You'll need to leave time for overnight rising and cooling for this sourdough recipe.
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Yields:
10 serving(s)
Prep Time:
40 mins
Cook Time:
35 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 15 mins
Cal/Serv:
182
Ingredients
375g
(13oz) strong white flour, plus extra to dust
11/2 tsp caster sugar
250g
(9oz) starter (see above)
oil, to grease
Directions
Step 1
In a large bowl (about 25.5cm/10in diameter) put flour, sugar, 11/2tsp fine salt and sourdough starter. Add enough water (about 150-200ml/5-7fl oz) to quickly bring mixture together to a soft, tacky dough.
Step 2
Lightly dust work surface with flour, and knead dough (reserving bowl) for 10-15min until smooth and elastic. Form into a ball.
Step 3
Lightly grease cleaned-out bowl and add dough. Cover with lightly greased clingfilm and leave to rise at room temperature for 5-6hr or until doubled in size. Alternatively, after 2hr rising, transfer to fridge overnight, then remove from fridge and continue rising at room temperature for 3-4hr, or until doubled in size.
Step 4
Punch down dough in bowl (reserving bowl). On a lightly floured work surface, knead dough for 30secs. Shape into a round loaf. Spread out a clean, dry tea towel and cover central 25.5cm (10in) diameter section with a layer of flour about 5mm (1/4in) thick. Put dough (seam side up) in centre of towel. Draw up corners of towel and lift dough into cleaned-out bowl (allow towel edges to hang over sides of bowl). Cover bowl with another clean, dry tea towel. Prove at room temperature for 5-6hr, or until doubled in size.
Step 5
Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 220°C (200°C fan) mark 7. Put a roasting tin of boiling water into bottom of oven.
Step 6
Dust a baking sheet with flour. Remove tea towel covering bowl, then invert bowl on to baking sheet. Carefully lift off bowl and peel off tea towel. Slash a square into top of dough with a serrated knife.
Step 7
Bake for 30-35min until loaf is crusty and sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
GH Tips
TO STORE Best eaten on day of baking.
TO FREEZE Once baked and cooled, wrap whole or sliced in clingfilm. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly before eating, or toast from frozen.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
