CLASSIC WHITE SOURDOUGH
(ENOUGH FOR 2 LOAVES)
​
I N G R E D I E N T S
-
750g Strong White Bread Flour
-
250g Freshly Milled Flour
-
810g Water @ Room Temperature
-
225g Leaven
-
22g Sea Salt
​
I N S T R U C T I O N S
​
DAY 1: PREPARE LEAVEN & MIX THE DOUGH
Morning (9am)– get your leaven ready.
In a bowl mix 25g of your sourdough starter with 100g of bread flour & 100g of water. Cover it well & leave it to rest for 5 hours in a warm place.
(Your Leaven after 5 hours should be nice, light & bubbly – and if for any reason it’s not as active as it should be, don’t worry! – it’s because it needs a little bit more time & warmth)
Afternoon (2pm) – mix 750g of the strong white bread flour, 250g freshly milled flour & 810g of water (tap water is perfectly fine).Cover it with a kitchen towel or cling film and leave to rest for an hour.
Afternoon (3pm) – add 225g of your leaven into your dough. Mix well and leave to rest again for 30min. Then add the 22g of salt & mix well again.
Afternoon (4pm) – transfer your dough onto a flat deep tray or container and start folding the dough. Lift the dough from the middle, pull up to stretch it well & fold. You will need to do this a couple of times, every 30mins for about 3-4 hours in order to strengthen the gluten in the dough so it’s nice and light by the time you do your final fold (it will loose its stickiness & become a lot firmer by then)
Evening (7/8pm ish) – your dough should be a lot firmer, softer & elastic and ready for the final fold & prove in the fridge overnight.
Separate the dough into two parts (you can use the scales to make it more accurate) and start the final fold process (there are some videos on my instagram if you will get stuck at this part)
I love to use my freshly milled rice flour for my final fold as it gives a beautiful texture to my crumb.
Once your dough had its final fold, place into your proving basket or baking tin & place it in the fridge for its final prove for additional 12-14 hours
DAY 2: IT'S TIME TO BAKE IT, YAY! (anytime from 8am will be perfect!)
Preheat your oven to 240°C, place a small tray of water at the bottom of the oven. This will add steam to the bake which will really help to get that perfect crumb.
Transfer the dough onto a baking paper sheet, score it & bake under a cover for the initial 30mins. Then remove the cover and bake for an additional 30min @ 220°C (this is a rough guideline as ovens work differently, and also depending on how you like your crust).
(I always like to leave it it in the oven for additional 10min @ 210°C just to get the perfect crust around the entire loaf and not just the top, but it is entirely up to your liking!)
Please note that the hydration of the dough for this recipe is based on Matthew Cotswold Great White Canadian flour & my own range of freshly milled flours. If you use different type of flours it may slightly change the hydration of the dough and therefore the amount of water you will need to add to your dough (+/- 50g)
Happy Baking!
​
Don't forget to tag me on instagram @sourdough_by_natalia in your creations, as I would love to see your results!
​
