Ingredients

25g sourdough starter
500g whole wheat flour
7g salt
350g water

sesame seeds for decoration

Method

I keep a jar of sourdough in the fridge and each week I use it to make a loaf of bread. The day before I bake, I take the jar out of the fridge, feed it with 50g of flour and 50g of water and leave it out on the kitchen counter.

Day 1. 8am. Take 25g of sourdough starter and mix it with 150g of flour and 150g of water (you may need a little more or less water depending on your flour). Cover and leave it on your counter top.

At 10am, autolyse the dough. This allows the flour to hydrate and helps to slow down fermentation so that the loaf maintains its texture and shape. To autolyse, roughly mix 350g of flour with 200g of water. Cover and leave it for about 3 hours

At 1pm, mix the sourdough, flour/water mix and salt together gently folding them together with your hands for about 3-5 minutes.

You will need to stretch and fold the dough 3 or 4 times before shaping the loaf. Starting 30 minutes after mixing the dough, stretch and fold the dough. At the last stretch it will have become smooth and silky.

At about 4pm, shape the loaf, roll in sesame seeds (if using) and place in floured proofing basket (I recommend 50% rice flour, 50% bread flour to flour the proofing basket). Place the basket in the fridge overnight. There is no need to cover the basket.

Day 2. By about 8am on day 2 your loaf will have risen a little in the fridge. It is now ready to bake. Place a dutch oven in the oven and heat to 500F. When the oven is reached maximum temperature, turn it down to 475F. Tip out the proofed loaf onto a piece of greaseproof paper, score the loaf, brush of excess flour, then lower the loaf into the heated Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Take of the lid, turn down the oven to 450F and bake for another 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool before slicing and enjoy!