Nettle and Roasted Hazelnut Sourdough
This is a recipe that has taken me many months to perfect but I feel rather proud of it and there's nothing more that my family like than a thick slab of this smothered in west country salted butter.
Ingredients
300g starter
300ml warm but not hot water
100g shipton mill white spelt flour
400g shipton mill organic strong white bread flour
Hand full of nettles
100g roasted hazelnuts
12g salt
Sprinkle of polenta flour
Flour for dusting
Method
Mix 300g of starter with the spelt and organic white flour. Leave for 45 minutes in a draft free space. After 45 minutes add the other remaining ingredients (salt, nettles, hazelnuts) and with a wet hand reach under the dough, take hold of the bottom of the dough, lift and turn so the dough at the bottom of the dough is pulled over towards the top - repeat this three times so that all of the dough has been 'turned'. Leave for 30 minutes and then repeat the previously mentioned turning. This needs to happen every 30 minutes for 4 hours.
After this 4 hour period place the bowl in the fridge over night to allow the dough to continue to ferment and for the delicious sourdough flavours to develop.
In the morning place a le cruset or similar casserole dish in the oven and turn to the highest heat. Take the dough and turn onto a surface and use your hands to turn the dough. The way this works it that the bottom of the dough is in contact with the surface and as you turn it a taught skin over the dough is created. Take the pot out of oven, remove the lid and carefully sprinkle the polenta flour over the bottom of the dish. Take the dough trying not to damage the shape you have just created and place it the pot, sprinkle with flour and cut three slices through the dough with a very sharp knife or blade in order to allow the dough to rise through cooking. Place the lid back on and put in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes then remove the lid and bake for a further 15. Once golden remove the loaf from the out carefully on a cooling rack. Leave the loaf to cool for 30 minutes before cutting into, enjoy!
