Our Cookbook

British

Sourdough

  • Yield1x 900g loaf
  • Prep9h
  • Cook40m
  • Effortproject
Sourdough

  • 500g strong white flour
  • 300g sourdough starter
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • 1 tbsp malt extract or honey
  • 225ml warm water

Method

Prep

  1. Add everything into a large mixing bowl, and stir/mix on slow speed until combined. Add a little extra water if it’s too dry.
  2. Mix or knead until soft and elastic (10 minutes). The dough is ready when it bounces back when gently pressed with a finger.
  3. Leave the dough in a well oiled bowl, covered, to rise for 3 hours. It might not rise much during this time.
  4. Line a bowl with a clean, floured tea-towel, or flour a proving basket.
  5. Tip the dough out and knead briefly to remove bubbles. Shape into a ball, dust with flour and place into the bowl/basket seam-side up.
  6. Leave to prove until doubled in size (~8 hours).

Baking

  1. Put the cast-iron pan in the oven and preheat to 210℃.
  2. Add a small roasting tin of water at the bottom of the oven, to create steam.
  3. When preheated, carefully tip the dough onto baking paper and place in the cast-iron.
  4. Make deep slashes in the top of the loaf.
  5. Bake for ~35 minutes until deep brown and hollow-sounding.
  6. Remove and allow to cool.