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Our local Sunday farmers market in Marylebone has an endlessly tempting collection of fresh produce from our land and seas along with a good continental mix of gastronomy.
The boys drool over the sourdough breads from the French and Italian bakers, and after a friend gave me a starter, I've seen how easy it is to make my own. A sourdough starter is a microbiome made up of yeast and bacteria living symbiotically. They respond to the flour, temperature and environment they're kept it in, along with the passage of time.
Some bakeries claim their starters go back a hundred years and many are passed down through families. But it's likely that these shared heirloom colonies of yeast and bacteria have changed and responded to the environment they've been kept in, so become more fashionably unique and diverse.
Ingredients:
Sourdough starter needs feeding before making the baguette. I add 50g bread flour & 50ml tepid water to my starter, mix it and then leave it for 4 hours.
500g white bread flour
350g tepid water
100g active sourdough starter
10g salt
Method:
In a large bowl mix the flour and water together. Cover and let rest for 30-60 mins. Add the starter and salt and mix this in by hand.
Cover and let rest for 30 mins. Now gently stretch and fold the dough a few times, cover and let rest for 30 mins. Repeat this another 3 times. Allow to rest for another hour, the dough should then have doubled in size.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and spilt in half. Gently flatten both pieces and shape into rectangles. Fold the top third down and the bottom third up, then roll tightly and seal the seam with your fingers. Then roll this out to about 12 inches.
Place both baguettes seam side down onto a slightly greased baguette baking tray. Cover them and prove in the fridge overnight.
The following morning heat oven to 230c (fan) and place a baking tray with water in on the bottom shelf. This creates steam.
Take the baguettes out the fridge, dust with flour and score the dough with a sharp blade in 4-5 places. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 mins until deep golden brown.
Once ready, take out the oven, remove from baking tray and allow to fully cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy.
Gaby Van Clarke
