7 D A Y S O F S O U R D O U G H

Sourdough baking can appearfairly mystifying for many homebakers. But in essence it's themost simple and pure form ofbread making. We have over thepast few weeks seen a real spikein interest. With so many of usunable to get hold of fresh oreven dried yeast we're returningto the original methods. So much so that we have createda real community of sourdoughfollowers over on Instagram. This book has largely comeabout due to the overwhelmingresponse from all of you. We aimto show you how to get sourdough into your routine, both bakingand eating it. There's nothing better than that first slice of freshly bakedsourdough and a thick layer of butter. However, this book shows youhow to maximise a sourdough loaf as it matures throughout theweek. The health benefits are reason enough to get into wild yeastbaking, regardless of how delicious it is. The longer fermentationprocess ensures the grains develop naturally for maximum nutritionand digestibility. This leads us to the importance of eating well and providing for thosethat need our support now more than ever. Through this ebook weare raising money to support Meals for the NHS, an organisationdelivering meals to NHS teams across the country. This organisationis working two fold to support food businesses that would otherwisebe closed currently and ensuring everyone working tirelessly inhospitals up and down the country can enjoy the simple comfort of ahot meal. Let's do what we can to keep their incredible work going.

Day 1: Sourdough Starter Day 2: No Knead Sourdough Day 3: Proper British Beans on Toast Day 4: World's Best Toasted Cheese Sandwich Day 5: Bruschetta Day 6: Croutons Day 7: Sourdough Breadcrumbs

C O N T E N T S

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S O U R D O U G H S T A R T E R

DAY 150g rye flour50g water, at roomtemperature

Don't forget to name your starter - ours is called Bruce,after Canon Bruce Saunders, the first clergyman to blessour starter at Southwark Cathedral.

On day 1, just mix the flour and water together. Cover witha tea towel and leave at room temperature for 24 hours. Each consecutive day, add 1 tablespoon of flour and 1tablespoon of water to your existing starter, and mix.Leave at room temperature, uncovered for 2 hours, thencover and pop in the fridge overnight. By day 5 it should be nice and lively, with some bubblingand slightly alcoholic aroma. Store in the fridge in anairtight container and use at least once a fortnight. Beforeuse, feed with 75g of rye flour and 75g of water (orwhatever volume your recipe requires) and leave at roomtemperature for 8 hours.

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DAY 2, 3, 4 and 51 tbsp rye flour1 tbsp cold water

B A K E R ' S T I P . . .

We are creating an environment for yeast cells to live in,multiply and generally be happy. To achieve this we needto make 4 key things available to our starter. Temperature: 24°C is the ideal for yeast activity.Water: yeast needs moisture/water to grow. Oxygen: yeast needs oxygen to live.Food: the flour is the food supply.

C A R I N G F O R Y O U R S T A R T E R

WHAT IS A SOURDOUGH STARTER (AKA 'MOTHER')?

WHICH FLOURS CAN I USE TO MAKE A STARTER?

HOW/WHERE SHOULD I KEEP MY STARTER WHEN I'MMAKING IT?

A sourdough starter is used to cultivate wild yeast in a formthat we can use for baking. Since wild yeast is present in allflour (and in the air), the easiest way to make a starter is bycombining flour and water and letting it sit for several dayswith regular feeding. Yeast cells are living organisms andwill learn a feeding cycle. The more regular we are withfeeding the starter, the better the yeast will adapt to thiscycle. When building a new starter we feed every day for 4to 5 days. Once it is active we can feed just once a week, orthe day before we are going to use it to bake.

You can use any flour to make a starter, but werecommend using a wholegrain rye flour (and we use thisin our production bakery). Rye starters tend to be a bitheartier and more resilient than their white counterparts.

During these first 6 days (when you’re feeding and growingyour starter), it should be kept loosely covered at roomtemperature. In summer, you should keep it in the fridge,as it can overdevelop and die.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE A STARTER?It should take about 6 days to create a healthy, bubblystarter. By this point, your starter should have ahoneycomb pattern of bubbles in it and a slightly alcoholicaroma.

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HOW DO I KNOW WHEN MY STARTER IS NO LONGERRESCUABLE?

WHAT IF I'M GOING ON HOLIDAY FOR MORE THAN 2WEEKS?

WHATS HAPPENS IF LIQUID APPEARS ON TOP OF MYSTARTER?

You can freeze your starter. Once you’re ready to use itagain, allow it to defrost at room temperature, and feed itdaily (50g of flour and 50g of water) until it’s back to itsbubbly self (this may take a few days).

Don’t worry if this happens – it’s harmless and is referred toas ‘hooch’, which is naturally occurring alcohol. It’s basicallyyour starter saying ‘I am hungry’ and ‘FEED ME’. The hoochcan either be poured off or mixed back into your starter –we are ‘hooch in’ at Bread Ahead.

If your starter begins to smell like dirty nappies, or theresult of a night on the Brussels sprouts, it’s time to throwit away and start again. Simply give it a stir (it will probablyhave a sizeable layer ofhooch on it by this point in time),then transfer 50g to a new container (discard the rest) andfeed it daily with 50g of water and 50g of flour until it’sbubbly and ready to use.

