Ultimate Sourdough Bread

I've experimented with various techniques and combinations and this is the best one so far. You'll need a sourdough starter for this. Best to get one off a friend. However, if you have to make your own, do this:

- a few teaspoons of flour in a jar and add water to form a fluid of medium viscosity and close the jar
- wait a few days till you see bubbles forming
- add a few more teaspoons and enough water to keep it at a paste-like consistency
- wait for more bubbles and repeat the process
- build it up like this for a 2 week period et voila, a sourdough starter!

Cost: 5 zl

You'll need:

- around 450g of plain white flour
- a 250g mix of various other flours and seeds of your choice. I used a mix of 3 flours plus some wholemeal, a dash of oatmeal, 1 tablespoon each of flax, pumpkin and sunflower seeds
- 3 tablespoons of sourdough starter
- 400 ml of luke warm water
- 3 chef's pinches (3 fingers) of salt

Let's go:

1. I've got my flour mix ready. Feel free to play around with various quantities and combinations of seeds and flours.

2. Mix in the sourdough starter (3 nice big tablespoons) in with the luke warm water (400 ml) and whisk.

3. Mix the liquid into the flour

4. Get your hands in and knead for a few minutes. The dough should be firm, not sticky.

5. Butter up a bread tin and press the dough into it

6. Cover with a plastic bag, leaving room for expansion (that's why a bag is better than cling film). Leave for 8-12 hours to rise (I prefer overnight). The dough should rise above the rim of the tin.

7. Heat the oven up to around 200 c. Add a glass of water onto the tray and put the bread in. This will add a steaming element to the baking process, resulting in a better crust.

8. Bake for 25 minutes and rest on a rack (so that the base can breathe). Leave for one hour before cutting into it. 

Enjoy!

The total cost of the loaf is around 5 zl.