Overnight Sourdough

This is my current favourite thing to bake. Once you get into the habit of the routine it is easy to fit into a day. I am lucky in that I work from home a couple of days a week so it is relatively easy for me to do this.

I feed the starter first thing in the morning. Then about 3pm I start to mix the rest of the ingredients.

The Tupperware container is perfect for mixing.

30g of wholemeal flour

370g of strong white bread flour.

Water needs to be between 30 and 35 degrees Centigrade

Measure 310g of the water

Mix the three ingredients

After about 30 minutes add 10g of salt and 1g of easy bake yeast

Prepare a bowl of water to rinse your mixing hand in.

Use 180g of your starter

Mix using the pincer technique for about 5 minutes until everything is blended evenly

The mixed dough

Seal container and leave for about 4 or 5 hours

Fold the dough 3 times, ideally in the first hour, in the way depicted here

Once the dough has proved it should increase 2-3 times size

Tip the dough onto a floured surface and shape into a ball as above

Make sure you flour your banneton basket before you put the dough in

Carefully put the dough in the basket

Place in a carrier bag and store in the fridge overnight

Preheat the oven and dutch oven for about 30 minutes

Remove the dough from the fridge immediately before baking

Tip onto a lightly floured surface

Take the dutch oven dish out of the oven. Be careful it will be HOT

Gently place the dough into the bowl. Replace the lid and put in the oven for around 30 minutes

Remove the lid and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes

Place on a cooling tray.

The beauty of this loaf is that it tastes fantastic straight from the oven but it gets better after a few days.