Sourdough bread is fermented, and therefore better for our health because it’s easier to digest and is full of good bacteria for our gut. The bacteria in the starter also break down the gluten in the flour, resulting in a lower gluten level.
This will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Ingredients
For the starter
- 250g wholemeal rye flour
For the bread
- 100g active rye starter (see above)
- 500g wholemeal rye flour, extra for dusting
- 10g fine salt
- 25g butter, softened, for the tinÂ
Method
To make the starter:
- Day 1: To begin your starter, mix 50g of the flour with 50ml tepid water in a jar or other container. Make sure all the flour is incorporated. Cover with a tea towel and leave at room temperature for 24 hours.
- Days 2, 3, 4 & 5: Mix 25g of flour with 25ml tepid water and stir into yesterday’s mixture. Make sure all the flour is incorporated. Cover with a tea towel and leave at room temperature for 24 hours. If your jar is becoming full, spoon half the mixture out of the jar and continue.
- Day 6: The mix should be really bubbly and giving off a strong smell of alcohol. A teaspoonful of the starter should float in warm water if ready. If not, continue adding 25g flour and 25ml tepid water into the mixture daily until it becomes active. You now have rye starter. Keep it in the fridge (where it will stay dormant).
To make the bread:
- 12 hours before you want to make your bread, take the starter out of the fridge and spoon half of it off and feed it with 100g flour and 100ml water. Leave, covered, at room temperature for 12 hours.
- To make the bread, tip 100g of the starter into a bowl and add 400ml of tepid water. Whisk or rub the two together with your hands. Don’t worry if there are a few lumps. Add the flour and bring together (with a spatula or your hand) into a thick, sticky dough, making sure all the flour is mixed in. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave at room temperature for 2 hours.
- Work the salt into the dough then leave, covered, for another 2 hours.
- Heavily butter a 900g loaf tin. Dust the work surface with more rye flour, then scrape all the dough out of the bowl. Mould the dough into a block roughly the same size as the tin and sit it in the tin. Press the dough down so it fills it completely and scatter the top generously with more flour. Leave the loaf out, uncovered, for 2 hours until it’s risen by about a quarter and gone craggy on the top, or leave it in the fridge, uncovered, overnight. This will give it an even deeper flavour.
- Heat the oven to 230°C/210°C fan/gas 8 with a shelf in the middle of the oven and a shelf below with a roasting tin on it. Put the loaf on the middle tray and carefully pour a small glass of water into the roasting tin. Cook for 50–55 minutes until hollow sounding when tapped. (The middle of the loaf will read 98°C on a digital thermometer when ready.) Remove the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack for at least 4 hours.Â
Serving suggestions
Serve with Chicken Liver Pate or Whipped Bone Broth for the perfect, quick midweek lunch.
