Baker Elaine Boddy, who has authored four acclaimed bread-making guides, revealed the simple trick to perfecting sourdough bread every time. “For anyone new to sourdough, keep in mind that it’s much simpler than you may be thinking,” she shared. “A lot of people have overcomplicated the whole process and made it seem scary and hard to make when it really isn’t.”
Elaine has witnessed “many people get overwhelmed, confused, and stressed out when they first start making sourdough”, but she wants to make it super easy. “A top tip for home bakers right now: to avoid your dough over-proofing in the warmer temperatures, use less starter,” she revealed.
“You can go as low as you need to, right down to 5g and less, and it will still work.” Sharing her sourdough bread recipe, Elaine promises it will be a “truly simple, enjoyable process”.
Making sourdough bread
Ingredients
- 50g starter (or less)
- 500g strong white bread flour, preferably Matthews Cotswold Flour, Churchill’s white flour
- 350g water
- 1tsp salt
Method
Elaine recommends pulling and folding the dough several times over a couple of hours before leaving it on the kitchen counter overnight.
By morning, the dough is ready to be shaped into a banneton-like figure and placed into the fridge. Once cooled, score the dough and place it into the oven.
Elaine said: “This is my master recipe. It’s the basis for everything I do and forms the starting point for all of my recipes.”
Once you’ve become comfortable with baking sourdough bread, Elaine encourages you to get creative.
Ingredients can be added to sourdough bread, such as seeds, nuts, dried fruits, spices, herbs, and even cheese.