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If you’re not baking with your starter straight away, put itinto the fridge, with the lid of the container firmly fastened.If you’re not baking regularly with your starter, you’ll needto give it a feed (50g of flour and 50g of water) every 2weeks.

HOW/WHERE SHOULD I KEEP MY STARTER AFTER THEFIRST 6 DAYS?

HOW MUCH STARTER SHOULD I GENERALLY KEEP?

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STARTER AND ASTIFF STARTER?

Once you decide you’re going to bake a loaf of bread, you’llneed to feed your starter 8–12 hours before you bake (ifyou’re using a wholegrain starter you’ll need to feed it atleast 8 hours before; if you’re using a white starter, you’llneed to feed it at least 12 hours before). Take a look at yourrecipe, and if it calls for 150g of starter, feed your starterwith 75g of flour and 75g of water so that the totalvolume of added ingredients is 150g. Then leave yourstarter out at room temperature, covered loosely, untilyou’re ready to use it.

ONCE I'VE DECIDED TO BAKE A LOAF OF BREAD, WHENAND HOW MUCH SHOULD I FEED MY STARTER?

Again, this largely comes down to personal preference, butwe recommend keeping about 500g.

So from the rye starter we make our stiff starter – fromBruce to Son of Bruce. We use this stiff starter in many ofour sourdoughs at Bread Ahead, feeding daily over 500kg.The main difference is, as the name suggests, that it isstiffer – with more flour and less water being used it is easyto handle, especially on a large scale. It still gives you alovely depth of flavour for your sourdough – it’s really amatter of personal preference.

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WHAT SHOULD I KEEP MY STARTER IN?

This largely comes down to personal preference. Kilner jarsare a popular option, but we’ve kept very healthy starters inplastic pots for years without any problems.

N O K N E A D S O U R D O U G H

500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting150g rye starter 350g water 11g fine sea salt semolina, for dusting A cast iron dutch oven/ casserole or baker's stone

Makes one loaf

DAY 1: Place the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Inanother bowl, add the starter to the water and mix (yourstarter should float in the water). Make a well in the centreof the flour and pour in the liquid. With your hand like afork, gently bring the dough together (don’t overmix – atthis stage you just want to combine until the flour hascleared). Cover and leave at room temperature for 2 hours. Cover your dough and place in the fridge for 12–24 hours. DAY 2: Take your dough from the fridge and uncover. It willbe a lot firmer now and will be starting to resemble a fullymixed dough. You now need to give your dough a fold,using the technique described here. FOLDINGFirst, pick up the top two corners and pull up, stretchingthe dough upwards, then fold over to the opposite side(the first corners should meet the opposite two corners).

This is a really good introduction bread for the home bakerthat wants to start pushing the boundaries of breadmaking. It has all the benefits of a complex sourdough buttakes out a lot of the variables.

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Next, pick up the bottom two corners and again pull up,stretching the dough up and over, and fold to the oppositeside. Now repeat for the left- and right-hand sides, then flip thewhole of your dough over, so that the bottom becomes thetop.This will start to develop the gluten, reactivate theyeast and put air pockets into the dough. Rest it for half anhour, then give it another fold. Rest for another half hour,then take your dough out of the bowl and give it a gentlepre-shape. Cover and leave for 10 minutes. Heavily dust your proving basket with flour, then shapeyour dough into a nice tight round by bringing the outsideedges of your hands together (palms facing up)underneath the loaf as you turn it on your work surface.This will create good tension in the loaf. Place the doughupside down in the proving basket and leave to prove for 1-2 hours at room temperature. Preheat your oven to 250°C/fan 230°C/gas 10, or as hot as itwill go. Once your oven is ready, put a Dutch oven (cast-iron casserole) or baking stone in to heat up. Get yourwater spray ready if you are using a baking stone. If using a Dutch oven, very carefully take it out of the oven.Sprinkle the loaf with semolina and gently place top sidedown in the Dutch oven. Using a razor blade, cut twoslashes in the dough. Put the lid on, place in the oven andbake for 25 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for afurther 12-15 minutes. Take the Dutch oven out and verycarefully remove the loaf, then put it back directly on theoven shelf, bake for a further 10 minutes, depending onhow much singe you like.

If using a baking stone, gently and slowly turn out your loafon to a baker’s peel or a wooden board. Using a sharp knifeor a razor blade, cut two slashes on the top of the loaf, thenslide it off the peel on to the baking stone in the oven.Heavily spray inside the oven with your water spray, andbake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn the loaf roundand bake for a further 25 minutes, depending on howmuch singe you like. Once baked, place on a rack to cool.

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F O L L OW O U R T U T O R I A L S O N L I N E . . .

For regular tutorials, Q&As and lessons in how to mastersourdough baking you can follow us live over on Instagram.Click the link below to get involved.

