Sourdough Starter & Classic Sourdough Loaf

Making a sourdough loaf takes a lot of preparation - creating the 'starter', for example, takes at least five days and then this loaf (recipe below) can take a whole day (or overnight). Nevertheless, it is completely worth it. The flavour in sourdough is unmatched and the long preparation makes it all the more exciting. Anyway, once you have that starter, and if you look after it, it's there for life, ready to be used whenever you fancy and slowly getting better with age. It just requires patience and care. So, if you want to make the tastiest possible loaves, read on. 

The Starter

Before we delve into the loaf recipe, I'm going to tell you how to make the sourdough starter. The starter works through something called 'wild yeast' which naturally exists in the air and in flour. It's slower than the handy fast-action yeast, is relatively temperamental and requires consistent upkeep. Basically, it's a pain in the backside, but the flavour and texture it provides is considerably better than its modern cousin. 

Ingredients

Every day

• 115g of plain white flour 
• 4oz of water

Method

Creating the starter is very easy, the hardest and most frustrating aspect is hoping it works, which is completely down to its environment and your water. In a relatively large bowl, mix the two ingredients together thoroughly (making sure there are no lumps) until you have a smooth, batter-like consistency. Cover with cling film and store somewhere with a consistent temperature of about 20C for 24 hours - I used a cupboard in the kitchen far away from any windows. Now, the water aspect can be tricky. A lot of cities tend to use chemicals for domestic water usage to make it completely safe to drink, however this can hamper the progress of your starter. If you live in a large city, make sure to filter your water before starting your starter. If you live in the countryside or a country that tends to have delicious tap water (like Scotland), you'll be fine - In fact it'll add a distinct, local flavour to your final sourdough. Living in Edinburgh, non-filtered tap water worked perfectly for me. 

Now, once you've gotten past this water malarkey, you can focus on the starter's progress. Check on your starter the next day (day two), and you should see a few bubbles but there shouldn't be a sour smell yet. Top it up with the same amount of flour and water and store away, again, for 24 hours. Repeat this process two more times (day three and four) and you should start to notice more bubbles, a billowy surface and a growing sour smell. By day five it should look like the picture below, which means it's ready to use. If your starter isn't reacting as quickly, keep topping it up and be patient - my starter was particularly active. If you don't fancy using it once it is 'ripe', you'll still need to discard half of the starter and feed it with the usual amount of flour and water. You'll have to continue this process everyday - which can get quite annoying - so I recommend covering your starter with cling film and storing it in the fridge, making sure to feed it at least once a week. 

So there you have it! You now have your very own sourdough starter, ready to make top notch bread. Read on to see a good, simple loaf to start off with. 

Classic Sourdough Loaf

This is a great, easy recipe to ease you into the world of sourdough. Nothing hugely special about it, but the flavour and texture of the bread is excellent. The addition of steaming also creates an amazing crust on the loaf, which is always pleasant on a sourdough. 

Ingredients

• 375g of strong white bread flour
• 250g of starter
• 150ml of warm water
• 1 x teaspoon of salt
• Drizzle of olive oil

Method 

1. In a large bowl, pour in the measured flour, starter and salt and mix well. Once everything is well distributed, start adding the water a little bit at a time until all the flour mixture is combined in a rough ball. There shouldn't be any loose flour, the dough should be wet enough to combine all of the flour, but not so sticky that it becomes difficult to handle. 
2. Turn the dough onto an oiled surface and knead for 10-15 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in an oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise for 4-6 hours or until double in size - sourdough starter is not as fast acting as packeted yeast, so don't worry if it takes a long time to rise. 
3. Once risen, knock the dough back until all the air is out of it. Form into a ball and line a large bowl with a clean tea towel or grease proof paper, dust with flour and place the dough, upside down, into the bowl. Cover tightly with cling film and leave for 10 hours or overnight. 
4. Just before the dough is ready, preheat your oven at 220C (no fan). Half fill a baking tray with water and pop it onto the bottom shelf of the oven. This will create steam and thus harden the crust of the loaf whilst it bakes. Turn your dough out, very gently, onto a grease proof lined baking tray, and slash a cross across the top. Bake in the middle of the oven for 45-50 minutes or until deeply golden. Remove and allow to cool on a cooling rack for 45 minutes.
5. Dig in! 

Doesn't it look fantastic? You'll be delighted when it comes out the oven - you'll be able to smell that amazing sour edge that you've worked on for days. The crust will be hard and the interior relatively light but chewy. It really is a cut above the usual bread. It makes amazing toast and adds a real edge to any homemade sandwich. It's worth the wait, so make sure you put in the effort with your starter. Remember, this is just the start of your sourdough repertoire!