1. Schedule

· 9:00 mix autolyse

· 10:00 mix salt and starter **bulk fermentation starts**

· 10:30 S&F 1

· 11:00 S&F 2

· 11:30 S&F 3

· 12:00 S&F 4

· 13:00 pre-shape

· 14:00 final shape and proof

· 14:30 (or when the dough passes the poke test) into fridge

3. Mix the starter and salt

· 100g mature starter (25%)

· 10g salt (2.5%)

Use your fingers to press the starter into the dough, then fold over the edges and start to mix using the Rubaud method, scooping the dough up and pulling it outwards to trap air underneath as you mix (see video tutorial).

Mix for about 3-4mins.

Next add the salt and mix again for another 3-4mins, or until the dough starts to come together nicely in a supple, cohesive ball.

Fermentation has now started. For this batch of dough on the course, we are aiming to keep the dough fairly warm (about 26C) so that bulk fermentation proceeds reasonably quickly, in approximately three hours.

If the dough temperature is cooler, fermentation will take longer. If less starter is added, fermentation will take longer. You can manipulate these variables to suit your schedule (see examples at the end).

5. Pre-shape

This step involves carefully moving the dough out of its container and onto the bench, before shaping it into a ball. Use the dough scraper to drag the dough around and towards you, using the stickiness of the dough on the work top to generate tension in the outer skin of the dough ball.

Leave to rest, covered, for about one hour. This is known as the bench rest.

7. Final proof & the ‘poke test’

Leave the dough out at room temperature for 15-30mins and then check if it is well-proofed using the ‘poke test’. When you poke the dough with your finger, it should leave an indentation which slowly springs back out over a few seconds. If it springs back very quickly then it is under-proofed; leave it out to proof for a bit longer at room temperature. If it does not spring back then it is over-proofed; quickly transfer it to a very cold fridge, or blast chill it down by placing in a freezer for 20mins, before moving to the fridge.

The dough can be held in a cold fridge (below 3C) for up to several days, ready to be baked. The longer it spends in the fridge, the more sour character the final bread will have, since the lactic acid bacteria continue to function at low temperatures, generating additional lactic and acetic acid. I like to keep the dough cold for 12-20 hours most of the time, for a balanced light acidity, but sometimes it is nice to have an extra sour loaf, which may have been in the fridge for 3-4 days. It is nice to make a larger batch of dough that will yield multiple doughs shaped and in the fridge, ready to bake through the week when required.

9. Starter maintenance

Maintaining a healthy active starter is the key to making great sourdough bread.

I refresh my starter approximately every 12 hours and store it quite warm, at around 24C. It was made from 100% stoneground wholegrain rye flour (Doves Farm) and that is what I continue to feed it with. I keep it at 100% hydration, meaning I feed it with equal quantities and flour and water at each refresh. I do not refrigerate my starter at all, and so to avoid having too much wastage, I only maintain a small amount of starter (approximately 50g) in a jam jar, with a loosely fitted lid. This can easily be built up into a bigger amount (called a levain) should you require it for a larger batch of dough, by simply feeding it a larger quantity of flour and water for the feed before you plan to mix the dough.

To refresh the starter, scrape out the majority of the mature starter from the jar, leaving just the scrapings around the bottom /siders of the jar (this will probably be a couple of grams). Then add 25g of rye flour and 25g of water, stirring well to fully mix it through, and scraping down the sides of the jar. Place the lid back on loosely.

Getting to know how the starter performs in your environment is imperative, and so I would recommend marking the side of the jar with a pen, to show the initial level. This allows you to see how it increases in volume between feeds. For a rye starter at 100% hydration, it should at least double in volume when it becomes fully mature (i.e. when it has eaten all of the flour you fed it). The top surface will be slightly domed, and you should see that lots of gas bubbles have formed. It will smell slightly acidic and fruity, like yoghurt (but not unpleasant or vinegary). This indicates that the yeast and bacteria populations are healthy and ready to get to work on your dough.

If you only want to make bread once per week, or even less frequently, then you can store your starter in the fridge to slow the fermentation right down. To do this, give it a feed as normal, leave out warm for 2 hours to get the fermentation going, and then move it to the fridge. It can be kept in the fridge with out any further feeding for weeks or months. To revive it, ready to make bread, you will need to warm it up and go through 3 feed cycles to get it functioning properly again.

11. Scheduling Options

The sourdough production process is very flexible and you can manipulate the key variables – temperature and starter/levain amount – to suit your schedule. High temperature = faster bulk fermentation and greater starter/levain percentage = faster bulk fermentation. The processes are also forgiving, and so, for example, if you need to go out to do something for an hour, don’t worry about missing a set of stretch & folds, just give it a strong set as soon as you get back. The key is to learn how to recognise the feel of the dough, as the strength is building and as the signs of fermentation become visible and tangible; this is best done through practice and experience.

Here are a couple of timelines to give you an idea of the two extremes, but anything in between is equally feasible.

Rapid bulk (as per course schedule)

· High starter/levain amount (25%)

· Warm bulk fermentation (26C)

· Requires regular attention over approx 5 hours

Elapsed time: 0 hours

Mix for autolyse

This step can be extended up to several hours to suit your schedule.

0.5 hours

Mix starter & salt

Bulk fermentation begins. Keep the dough warm (around 26C) to encourage a fast active fermentation.

1 hour

S&F 1

Be aggressive with the first two sets.

Use whichever stretching method you prefer.

Be gentle with set 4, then leave untouched for the final hour.

1.5 hours

S&F 2

2 hours

S&F 3

2.5 hours

S&F 4

3.5 hours

Pre-shape

After the pre-shape leave to bench rest. If the dough is feeling strong and puffy then you can reduce the rest to 30mins.

4.5 hours

Final shape

If the dough feels well-proofed then you can skip the final ambient proof and move the dough straight into the fridge.

5 hours

Final proof

This can be extended if the dough is feeling under-proofed. Transfer to fridge when ready.

Slow and Easy bulk

· Very low starter/levain amount (2.5%)

· Cooler bulk fermentation (18C)

· Can be left untouched for the whole day

· Will require some trial and error to determine how the dough behaves over this length of time in your environment.

Elapsed time: 0 hours

Mix ALL of the ingredients together

The autolyse can be skipped, since the flour will have plenty of time to hydrate at the start of bulk.

10-12 hours

S&F 1

The gluten should develop naturally over this length of time but if possible give it one set of S&F towards the end of bulk.

~12 hours

Pre-shape

After the pre-shape leave to bench rest. If the dough is feeling strong and puffy then you can reduce the rest to 30mins.

~13 hours

Final shape

If the dough feels well-proofed then you can skip the next stage (final proof) and move the dough straight into the fridge.

~14-15 hours

Final proof

This can be extended if the dough is feeling under-proofed. Transfer to fridge when ready.