White Sourdough Loaf

An evening before you start making the bread, take 50-100g of rye sourdough starter from the fridge and add to it 50ml water + 50g wheat/rye flour. Leave until morning for the starter to activate and gain strength.

I also tried without letting the starter sit overnight, it was good, but it felt less fluffy, with smaller pores and it took longer to rise.

Step 1 - The Levain:

Place 71g sourdough starter in a bowl - put the remainder back in the fridge, in a small container and use it for the next batch of bread.

Add 152ml room temperature water, stir well.

Then add 85g whole wheat flour and 142g white flour, mix well with a spoon. Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and let rest for 2-3 hours until it has visibly risen.

Here is the levain which has doubled in size, ready for the dough now.

Step 2 - The Dough:

Add 312ml room temperature water to the levain from step 5 - stir well.

Weigh 454g white flour and 17g salt - mix well with a spoon.

The dough will be quite shaggy and sticky.

Tip out the dough onto a floured work surface.

Now we will work the dough to make it smooth and beautiful using the technique called STRETCH AND FOLD (here is a video for you to see better). 

- So, tip the dough onto the table (dust with flour on top), roll out into a rectangle with your hands. 

Bring one of the sides of the rectangle over to the middle.

Bring the other side over the first one.

Fold over one of the ends of this 'log' - like in the picture.

Bring the other end over the first one. And that's the whole trick.

Cover the dough with a towel, allow to rest for 10 minutes and repeat the Strech and Fold procedure - as in steps 10-14.

You have to repeat this procedure at least 3 times - this way the dough will be smooth and porous and it will rise better.

Gently shape into a ball, at this stage you shouldn't knead anymore - simply give the dough a round shape with your hands.

Grease the bowl with a little oil and leave the dough for 2-3 hours to prove (about 1.5-2 times bigger) - covered with a tea towel, of course.

Step 3 - The Loaves:

Turn the risen dough onto a floured work surface and cut into 2 pieces.

Roll out each piece of dough into a rectangle - dust with a little flour if you need.

Bring the longer side to the centre and fold over.

Bring the other side over the first one and gently press with your fingers.

Round off the ends with your fingers.

Shape the both loaves and let rise - I placed them on 2 pieces of parchment paper.

I placed the pieces of parchment paper on a towel and I lifted the sides up with what I could find in the kitchen (a rolling pin, baking sheets etc.) so that the bread could rise upwards.

Allow to sit for 1-2 hours until it gets 1.5-2 times bigger.

This is what the risen loaves looked like.

Remove the towel and, using a very sharp knife, slash the top of the loaves 2-3 times.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees C, with a tile inside the oven and a baking sheet placed at the bottom.

Place the loaves in the oven (by pulling the parchment paper corners) and pour 150ml water in the hot baking sheet at the bottom - to create steam in the oven. Quickly close the oven door.

After 10 minutes turn heat down to 200 degrees C and bake for 40-50 minutes until golden brown.

While baking, you can brush the loaves with water (maybe 2 times) to make the crust look shiny.

Bread is ready when it's golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped at the bottom.

If you want a crunchier crust, brush with water as soon as you remove from the oven.

And wrap in a towel - let cool completely for a few hours or even overnight.

Usually after an hour we start to break the bread into pieces... it's harder to slice when it's freshly made.

The next day, cut the loaves into thin beautiful slices. You can freeze and use them in need - they will thaw in 30 minutes and will be as good as fresh.

Enjoy!