ST201902

LIVING (^) | EATING WELL
»
sponge or active sourdough starter
with a whisk or hand mixer, then pour
it in with the mixed flours. Stir it well
and leave covered for 10 mins.
4 Knead by hand or in a food
processor with a dough hook. Give it
at least 10 mins of kneading, until it’s
smooth and stretchy and bounces off
the sides of the bowl (or no longer
sticks to your hands). Leave covered
for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
5 Turn the dough out onto a floured
surface, roll it out into a rectangle the
width of the tin and 2cm thick, then
roll up tightly into a log. Cup your
hands around the sides to tuck it into
a nice rectangular loaf. Gently transfer
it to a lightly oiled baking sheet.
Dust the top with flour. Loosely cover.
Set in a warm place for an hour or
until increased in volume by half.
6 Preheat oven to 220C/Fan 200C/
Gas 8. Dust the risen loaf with flour,
slash it down the centre with a sharp
knife or razor blade and put in the
oven, spraying it with water.
7 Bake for 20 mins, then turn the
heat down to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6
and bake for further 20–25 mins.
8 Let it cool for 30 mins before
cutting into the loaf – this allows
the steam to fully escape. This loaf
keeps beautifully for up to a week –
especially well if you wrap it in
a clean cloth and store it at
room temperature.
Cook’s note To activate your
sourdough starter, remove it from
the fridge, feed 4 tbsp of starter
with 250g strong white bread flour,
plus 250ml water. Whisk or stir
until well mixed. Cover loosely with
a lid or a clean cloth. Let it ferment
in a warmish place for 8–12 hours.
A sturdy, flavourful and
rustic loaf that we’re
awarding the gong,
‘Best Use Of Congealed
Porridge Ever’ (with or
without avocado)