This weekend has been all too short but equally lovely. My boyfriend, who works in Ghana, has been home for a few days which has been great. Sadly he is off again this afternoon to London and then on Tuesday he goes to visit his family in Spain. So I decided to bake some delicious home made bread for him (in an attempt to keep him in Devon...it didn't work). I have made a sourdough bread before but practise makes perfect! My starter was originally made by a chef - Phil - at Asburton Cookery School last January and I have been lovingly feeding it every week or two since September. My sourdough starter is relatively young compared to some. Many of you will not like the idea of keeping something brewing for years and years. The term festering comes to mind, but really the older the starter, the more flavour your bread will have. Some starters are said to be over 150 years old and have been shared around the world. It is quite a trend to share your starter out to friends and family and see where it goes. I have yet to share mine, for some reason most people are not keen to accept a container full of fermenting flour and water.
This recipe is by Paul Hollywood, the bread guru. The starter, as I said is from Ashburton, so I am not completely sure how they first made it. There are a few ways, all involve flour and water and then mixing in grapes, yoghurt or anything else to get it going. You feed and take a way a little at a time, then it is ready to use. You keep it in the fridge or a very cold larder, feeding it with equal parts of strong white bread flour and water every 7-10 days. When you are ready to use it, take it out at least 24 hours before you want it. It should bubble up nicely after beeing whisked a few times.
For the bread you will need:
375g of strong white bread flour
250g starter mixture
7.5g salt
130-175ml of tepid water
olive oil
cling film
large mixing bowl
Combine all the flour, salt and starter with your hands in the bowl. Pour in the water bit by bit as you may not need to use it all. It depends on how wet your starter is to begin with.
It should now be a soft dough and ready to start working. Lightly oil a smooth work surface and begin kneading for about 10-15 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic and springy.
Place in a well oiled bowl and cover. Leave to prove for 4-5 hours, depending on how warm your house is. You want it to at least double in size.
Knock back the dough - literally give it a good bang and knead for a few minutes. Bring into a ball, cover with flour and place upside down in a bowl or a proving basket if you have one. Cover and leave again for 4-8 hours. I left mine over night by a radiator.
Turn your oven on to 220 degrees C and place a roasting dish in the bottom, filled with water. The steam helps to give a nice crust. Gently turn your dough out onto a lined backing tray.
Bake at this temperature for about 30 minutes, then turn it down to 200 and bake for a further 15-20. When ready it should sound hollow on the bottom if you tap it. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy with lashings of butter!
This recipe is by Paul Hollywood, the bread guru. The starter, as I said is from Ashburton, so I am not completely sure how they first made it. There are a few ways, all involve flour and water and then mixing in grapes, yoghurt or anything else to get it going. You feed and take a way a little at a time, then it is ready to use. You keep it in the fridge or a very cold larder, feeding it with equal parts of strong white bread flour and water every 7-10 days. When you are ready to use it, take it out at least 24 hours before you want it. It should bubble up nicely after beeing whisked a few times. For the bread you will need:
375g of strong white bread flour
250g starter mixture
7.5g salt
130-175ml of tepid water
olive oil
cling film
large mixing bowl
Combine all the flour, salt and starter with your hands in the bowl. Pour in the water bit by bit as you may not need to use it all. It depends on how wet your starter is to begin with.
It should now be a soft dough and ready to start working. Lightly oil a smooth work surface and begin kneading for about 10-15 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic and springy.
Place in a well oiled bowl and cover. Leave to prove for 4-5 hours, depending on how warm your house is. You want it to at least double in size.
Knock back the dough - literally give it a good bang and knead for a few minutes. Bring into a ball, cover with flour and place upside down in a bowl or a proving basket if you have one. Cover and leave again for 4-8 hours. I left mine over night by a radiator.
Turn your oven on to 220 degrees C and place a roasting dish in the bottom, filled with water. The steam helps to give a nice crust. Gently turn your dough out onto a lined backing tray.
Bake at this temperature for about 30 minutes, then turn it down to 200 and bake for a further 15-20. When ready it should sound hollow on the bottom if you tap it. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy with lashings of butter!
