There are numerous recipes for baking the perfect sourdough, from half rye, wholegrain, wholewheat, even chocolate sourdough! But for a quick, easy and straight forward loaf of crusty deliciousness, follow the steps below.

You'll need

Bakers Tools

• Mixing bowl and non metal spoon
• Plastic wrap or cover
• Pastry scraper
• Bread proofing basket or mixing bowls
• Dutch oven or large heavy-bottom pots (lid required)
• Sharp knife, bakers lame or serrated knife

Ingredients (makes 2 loaves)

• Sourdough starter – 80% of your starter, the remaining can be fed and left in the fridge for future loaves
• 4 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
• 2 cups of Water
• 1 tablespoon Salt

Baking Steps

Mix the dough:

• Pour water into a bowl
• Add sourdough starter
• Mix well then add salt and 4 cups of flour
• Mix well again

Let the dough rest and rise for minimum 30 minutes (max 3 hours)

Stretch and fold

• Transfer the dough to another clean bowl and begin folding and stretching. This needs to be completed every 30 minutes for 2 hours and you will notice the dough becoming stronger and more elastic each time.

Allow the dough to rest and rise once more for 30-60 minutes

Shape and proof

• Sprinkle flour on a work bench and turn out the dough
• Divide the dough in half using the pastry shaper
• Gently shape them into rounds and allow them to rest on the bench for 30 minutes
• Prepare the proofing baskets or mixing bowls by lining them with cloth and dusting heavily with remaining flour, place the dough inside for proofing, then cover and place in the fridge for 12-48 hours.

Bake

• Remove from fridge and place on parchment paper
• Score lightly with a sharp knife or bakers lame
• Transfer into a preheated Dutch oven and bake at 220C for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 200C and bake for another 15 minutes

Remove from the oven, allow to cool before slicing, and enjoy!