The Fruit Soak:
40 g sultanas
40 g currants
40 g raisins
50 g pitted dates, halved
50 g dried figs, quartered
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
5 cloves
50 g red wine
50 g water
100 g dried apricots, chopped in half
The Starter Build:
40 g starter
20 g bakers flour
20 g whole-wheat flour
40 g water
The Dough:
70 g starter
235 g bakers flour
45 g whole-wheat flour
45 g rye flour
25 g white spelt flour
270 g water
Zest of 1 orange
7 g salt
Bakery Notes:
You can vary the fruit that you use depending on your tastes. You can also use different liquids for the fruit soak, such as water or juice, if you don’t want to use wine. Soak the fruit for at least a day (or up to two weeks) before you plan to mix the dough.
The Fruit Soak:
Put all the fruit, except for the dried apricots, in a large container or bowl and sprinkle the ground ginger over the top. In a small saucepan, combine the whole spices and the liquids and bring to the boil over medium heat. Once boiled, take the saucepan off the heat and let the mixture infuse for 10 minutes, then strain the liquid over the fruit. Discard the whole spices. Mix with a spoon until the fruit is evenly distributed and coated with liquid. Cover and leave at room temperature overnight, stirring occasionally to thoroughly distribute the liquid – you want it soaked through the fruit, not settled at the bottom. If leaving the fruit to soak longer than overnight, store it in the fridge.
The Starter Build:
Around 4–6 hours before you plan to mix your dough, combine the starter, flours and water for the starter build, mixing well to combine. You will use 70 g of this for the dough; retain the rest for maintaining your starter.
Build the Dough:
At least 30 minutes before you plan to mix the dough, combine the flours and water in a large mixing bowl. Mix them with your hands until thoroughly combined, then cover with a damp cloth and set aside for the autolyse. When the starter is ripe and bubbly, mix it with the flour and water mixture, sprinkle over the orange zest and salt, and finish mixing the dough. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside in a warm place for at least 30 minutes, before your first set of folds. Add the fruit soak and the apricots as you do the first turn and fold, ensuring they are evenly distributed. If the fruit seems a bit wet, you can throw a little extra flour in. You want a slightly sticky dough, not a wet dough. Complete four sets of folds, resting the dough in between each one for 30–45 minutes. After your last set of folds, cover your dough with a damp cloth and leave to prove at room temperature for 2–3 hours.
Shape and Final Prove:
If you have multiplied the recipe, divide the dough into individual loaves before you pre-shape. Pre-shape the dough, then cover with a damp cloth and leave it to rest on the bench for 15–20 minutes. Lightly oil an 18 × 11 cm, 10 cm high tin so it’s ready for baking. When the dough has relaxed, shape the dough following the instructions for the batard loaf. Place it in the tin, seam side down, then cover with a damp cloth and leave at room temperature overnight. If it’s going to be a hot night and the dough is already feeling active, place it in the fridge, to be baked when needed. You want the dough to reach the height of the tin and to retain the imprint of your finger when gently pressed. If you’ve had the loaf in the fridge and it still looks small and feels dense, sit it in a warm place for 1–2 hours, until ready to bake.
Bake Your Bread:
Place a baking tray at the bottom of the oven, and preheat the oven to the maximum temperature. When the oven is hot, boil the kettle and pour around 150–200 ml of boiling water into the baking tray. Place the tin on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the loaf is starting to colour, then reduce the temperature to 200°C and bake for a further 20–25 minutes, until the top is a lovely dark brown. Holding the tin carefully with a cloth, tip the loaf out and check that the sides are a nice golden colour and the loaf is firm to the touch. If it needs a bit longer, put it back in the tin and return to the oven for another 5 minutes before testing again. Tip the bread out of the tin onto a wire rack to cool.
FAQs
Place 100g of very ripe organic fruit and peel such as plum, fig, apple, pear or lilli pilli and 200g of filtered water in a clean plastic or glass container. Wild yeasts naturally grow on the outside of fruits and always provide a great source for your starters.
How do you make enough sourdough starter? ›
If you do not have enough starter, just feed it some more.
Just add some flour and water to your starter the day before and presto, you have more starter. This isn't even usually necessary though, as you can add a greatly varying amount of starter to your bread as it will leaven your dough over time.
