• Based on a recipe from Bethseda Bakers
• Rising Time - around 4 hours
• Bake for 50mins
• Temperature 200 C (lower in a fan oven)

Ingredients

• 500g Strong Bread Flour

a mix of white and Wholeweat Bread Flour works well

• 310g Water
• 140g Starter ( important that the total 'liquid' is about 450g)
• 8g Salt
• Some Oil

Method

Sourdough starter is the gloopy flour and water mixture where natural yeasts live until you are ready bake*.

To refresh the starter, add about 100g of plain flour, and 100g water, mix it in and leave it until it starts to bubble - have a cuppa, it doesn't take long.

You will be using half in this recipe, so put the other half back in the jar for next time. Keep it in the fridge. ( Add more flour and water if you need to create more starter for other recipes or for a friend...)

Now make the starter up to about 450g with water, and add 500g flour. Add your salt and oil now. I like the dough to be softer by keeping it more wet than dry; insufficient water will make it harder work when kneading.

Knead for 10 minutes.

Put it in a warmish place for a rise of 3 hours, and in the fridge for a slow 8 hr rise. (To stop it sticking, use a tiny bit of oil, wiped around the bowl.)

Knock it back and knead again. The longer you knead, the longer the gluten stretches and, I find, the finer the grain.

Put the dough in the tin you will be baking it in to rise for the second time. The second rise often goes quicker, about 90 minutes minimum. You can slow this down in the fridge, and it can take all night. You can add a topping of seeds at this stage - dampen with water or milk or egg, and a nice touch is to mix in a bit of coarse salt - wonderful as it the flavours explode on your tongue!

Bake at 200 degrees C or 180 in a fan oven - check after 45 minutes, tap for a hollow sound.

Turn it out onto a rack and cover with a tea-towel - this will allow it to cool, but keeps the crusts from becoming hard.

Delicious with anything!

(*You can make your own sourdough starter, just mix equal amounts of flour and water in a wide-mouthed jar, and leave open to the air, stirring once in a while, and adding a bit more water and flour if needed. I was given mine by a friend, 4 years ago. Ask around, someone will know someone, and no one will ask you to pay for it!)