Make Minnow's rosemary sourdough

Making your own bread is always a labour of love, but it's well worth it in the end. This recipe comes from Jake Boyce, head chef of Minnow, a flower-filled neighbourhood restaurant in Clapham

Make Minnow's rosemary sourdough

Makes 1

Preparation time 20 hours

Cooking time 40 mins

There's a certain beauty in baking your own bread. Sourdough loaves use a unique culture of bacteria to achieve that tangy flavour and bouncy, moreish texture. This culture is know as a starter. It's super easy to make and cultivate at home. You have to keep feeding it a mix of flour and water to keep it 'alive', but it'll probably be one of the most low-maintenance pets you'll ever own.

If you don't already have your own starter to hand, you'll want to start prepping this recipe three days ahead. Jake's named his starter after his mum Audrey. We're not saying you have to do the same, but the fear of seeing off your own mum might remind you to keep it alive...

Ingredients

For the sourdough starter

  • 250g strong white bread flour
  • 250g wholemeal flour
  • 500g cold water

For the starter's food

  • 125g strong white bread flour
  • 125g water

For the sourdough loaf

  • 400g strong white bread flour
  • 100g wholemeal bread flour
  • 250g of the starter
  • 270g cold water
  • 10g salt
  • 10g sugar
  • 20g finely chopped rosemary
  • 10 sprigs of rosemary

Method

  1. Make your starter by mixing together the flour and cold water in a large kiln jar or tupperware box. Leave to ferment in a warm place for three days.
  2. Make the starter food by mixing the flour and water into a thick batter. Set aside.
  3. To make the dough for the sourdough loaf, mix together the flour, water, sugar, salt and chopped rosemary in a bowl.
  4. Knead the dough by hand for 25 minutes (or with a mixer for 10 minutes) and leave to autolyse for 2 hours.
  5. Next, feed the starter, and leave to ferment for 2 hours.
  6. Make the wet mix by mixing the starter and dough, and leave for 30 minutes.
  7. Gently fold your wet mix in half while dusting a little flour. Add two sprigs of rosemary, then leave for 30 minutes.
  8. Repeat four more times, then shape your dough into a loaf or place in a proving bowl, and leave in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours.
  9. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Bake the loaf at 220°C  for the first 20 minutes, then turn down to 180°C for another 20 minutes.
  10. Serve warm with a side of salted butter.

This recipe was made using rosemary from St Mungo's local community orchard. For more on the value of a good loaf, follow @MinnowClapham and Sustain's #RealBreadWeek, which runs until 4 March. minnowclapham.co.uk

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