Step 1

In your stand mixer bowl pour in your sourdough starter, the flour, the salt and if using it, the butter. Slowly pour in your water around the edges of the mixer bowl

Step 2

Put the dough hook on your stand mixer and let it knead on low to medium speed for about 10-15 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover with cling film and let it rest for 1 hour.

Step 3

Repeat the above – place your bowl back in the mixer and let it knead for another 10-15 minutes. Once done the dough should have formed a nice smooth and a little bit sticky ball. If the dough is too sticky, let it rest for another 10-15 minutes and knead once more.

Step 4

Cover with cling film and let it rest for 3-4 hours or until it has risen by a quarter (25%) in size.

Step 5

If you own a bread machine use that instead to prepare your dough and let it rise. Tip all the ingredients in and set it to the sourdough cycle or, if it doesn’t have one, the dough cycle. For the Panasonic SD-ZX2522 its menu 29 and for the Panasonic SD-ZB2512 its menu Then let it rest in the machine for 1 to 2 more hours with the lid shut until it has risen by a quarter (25%)!

Step 6

Line your proofing basket with a terry cloth or kitchen towel and sprinkle generously with flour. Spread the flour on the cloth using your hands.

Step 7

Tip the dough out from the bowl on a floured work surface. Shape your dough into a taught round ball by pulling one edge at a time and folding toward the center. Flip the dough over and using a dough scraper pull the dough across your work surface to form a round, taught ball.

Step 8

Flip the dough over and place it in the proofing basket, bottom side up. If your dough is still slack, pull in the edges over to the center until it its nice and taught.

Step 9

overnight (or longer if you prefer – up to 1 day).

Step 10

with your large metal pot (dutch oven) placed inside.

Step 11

Once pre-heated, remove your dutch oven, take the dough out from the fridge and tip it over in the dutch oven. Score it lengthwise with a sharp razor at a 30 degree angle or cut using scissors.

Step 12

Cover with the lid and bake for 20 minutes.

Step 13

Once the 20 minutes are up, remove the lid from your dutch oven and let it bake for a further 15 minutes or until deeply browned

Step 14

Remove your bread from the oven and place it on an airing rack to cool down.