Making bread from scratch is the easiest way to control exactly what’s in it and customise it to your own taste. Sourdough is often touted as the healthiest kind of bread on the market, and the British Heart Foundation notes that it can have a lower glycaemic index than its standard bread equivalent. This means it causes blood sugar levels to rise more slowly.
It’s not the easiest baked good to make from scratch, however, and one that many people try several times before mastering. But baking expert Elaine Boddy, who has written four bread-centric cookbooks, says sourdough recipes are often overcomplicated: “For anyone new to sourdough, keep in mind that it’s much simpler than you may be thinking,” she says. “A lot of people have over complicated the whole process and made it seem scary and hard to make when it really isn’t.”
She added, “I’ve seen so many people get overwhelmed, confused, and stressed out when they first start making sourdough, when making it is actually a truly simple, enjoyable process.”
One problem many people encounter after spending hours preparing and baking their loaf is sticky, stringy or fragile bread. And the culprit is overproving, says Elaine.
“A top tip for home bakers right now: to avoid your dough overproving in the warmer temperatures, use less starter, you can go as low as you need to, right down to 5g and less and it will still work”.
The baking expert shared her formula for success: “This is my master recipe. It’s the basis for everything I do and forms the starting point for all of my recipes.”
Ingredients
- 50g starter (or less)
- 500g strong white bread flour, preferably Matthews Cotswold Flour, Churchill’s white flour
- 350g water
- 1tsp salt
How to make sourdough
Elaine notes that her method is simple: “I mix it [the ingredients] all up and leave it to sit for a couple of hours.”
The next step is to pull and fold the dough a few times over a few hours, then leave the dough to prove on the counter overnight.
When you use less starter, as recommended by Elaine, the dough proves much more slowly, so it doesn’t risk overproving.
The following morning, Elaine shapes the proved dough in the bowl to form a banneton and puts it in the fridge for a few hours, then scores and bakes it from a cold oven start.
“No preheating, no hot pans to deal with – works perfectly!” she said.
Playing around with flavours and ingredients in homemade sourdough comes after you’re confident in making the core recipe.
Elaine noted: “I highly and wholly recommend not to read too much, or Google endless amounts about making sourdough.
“It really helps to choose one single source to learn from and get the basics down; don’t join endless or huge Facebook groups, (and if you do, don’t ask lots of questions in the groups early on, you’ll get inundated and overwhelmed by conflicting ideas and opinions), and don’t disappear down rabbit holes.”
Her advice is to choose one source, such as a book, website, or person, and stick with that as you learn. “If you have questions, ask the originator. It’s the best way to begin making this lovely bread,” said Elaine.