The Definitive Sourdough Recipe

You would not believe how many attempts it took
me to finally get to this (or maybe you would).

I persevered mainly, because I kept telling myself that if ancient Egyptians could do it with limited technology or knowledge about what was actually going on - I could.

I have also mastered the art of it taking a limited amount of my time. You do need to plan ahead though. It basically takes two days to get a loaf but about twenty minutes of your time in total.

You need to start with a starter. This may sound a bit obvious, but a good starter takes a bit of work. Once your starter is nice and active, it basically does all the work.

This is how to make your starter here. A French baker gave me a recipe which used peaches. I would imagine any fruit, even apples from an orchard would work.

To test your starter pour 150g of it into a bowl and add 100g flour (a half and half rye and wheat flour mix works best). Use organic if possible. Add 150ml water and stir. Leave in a warm place for a few hours (in summer 2-3 but in winter 4-6, unless your kitchen is very warm). You could also leave it overnight. It should start to have bubbles in it and become "holey" in appearance. This is often called the sponge.

Every time you use your starter, you need to replace what you have used or feed it. I add about 50g of flour and 100g of water to it. Store it in the fridge. You need to feed it weekly, ideally, whether you use it or not. Although I have forgotten mine for weeks without any adverse effect. 

I do this in the morning and leave it for most of the day. Then later in the evening I begin the next stage and leave it overnight.

Just starting to bubble

Next step is to pour this sponge into a mixing bowl. Add 350g strong white bread flour (or another 300g white flour and 50g rye). Add 10g salt.  Put 300ml of water in a jug.

Start your mixer on a low setting using the dough hook. Gradually add the water. Do not add it all at once. All flours absorb different amounts of liquid.  Mix at a low speed for ten minutes.

You need to get the hang of testing firstly if the dough is wet enough. It is preferable to be over-hydrated rather than under as if under, it will give a tough and a dense textured loaf.  If the dough ball has cleaned the sides of the bowl and is just sticking to the base as it mixes you are on the right track. If you pull some of the dough with your fingers and it is quite silky, it is about right.

dough feels stretchy and light

Turn the mixer to a high speed and mix for a few minutes. Alternate high and low speed until dough is kneaded.

How you test it is kneaded enough - is it slapping against the bowl on a high speed? Secondly, when you pull a piece of the dough out could you blow a bubble as in bubble gum without it tearing? If it tears immediately it's not kneaded properly. If it is good and stretchy and doesn't tear it is.

Transfer the dough to a well-floured bowl. Rub some vegetable oil over the surface. This is to stop it forming a crust. Cover with cling film and leave it overnight.

Oiled and covered for night

 Next morning turn it out onto a floured surface.

Gather it together gently, turn it over and gradually but gently form it into a round ball. Gently press any big air bubbles out. Place it upside down on a baking tin lined with baking paper.

This is what it looks like underneath.If you invert it as in picture above you get the nice breaks in the crust as in the picture below. Place it on a lined tray and gently with your fore finger rub some water all over it. This stops a crust forming which will prevent it rising. You can sprinkle poppy seeds over it if you like at this stage. Leave to prove for another two hours (3-4 in cold weather).

The dough can be shaped into a round as above or an oblong whichever. I usually cut the oblong shape just before it goes into the oven. See main picture.

To bake put oven at lowest setting with an empty tin on bottom shelf for a few minutes. Place bread on top shelf and pour water into the warmed empty tin. Leave at this temperature for 10-15 minutes.

Turn oven up to 210C fan and add more water to the tin. Bake at this temperature for about 25 minutes. Remove the water and turn your bread around. Bake it for a further 10 minutes at 200C directly on the shelf (remove tin).

Test if baked by tapping the base. If it sounds hollow it's baked. Cool on a wire rack.

Crème de Groseille Rouge. (Redcurrant Liquour) and Christmas Jelly

Served here with elderflower champagne

Last July I was overwhelmed with soft fruit ripening rapidly in my garden and was to the pin of my collar trying to both pick it and figure out what to do with it (apart from the usual).

I wrote about it here. So now the time has come to finish off this glorious redcurrant creation.

I have had several reports from other people who have already completed theirs and are beginning to enjoy it. To be honest I had completely forgotten about mine.

