White Sourdough Bread

I'll tell you straight away. This is not a quick bread. Nor is it a very simple one. Not that it's hard - no bread is really hard to make - but you need patience and a bit of confidence. And an active, happy, bubbling wheat sourdough. And, let me assure you, it's well worth the work. This makes a surpremely chewy bread with a strong crust and a very pleasing crunch and slight sourness.

White Sourdough Bread
12 small breads

day 1 (evening)
400 g water
400 g strong white bread flour
200 g wheat sourdough
7 g fresh yeast

Mix everything. Let it stand at room temperature for an hour, then cover and place in fridge overnight.

day 2 (morning)
300 g water
600 g strong white bread flour
25 g fresh yeast
20 g salt

Mix everything without the salt, and add the starter dough from the day before. Run in a kitchen-aid or similar for seven minutes. Add the salt, and work for three more minutes. (If you knead it by hand, it will take twice as long.)

Leave the dough to proof in an oiled, covered bowl for two hours. Pour the dough - it will be quite loose - onto a floured surface and divide into neat small breads. You might need more flour to shape them, but try not to handle them too much.

Leave the breads to proof for 30 minutes, on baking sheets.

Heat the oven to 275°C. When it's warm, place the breads in the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 250°C. Use a spray bottle to spray some water into the oven. Do this every five minutes, it will create a crustier surface for the breads. Bake at a total for 15-18 minutes.

(You can use a pan of water, or ice, to create the steam instead, but I prefer using a spray bottle.)

Recipe in Swedish:
Sega portionsbröd med surdeg