the virgin
“if you want some bread bitch you best be in a magazine” – PIMP C
- you are probably impatient as hell at this point to actually have some bread in front of you. all this ‘feeding’ and mild annoyance of having to deal with this watery, yeasty shit in a jar is probably getting a little dull. fear not, time to get on it.
- if you think your starter may not be alive or ‘active’ enough, shoot us a DM on instagram (@mischief.48) , but if you have followed the timeline and she is looking fine this evening, its about time you had something to eat.
- this first recipe, is extremely simple. an easy introduction that requires minimal effort, but produces a bread bangin’ enough to please your tastebuds, and if you are so inclined, a few instagram likes.
the easy loaf
- 100g sourdough ‘starter’
- 500g strong bread flour
- 300g water, lukewarm.
- 1 bump sea salt (1 tsp) * see below
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- mix the flour, water, sourdough starter and salt together in a mixing bowl, you can start with a wooden spoon or spatula, but when it begins to come together and become more homogeneous (all the same texture) is when the fun begins.
- lightly flour your work surface/ counter-top/ chopping board. tip your dough from the bowl, and start kneading the dough. we will not bother exploring the basic principles of what ‘kneading’ is, we have shit to do, but a quick google if you are in the dark will get you there. you want to knead the dough until some tension forms on the outside of the dough, becoming smoother, and it starts holding its shape in ‘ball’ form.
- lightly oil a clean mixing bowl, and place dough inside. cover with cling film or a damp tea towel, and leave somewhere warm or at room temperature, such as a high shelf in the kitchen or inside your grow tent.
- rest for around 1-2 hours, or until roughly doubled in size.
- when doubled, tip onto a clean work surface and knock back (removing air) from the dough, a punch or two will do. at this point you can cut this dough down the middle and make two smaller loaves, or go for the big daddy.
- place a clean tea towel in the mixing bowl you used to rest the dough, line it heavily with flour. (or use a banneton, your next level up).
- shape your dough back into a ball (or stitch and fold, which we will explore soon), and place upside down into the floured cloth in the bowl/banneton. cover with film and leave back in warm place for 2-3 hours or in the fridge overnight. this is called ‘proofing’ the dough, letting it rest and settle, which will be explored in further detail in the advanced recipe (coming soon) or… just look it up.
- pre-heat your oven to 230 degrees, or 210 fan oven, if you want the fahrenheit temperature, fuck off.
- tip your dough onto a baking tray, lined with baking paper. make a slash on top of the bread if you want that gangster ‘open ear’ sourdough, or don’t if you want it to burst in natural ways, you do you.
- you want steam. place a small tray of boiling water in the bottom of your oven, failing that chuck in some ice cubes or pour some of your cold beer onto the bottom of the oven (not recommended).
- bake for 30-40 minutes, until a desired crust has formed and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- remove from oven and place on a wire rack. you most definitely should let it cool before you slice it, but there is absolutely no chance you are going to do that so why bother trying to baby you, get a whack of butter at the ready, make it rain with some sea salt and live your damn life.
“all sorrows are less with bread” – miguel de cervantes saavedra.
- an advanced recipe is dropping soon for those keen to step up their game and hit that ‘open crumb’ bread that they can show off, for now, enjoy your first home baked sourdough and heres a poem by DMX:
go hard, getting busy wit it,
but I got such a good heart,
that i’ll make the motherfucker wonder if he did it.
damn right, and i’ll do it again,
’cause I am right so I gots to win
break bread with the enemy,
but no matter how many cats I break bread with, i’ll break who you sendin’ me.