Homemade sourdough bread

Homemade sourdough bread has a reputation for being the preserve of obsessive bakers and artisan bakeries, the sort of thing that requires a notebook, a digital scale precise to the nearest gram and a started with an endearing name. This reputation is not entierely undeserved. Sourdough is more demanding than a quick yeasted loaf. But it is also more forgiving than its devotees tend to suggest, and the results, a crackling crust, a chewy open crumb with genuine flavour depth, are simply not achievable any other way.

The foundation is the starter : a live culture of wild yeast and bacteria fed on nothing but flour and water. To make one from scratch, mix 50g of lukewarm water in a clean jar. Leave it loosely covered at room temperature and repeat the process each day, discarding half before each feed. Within five to seven days, the mixture will be bubbly, active and faintly sour, its ready to use. A starter kept in the fridge and fed weekly will last indefinitely.

For a basic loaf, combine 450g of strong white flour with 50g of wholemeal flour, 375g of water, 100g of active starter and 10g of fine salt. Mix until no dry flou remains, then rest for thirty minutes. Over the next three to four hours, perform a serie of strech-and-fold sequences every thirty minutes. The dough will gradually become smoother, more elastic and noticeably stronger. 

Shape the loaf into a tight ball, place it seam-side up in a well-floured proving basket and refrigerate overnight. The long, cold prove develops flavour and makes the dough easier to handle. The following morning, preheat your oven to 250°C with a lidded cast-iron pot inside.

Turn the cold dough directly into the screaming-hot pot, score the surface with a sharp blade, replace the lid, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and continue for a further twenty-five minutes until the crust is a deep, almost threatening brown. Resist every instinct to cut into it for at least an hour. The crumb is still setting. Patience, once again, is the ingredient no recipe can supply for u haha. Here u have it, the homemade sourdough bread.