Sourdough Bread
By Chef Lennox Hastie

Cookware: Fire Oven
Configuration: Bread Oven
Difficulty: Hard
Cook time: 40 minutes
Cold proving time: 16–18 hours
Makes: 1kg loaf

About The Recipe

There is something deeply satisfying about making bread. Few foods capture the quiet magic of transformation quite like flour, water and salt, brought to life by time. A simple mixture slowly ferments, developing flavour, texture and character before becoming a loaf with a crisp, smoky crust and a light, open crumb. Baked in the Fire Oven, the enclosed environment helps the loaf achieve excellent oven spring and a deeply coloured, beautifully crisp crust.

Ingredients

For the Starter (The Mother)
600ml filtered water
600g strong bread flour

For the Dough
400g water
460g bread flour
60g whole rye or spelt flour
115g active sourdough starter
15g salt

Method

If you already have an active sourdough starter, begin at Make the Dough. Making a new starter takes several days.

Make the Starter (The Mother)

In a clean container, combine 100ml filtered water with 100g strong bread flour. Mix until smooth, cover loosely and leave in a cool place for approximately 3 days, or until bubbles appear and the mixture shows clear signs of fermentation.

Discard all but 50g of the starter. Add 100ml filtered water and 100g strong bread flour, mixing well. Leave to ferment for 24 hours.

Repeat the feeding process every 12 hours for four more feeds, or until the starter becomes consistently active and predictable. Before each feeding, discard all but 50g of the starter, then add 100ml water and 100g flour.

A healthy mother should develop a domed or slightly rounded surface, with visible bubbles and a clean, pleasantly fermented aroma.

To test whether it is ready to bake with, place a spoonful of starter into a bowl of water. If it floats, it is sufficiently active and ready to use. If it sinks, keep feeding it regularly until it becomes strong enough to float.

Make the Dough

Combine the bread flour and rye or spelt flour with the water. Mix until no dry flour remains, then cover and rest for 30 minutes.

Add the active sourdough starter and mix thoroughly until fully incorporated. Add the salt and mix until the dough is smooth and cohesive.

Cover and rest for 30 minutes. With wet hands, perform the first stretch and fold.

Cover and rest for another 30 minutes. Perform a second stretch and fold, then rest for 1 hour.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently pre-shape into a round. Rest for 30 minutes.

Shape into a round, then place seam-side up in a well-floured banneton or basket. Cover and refrigerate for 16–18 hours to cold prove.

Remove the dough from the fridge and rest at room temperature for 2 hours.

Bake the Bread

Preheat the Fire Oven to 250°C.

Invert the Fire Oven, transfer the dough into the hot shallow pan formed by the lid, score the surface and cover with the deep pot.

Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven to 220°C. Continue baking uncovered for 10 minutes, or until the loaf is deeply golden brown and the crust is well developed.

Remove from the Fire Oven and allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.