What is the secret to good sourdough bread? ›
Top 10 Tips & Tricks for Making Sourdough
- Use your sourdough starter at its peak. ...
- Moisten the surface of the dough before baking for more rise. ...
- Handle with care: be gentle with your dough. ...
- Use sifted flour to make your sourdough less dense. ...
- Soak your flour beforehand for a lighter loaf. ...
- Just add water for softer sourdough.
If you have too much starter compared to the additional flour and water you're adding, your hungry starter consumes all the nutrients and then it's not as bubbly.
What fruit is good for sourdough starter? ›
Often on grapes, plums, and berries you can actually see the chalky film of yeast (“the bloom”) that is drawn to their sweetness. These and other fruits with edible skins (not bananas or citrus) are great for getting sourdoughs bubbling. Use organic fruit for this.
Does pineapple juice help sourdough starter? ›
Start with pineapple juice because wild yeast cells prefer a somewhat acidic pH. Use freshly milled, stone-milled flour because the added minerals and nutrients provide even better food for the microbes (the yeast and bacteria) to thrive. If you have a source local to you, use it!
How to make 100% sourdough starter? ›
A 100% hydration sourdough starter is a culture which is kept and fed with water and flour at equal weights. Like for instance 5 oz water to 5 oz flour. A 166% hydration starter is fed with equal volume of flour and water, which most typically is one cup of water (8.3 oz) and one cup of flour (5 oz).
What is the best ratio for sourdough starter? ›
Sourdough starters should be fed a minimum ratio of 1:1:1, meaning equal WEIGHTS of starter to flour to water. If you feed your starter this way and keep it at a consistently warm temperature 78ºF, your starter should peak and become active/bubbly in about 3-4 hours.
What is the best ratio of sourdough starter to flour? ›
The most common feeding ratio is 1:1:1 (sourdough starter: flour: water). This is also known as a 100% hydration starter. For example, let's say you have 40 g of sourdough starter in a jar. To feed it, you'll add 40 g of flour + 40 g of water.
Why do you put honey in sourdough bread? ›
Honey: Honey adds a sweetness to this dough and helps balance any sour flavor that comes through from the fermentation process. If you are looking for whole wheat bread without the honey, try this recipe. Salt: Salt enhances the flavor and helps tempers the fermentation.
Baking soda or bicarbonate of soda can be used in sourdough bread to create a less sour loaf. Added after bulk fermentation, but before shaping, it can help to create a lighter, more fluffy loaf of sourdough.
Should you add yeast to sourdough bread? ›
Proper fermentation of bread dough requires robust yeast activity, especially if you want good oven spring and an open crumb. Adding small amounts of instant yeast to a sourdough is an easy and effective way to get there, and a practice any baker might want to add to their bread baking toolkit.
What is the biggest mistake with sourdough starter? ›
- 1: You killed your sourdough starter.
- You bake your sourdough too soon.
- You don't autolyse your dough.
- You don't let the bread proof long enough.
- You use unfiltered tap water.
- You throw out your sourdough discard.
- Failing to score the bread properly.
- You don't get rid of the 'hooch'
It would be best if you discarded some portion of your starter each time you feed it unless you want to continue to let it grow. Eventually, you need to discard the used “food” (flour and water) that's been used to sustain your starter during the last fermentation period.
Why discard half of sourdough starter? ›
If you don't get rid of the excess, eventually you'll have more starter than your feedings can sustain. After a few days, your daily 1/4 cup flour and water won't be enough to sustain your entire jar of starter, and your starter will be slow and sluggish, not much better than discard itself.
Can you have fruit as a starter? ›
Fruits trigger different enzymes to digest, and are digested quickly. They move along and allow space for the rest of your meal. They make a great starter for that reason.
How do you make sourdough starter with apples? ›
Mix 500g of the flour with the apple and water. Tip this into an airtight container and mark the level on the outside of the container (so you can see whether the mix has risen). Cover and leave to ferment for 3 days.
What fruits have natural yeast? ›
A lot of unwashed organic fruits (apples, peaches, lemons, et cetera) are also excellent sources of yeast. Make sure they're organic and clean (not grown in a polluted environment and sprayed with chemicals).