So I poured the vodka with the redcurrants into a large bowl and gave them a good mash with a potato masher. I have seen some recipes advising using a food processor to blitz them.

Put a muslin cloth in a colander and balance it over a suitable container (alternatively you could use a jelly bag).  Pour the mash into it and leave it to drip through. Give it a gentle push from time to time. After it has all dripped through pour it back into a clean jug.

Make a sugar syrup. I used 400g sugar and 200g water (In the other recipe it says 300g but I felt it needed slightly more). Simmer it until sugar is dissolved and it becomes syrupy. Allow it to cool slightly and pour into the redcurrant liquour. Give it a good stir and transfer to clean sterilised glass bottles.  Allow to mature for as long as you have patience.  It will improve with age.

(It is pictured here served with elderflower champagne I made in 2011 and it was really delicious).

Christmas Jelly

I was then left with a big pot of both spent redcurrants and blackcurrants from making cassis. They were plumped up with vodka and it seemed like a crying shame to just dump them. So I made a Christmas jelly with them.  Bear with me as this recipe was an experiment and the quantities I had may not be the same as you may have, but both berries contain a lot of pectin so it will set.

I had 475g spent redcurrants and 895g spent blackcurrants. I added 500ml of water along with two star anise, a cinnamon stick, a few cloves and a few juniper berries.  I simmered it until the fruit was soft and pulpy. Cool it and transfer to your muslin set up again. This time allow it to drip through overnight. Don't be tempted to push it through or it will become cloudy.

Next day I measured the liquid (actually it had already turned to a jelly). It was about 500ml so I added another 200ml water. I heated it and then added 250g sugar and brought it to a rapid boil. I tested it after a few minutes and it had reached a set. I then transferred it to clean sterilised warm jars.

This jelly will be delicious served in place of cranberry sauce with turkey for Christmas. Or it could be used to add to a jus to be served with game.

Lidlicious

It's not often I eat my words but:
Cherry, vanilla, silky-smooth.
A real Italian
Morellino di Scansano 2011
Tuscan Sangiovese
Open before tasting at least an hour.
€10.99
Lidl












Disclaimer - I have been known to slag off Lidl wines - in the past.

Hipster Gin (Rosehips in Gin)

I've walked roads and lane ways looking for sloes this year to make sloe gin, but haven't found any. I have an old fashioned, wild rose bush (Rosa canina), well actually it's more like a tree, at the back door and it's dripping with rose hips.

I searched the web for ideas and found a recipe for rose hips in vodka.

This is adapted from it.

All you need is an empty litre bottle, a funnel, approximately two thirds of a 75cl bottle of gin (enough left over for a few G&Ts), 50g sugar and 500g rose hips.

Top and tail 500g of hips and rinse them under running water. Dry them off on kitchen paper.

Push the rose hips into the clean, sterilised bottle. Pour in the sugar using a funnel. You will have to make sure it's dry and keep tapping it to make it flow. Finally add enough gin to cover the fruit. Seal the bottle and leave for a month.

After a month strain the liquid off and transfer into another clean, sterilised bottle.

Leave for at least two months to mature.

Should be ready on time for Christmas - a perfect Hipster Gin.


Wineborn wisdom.

First Post

Hello.
This is a blog about wine. I don't pretend to be a wine expert. I'm not. I know what I like. I have a reasonably good palate. If this can help you make a choice then I'm really delighted. I love when someone recommends a good wine and I can agree or disagree. If I agree I will let you know.

There are lots of ways to get information on wine. Twitter is great as lots of people post pictures of wines they have had or are currently enjoying. Additionally many post links to reviews they have read on line. This is a good way to get some fascinating information. A recent post I read was about UK multiples discounting wine. as in, selling at "half price."  I have long been suspicious of this practice.  Very often I would say to myself, if I had paid full price for this I would be really mad.

I have an interest in home brewing as well so I hope to write about these experiments as well. To date my most successful have been cider, crème de cassis and gooseberry infused gin. I have written about these over on my other blog www.foodbornandbred.com.


Tags: Foodbornandbred  Wine  Twitter  Cider Crème de cassis  Gooseberry infused gin UK multiples Discounting wine