flour with 115ml tepid water (see above) to make a thick sticky paste. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel or muslin secured with an elastic band - not clingfilm. Leave in a draught-free spot on the kitchen counter, re-dampening the cloth as necessary. The aim is to capture and grow the natural yeasts - fungi - present in the air and on the flour (your fruit bowl is a good
source). As they grow they produce tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide gas and lactic acid which will eventually leaven the dough and add flavour.
After 2 to 4 days, depending on conditions, the paste should have a skin, look bubbly and have a milky tang. If it smells offensive rather than slightly sour, or if you spot mould, or if there are no signs of activity then throw it away and start again. So, if you have a healthy, living starter it is time to give it its first feed or refreshment; add another 100g of the flour and enough tepid water to make a soft sticky goey-thick paste, (now double the original quantity), stirring the mixture well to get plenty of air into it. Cover the bowl as before and leave for 24 hours. The
starter should now look quite active so stir it well then remove and discard half of it. Then add another 100g flour and enough tepid water to make a very thick batter. Cover again and leave for 12 hours. At this point the starter should look very active with plenty of bubbles and be ready to use.
Now you’ll need to keep feeding it with flour and water to ensure it is vigorous and to increase the volume (you will need enough for a loaf plus enough to keep for further batches). You can double its volume every 24 hours (the easy way to do this by eye is to transfer the mixture to a clean bowl, then pour tepid water into the storage bowl up to the level of the starter. Mix this in to the starter then stir in enough flour to make a very thick and
sticky batter.) Once you have a starter going you can keep it forever - you may never have to buy yeast or bread again so long as you have flour in the house. Store your starter in a large glass jar or plastic tub in the warmest part of the fridge and feed it regularly, every 5 days or so, even if you are not using it (you can give it away rather than discard half every time). When you want to make a loaf bring the starter back to room
temperature, then feed it, stirring well and leave until bubbly - about 4 hours.
If your starter has become very sour-smelling (it shouldn’t make your eyes water) stale or slow to work then halve and feed it every 8 hours until it is restored to health and bubbly. Don’t worry if your starter separates into a darkish liquid on top of a thick paste; pour off the liquid then stir it well and feed as normal.
To make the loaf
- 700ml lively starter
- About 400-500g Marriage’s Organic Strong White flour
- 2 teaspoons sea salt flakes, crushed
- 900g/2lb loaf pan - about 26 x 121/2 x 71/2cm greased
- A baking tray or pizza stone
Before you start, make sure the starter is vigorous by bringing it to room temperature and feeding it about 4 hours before you need it so it is a thick, bubbly batter.
Tip the starter into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a large freestanding mixer. Add about 100g of the flour and the salt and work in using your hand or the dough-hook attachment of the mixer (use the lowest speed). Then gradually work in enough flour to make a soft but not sticky dough. The amount of flour needed will depend on the consistency of the starter and the type of flour - you may like to use a Marriage’s Strong Wholemeal flour or Marriage’s Organic Country Malted Brown flour, instead of using all white flour, for a different flavour and texture.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead thoroughly for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic - the dough can also be kneaded using the mixer on low speed for 4 minutes. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with a snap-on lid or clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size - this will take 2 to 6 hours depending on the vigour of your starter and the temperature. The dough can also be left to rise
overnight in a cool room or the fridge.
Turn out the risen loaf and gently shape into a loaf to fit your tin, or into a neat ball (if the dough is too soft to hold the shape work in a little extra flour). Carefully place the loaf in the tin then slip the tin into a large plastic bag. Set the ball of dough on a lightly floured sheet of greaseproof paper and cover with an upturned bowl. Leave the loaf to rise until doubled in size - this will take 2 to 4 hours depending on the room temperature (dough that has been in the fridge will take a bit longer). Towards the end of the rising time heat the oven to 230°C/ 450°F/Gas Mark 8 and put a heavy baking tray or pizza stone in the oven to heat.
Uncover the loaf and set the tin, or the round loaf on its greaseproof paper, on the hot baking tray or pizza stone. If you have a water spray or mister bottle, quickly spray the oven (avoiding the element and light) to create a burst of steam.Bake until the loaf turns a good golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped underneath - 30 to 40 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Think of the first few loaves as test runs; it takes several batches for your starter to become established and for you to get the measure and rhythm of working with this unpredictable dough. Once you are happy with the method you can experiment using different flours or combinations of flours, adding flakes of wheat or rye, seeds or nuts.