@ B R E A D A H E A D B A K E R Y

P R O P E R B R I T I S H B E A N S O N T O A S T

Serves 2

2 generous slices of sourdough1 tbsp butter400g tin of beans (Heinz of course)100g cheddar cheese, grateddash of Worcester sauce or hot saucecracked black pepper

Preheat your oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Add the beans to a saucepan and heat on medium,stirring occasionally to make sure they don't stick. Pop your slices of sourdough into the toaster, as soon asthey're nicely crisp and golden slather with butter. Or forproper toast, heat the butter in a frying pan, when thebutter starts to foam add your sourdough and cook over amedium/high heat until beautifully golden. Transfer the toast to a lined baking tray, your beansshould be bubbling away now. Layer the beans onto theslices of toast and season generously with your choice ofsauce and plenty of pepper. Scatter the grated cheese allover the beans, add another generous dash more saucehere for a really delicious hit. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese hasmelted and formed a beautiful crust on the beans. Serve and enjoy!

Nothing is quite so comforting as beans on toast. Of course for proper beans on toast, it has to be Heinz.

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WO R L D ' S B E S T T O A S T E D C H E E S E

S A N DW I C H

Makes 1 serious sandwich

2 generous slices of sourdough1/2 tbsp olive oil1/2 clove of garlic150g cheddar cheese, grated1/4 small red onion, finely chopped1/4 leek, finely choppedcracked black pepperoptional but delicious, a slice of thick cut ham

Preheat your oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Drizzle theolive oil over both sides of your bread, rub the clove ofgarlic over the bread, this will add a lovely subtle flavouronce toasted. In a bowl combine the cheese, red onion,leek and a good pinch of black pepper, mix together. Place one slice of bread on a lined baking tray and loadwith your cheese mix, sandwich together with the secondslice of bread. The best way to get your sandwich toastedall the way through is to add some weight to the top. Takean overturned baking tray and place on top of yoursandwich. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes until thecheese is perfectly melted. This can also be done in a skillet pan by slow frying in oliveoil , turn it over an pop in into the oven. If you are fortunateto have a panini griddle at home this is the way to go.

While we don't officially hold the World title, I'd defyanyone that can top this combination. 

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B R U S C H E T T A

Serves 1

1 generous slice of sourdough (1/2 a slice will do if you're atthe middle of your loaf now)1 tsp olive oil1 tsp balsamic vinegar150g mushrooms, roughly sliced1 tbsp butterhandful of fresh herbs, we like basil, tarragon and parsley salt & pepper

Preheat your oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, addyour mushrooms and cook for approximately 10 minutesuntil softened and beginning to brown.  Meanwhile, place the slice of sourdough on a lined bakingtray, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 4 minutes untilgolden. Remove from the oven and pour over the balsamicvinegar. When the mushrooms have softened and taken on somecolour stir through your chopped herbs and cook for afurther 1 minute. Remove the herbed mushrooms from theheat, stack them high on your toasted sourdough andseason with a little salt and pepper. 

This is a wonderful way to turn a few simple ingredientsinto a delicious meal. This is also fantastic with a poachedegg for a lazy Sunday brunch.

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C R O U T O N S

300g sourdough loaf, cut into 2cm cubes125g unsalted butterA few sprigs of thyme5 gloves of crushed garlicSea saltCracked black pepper

Makes 1 big batch

Preheat your oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6, and line twotrays with baking paper. Cut the sourdough into 2cm cubes and bake at 180°C for 10minutes. While the bread is baking melt the butter withthe crushed garlic. Pick the leaves off the thyme, discardthe stalks and infuse the thyme leaves into the butter. Once the croutons are baked tip them into a high sidedbowl and cover with the butter. Give them a good toss inthe butter so each cube is coated. Season with salt andpepper. Bake again at 180°C for a further 5 minutes. Once bakedleave to cool before you eat one... if you can resist. They will keep well in an air tight container up to 1 month.

A good crouton is a way to transform a salad or a soupinto something with a load more flavour. Classic examplesare a Caesar salad or a simple leek and potato soup.

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S O U R D O U G H B R E A D C R U M B S

Makes... whatever you've got to hand

old sourdough bread herbes de provence (or your choice of dried herbs)butter

Never throw away bread. Breadcrumbs are such aversatile way to add flavour and texture to your cooking.You can be completely creative with your choice ofseasoning too. 

Tear your bread into small chunks approximately 2cm insize. Spread the bread over a baking tray and place in theoven overnight, but leave the oven off, we simply want thebread to dry out naturally. In the morning, place your dried bread, herbs and butterinto a blender, blitz into crumbs. Add the butter slowly, youdon't want to create a paste, but simply add a little flavourand bind the herbs with the bread. Your breadcrumbs can be stored in an airtight container inthe fridge, or freeze in an ice cube tray. These beautifullyherby crumbs can be used for so many things, we lovethem stuffed into whole roasted tomatoes. Cut some beef tomatoes in half (or any tomato), pack thetop with herby breadcrumbs, layer into a roasting tray anddrizzle with olive oil and a dash of black pepper. Roast at180°C for around 25 minutes. Delicious.

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