Sour Dough – “Christo” style

Starter

Use Rye Organic Wholemeal flour
50ml water and 50g flour in a jar with muslin to allow it to breath and keep flies etc out
Keep in a warm and dry place
Stir 3 times a day approx and when active/bubbling add a teaspoon of flour and a drop of water

After 1 week you should have a good quantity. Keep feeding to avoid it getting too sour.

Maintaining Starter

Wetter & Warmer = More active
So to slow down; keep it cool and dry (add more flour than water)
Or to activate; bring to 30°C and ad water
Feed it its own weight in flour and water (double it) every 6 hours
Avoid letting started go black (putrefied)

Making Bread

To activate starter the day before baking add water and store in a warm place

Quantities

***For 2 loaves***
180g white + 340g wholemeal + 350ml water + 1 tablespoon salt +1.5decilitres of starter

***3 Bucket Approach – 12 loafs***
Starter in bucket1
Fill 1/8^th of Bucket2 and Bucket3 with starter
Save some starter in Bucket1 for next week. Add flour and water, replace lid and store in cold place
In each bucket add:
3 tablespoons of dissolved sea salt
1lt water (Not lukewarm but not too cold)
1500g of flour (50% wholemeal and 50% white for beginners – 60% wholemeal and 40% white ) or 6 cups of both
One bucket will make 6 loaves...add water if needed

Mixing in the bucket
Kneed for 5 to 10 minutes
Keep one hand clean to rotate the bucket
If adding nuts or fruit, or sun-dried tomatoes, pre-soak and add now
For spices or cheese add later, or add olive oil for pizza dough later

Close lid tight and leave for 3 to 4hrs (The longer it is left the more sour the bread will become)

Final Kneed
After 3 to 4 hrs (1 hr before bake – just after firing the oven)
Spread flour on table
Add a little flour on top of dough and down sides of bucket to pop dough out of bucket
Cut into 6 pieces and coat with flour
Kneed for 5 mins adding small amounts of flour if needed to prevent sticking. Keep maintaining the shape of circular loaf. Also stretch and bang off table to stretch the gluten
If you wish add seeds, herbs, fruit, nuts or spices by spreading dough flat and evenly dispersing seeds etc and kneed in circular motion to mix throughout bread
Place on flour and cover with a linen towel (cotton will stick to bread)

Allow 30mintues to rise and perform final shaping
Slice top of each loaf
Bake 40mins at approx 180°C (7 seconds tolerance for “some forearms” in earthen oven)
Check after 20minutes
Place in damp towel after removing from oven to avoid hardening of crust