igredients

• 450g strong white flower
• 300g tepid-warm water
• 150g sourdough starter
• 15g table salt (non-iodised)
• semolina or rice flower for dusting
• 1- 1/5 cups of additional extras e.g olives, herbs, seed, dried fruit (optional)

method

1. Add starter and water mix together in a generous mixing bowl. Until start in mostly dissolved.
2. Add strong flower, combine until all flower is mixed in. The bread will look shaggy. Don't panic. Leave covered in a warm place for 20 minutes.
   (optional if adding extras, prepare now, olives: drain halve and pat mostly dry; fruit: diced and re-hydrate if necessary: herbs: dice and; seeds: pre-soak in a small amount of water.
   
3. After the 20 minutes add salt. Kneed aggressively for 5-6 minutes . Or until it becomes smooth (e.g. not sticking the counter), bouncie and slightly warm. Should look and smell like a delicious dough.
   
   If you are adding extras add them now, so they are evenly spread through the dough.
   
   We recommend the slapping kneeding technique: holding one end of the dough slap it down not letting go then scoop up and under the dough on the bench and repeat. This is good for high hydration dough which will be hard to handle at the start.
   
   (noting if you can't need aggressively for 5 minutes straight lengthen the time to 10 minutes)
   
   (Also note DO NOT be tempted to add more flower, the dough will come good, if it hasn't kneed more)
   
   
4. Loosely shape your dough into a round ball, whatever method for you is fine here.
   
5. Place dough into a large plastic container with a lid. This will some the top of the dough drying out.
   
6. Let the dough rise for 4 hours. During this time fold the dough twice.
   Folding is picking up the dough from the corners of the container and pulling it over itself. E.g. left top corner goes to the right bottom corner, do this all the way around the dough.
   
   (noting if it is a very hot day reduce proving time to 2-3 hours, if it is a cold day place the dough some where warm or use a heat mat)
7. Once this proving is over pull the dough out, shaping into a loose circle on a flower bench top. Leave for 20 minutes covered.
8. Now do the final shaping this will be the finish shape of your dough.
   For a circle dough: flatter the dough out gently till roughly a thick rectangle fold in overlapping thirds;
   
9. Pull the bottom up to the 2 3rds mark of the bread;
10. Pull the right side towards the left and stop at 2 3rd mark;
11. Pull the left side towards the right and stop at 2 3rd mark. At this pint the bottom, right and left sides of dough should all be layered on top of each other;
12. Finally pull the top half down over all the dough and tuck.
    
13. Flip the bread and using a dough scrapper, drag the dough down the counter top. This will cause the dough to stick a little tucking any lip into the dough.
14. Do this pulling several times. This is building tension in the bread. You should see a tight skin forming on the dough. If you want a round bread turn the dough and pull to keep a even round shape.
    
15. Flower with semolina/rice flower a tea towel placed in a shallow bowl or bread proving basket. Place bread upside down in this basket/bowl. Cover with a plastic bag so as to stop air getting in.
    
16. Pace bread in fridge for minimum 2 hours or overnight. The bread will get more sour the longer you leave it.
    
17. Once ready to cook, pre-heat the oven with a large cast iron pan or pot with lid inside to as high as your oven can go. Ours goes to 250c
18. Once the oven is hot. Pull the pan/pot out lightly flour so the bread doesn't stick. Place the cold cough in the pan, score the top of the dough is a pattern you like.
    
    (note: keep your scoring deep and short, as this will help the bread rise up instead of expanding out)
19. Cooking with lid on for 30 minutes at high heat. Bread should be slightly golden by the end of this 30 minutes.
    
20. Drop oven to 200, and cooking for a further 20 minutes without the lid. The ears (sticking up bit of bread on top) should be partially black by then end of this time.
    
    (note: you want to go darker than you think you should, as this gives you more flavour, crunchier crust and a longer last bread.)
21. Pull out bread and leave to cool for 5/10 minutes leaning up against a wall/counter so the bottom doesn't go soggy. If you tap the bottom of the bread it should now sound hollow.
    
22. Eat with way too much butter!