Sourdough Crusty Loaf
How to make a delicious Sourdough Crusty Loaf, simple step by step instructions, from start to finish.
Ingredients
Method
- 400g / 14oz Strong white bread flour
- 200g / 7oz Whole Wheat flour
- 460g / mls Bottled or filtered water
- 100g Sourdough starter
- 10g / 1¼tsp Salt
- For the starter:
- 150g of your mother starter
- 75g / 3½oz white bread flour
- 75g / mls bottled or filtered water
- Place 150g of your mother sourdough starter from the fridge, into a jug or bowl. And allow it to sit in a warm spot for 30 to 60 minutes.
- Add the 75g / 3½oz white bread flour and the 75g / mls bottled or filtered water, to the jug and mix until smooth, allow to double in size, approx 2½hrs.
- To a large bowl, add the water, then pour in 100g / 3½oz of your starter add the all flour and salt, mix until you have a sticky shaggy dough.
- Cover the bowl and allow to proof for 1 hour.
- Turn out the dough onto a slightly wet bench, and with wet hands turn and fold the dough for about 30 to 45 seconds, you should notice the dough become smooth now.
- Place it back in the bowl, cover, and allow it to proof for 4 to 6 hours.
- Prepare a vessel to transport the dough to a hot Dutch oven and line it with parchment paper, see video for example.
- Once the dough has well risen carefully and gently turn it out onto a floured surface, it’s important to keep the gas bubbles in the dough, dust the top of the dough and fold it together pulling the dough toward the centre, turn it over and gently form it into a ball.
- Dust the top of the doughball, and gently list it into the prepared vessel with the lined parchment paper, cover with a dry light weight cloth, and allow to sit while the Dutch oven gets up to temperature.
- Set your oven to 240°C / 465°F or Gas mark 9, place your Dutch oven in the oven to heat up, and set your timer for 30 minutes, this is how long a cast iron Dutch oven takes to heat up top the correct temperature for this baking bread.
- When the 30 minutes are up, make a halfmoon slash in the dough with your Lame/blade, then lift out the Dutch oven onto the cooker top, remove the lid, carefully pick up the dough using the paper and place it in the Dutchy, give it a quick swirl, replace the lid, and get it back into the hot oven, set your timer for 25 minutes.
- After the 25 minutes remove the lid from the Dutchy, and bake at the same temperature for a further 10 to 15 minutes to crisp up.
- Carefully remove from the oven, tip the bread out onto metal surface, place on a wire rack to cool before slicing and serving.
- Enjoy
Equipment & products used in my kitchen and videos
