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Poolish loaf

First day (usually evening):

  • 180ml warm water (if using whole meal or rye flour add 10ml extra water)
  • 180g bread flour (can be white/whole meal/rye or a mix)
  • Tiny pinch dried yeast

Mix with a spoon, it is a very wet dough. Cover the bowl with a plastic bag and leave overnight.

Second day (morning):

  • 90ml warm water
  • 180g bread flour
  • Tiny pinch dried yeast
  • 5-10g salt

Mix together with the first day's dough, it will be stiffer as the ratio of flour and water has changed. Leave again to rise slowly for several hours. Every now and again scrape from the sides to the middle stretching the dough slightly.

Heat the oven (and pizza stone if using) to 250C. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, then gently shape into a rectangle. Put on the baking tray/stone and slash the top with a sharp knife. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn down to 200C and bake for a further 25 minutes or so, depending on your oven.