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Dark Nutty Sourdough (by Cotswold-based sourdough tutor @marielesterbaker)

Ingredients

270g Shipton Mill 'Swiss Dark' flour

80g bread flour

245g water (left standing overnight to allow any chlorine to evaporate)

75g ripe starter

8g salt dissolved in 10g water

2 tsps good quality unsweetened cocoa

30g hazelnuts, chopped finely

Method (kitchen temp: 23°C)

Stir the flours together, add the water, combine until roughly combined (no dry flour is remaining) and autolyse for 1 hour.

Add in the ripe starter and mix well. Rest for 90 mins.

Dissolve the salt into the remaining water and dimple into the dough. Mix well and rest for 30 mins.

Cut off 60g dough, place it in a separate bowl and work the cocoa into it (I added a splash of water to make this easier). Rest for 30 minutes.

Stretch and fold the main dough and rest for 30 mins.

Spray the work surface lightly with water. Dampen your hands and stretch the cocoa dough out thinly into a small sheet. Turn the main dough out on to the work surface. Stretch the dough out thinly into a rectangle, working from the centre outwards. Laminate the main dough with the cocoa dough and chopped nuts. Fold 1/3 of the dough towards you and then fold the 1/3 closest to you up on top of the other layer and roll up from the longest edge. Place in a square high-sided bowl, cover and rest.

During the next 90-120 mins perform 2 coil folds.

Preshape and rest for 20 minutes.

Shape into a batard, dust with rice flour and place in a banneton (I like the brotform wood pulp type). Cover with a thick food cover (not plastic). Rest until proofed (do the 'poke' test to check this - if the dough pings back quickly, leave it to proof for a bit longer - you want a slow ping back).

Place in fridge and retard for at least 12 hours.

Next Day

Place a lidded cast iron casserole into your oven and heat for 1 hour at 250°C/480°F/Gas mark 9.

Turn your dough out onto a piece of baking paper. Brush off the old flour and dust lightly with rice flour (I like brown rice flour). Score the dough using a lame.

Transfer the dough on the baking paper into your casserole, and put 2 ice cubes under the paper (one at each end).

Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the lid, turn the oven down to 220°C/425°F/Gas mark 7.

Bake for a further 15 mins.

Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing.

And then simply enjoy!