Solina Sourdough Recipe by Award Winning  Artisan Baker, David Nizi

Artisan  David Nizi brought his passion for bread to Hereford, with his very popular bakery  on St Owens Street, attracting a very loyal customer base,  that appreciates his mouth-watering creations.

His ambition when he started the bakery was simple: to provide the best handcrafted bread, made from the finest ingredients possible and an exciting selection of baked goods that are always fresh, relevant and delicious. David wanted to make his bakery personal and welcoming … and this is why there are just two metres between the oven and the till. One of his key passions alongside baking is sustainability and his desire to work with Organic ingredients and focus on quality rather that high volume.

David is  dedicated to the world of genuine sourdough and it is no surprise that he wanted to bake straight away with the Solina Heritage flour. He spent many marvellous holidays in the Abruzzo region and wanted  re-create his childhood memories of texture and flavour…  as you enter his bakery, you are enthralled by the wonderful aroma and we didn’t waste any time breaking the crust ..his loaf was divine, and we are very pleased to be able to share his recipe .  

Happy Baking !

Ingredients  for 2 1kg Loaves.

• 300gr Sourdough Starter
• 150gr Strong white flour
• 1Kg Solina white Flour
• 750g Water
• 22g Salt

Equipment :

• Banneton Large
• Lame or knife for scoring

 1.Feeding your sourdough starter the day/night before

150g White Flour No.4 (or strong white flour)

150g Water

Ahead of wanting to make your Solina Sourdough, you will need to feed your sourdough starter.

Mix 150g of strong white flour (the flour you would ordinarily feed your starter with will be fine) and 150g water with your sourdough starter (you shouldn’t need any more than 75g of starter left over from your last bake, so discard any surplus if necessary). Once mixed, leave out on your kitchen counter overnight or up to 18hrs until your starter reaches peak liveliness.

2. Making your dough

300g sourdough starter (Levain)

1000g Solina white flour

600g water

You can mix this in a mixer fitted with a dough hook, or alternatively you can knead this by hand. Timings will vary but aim for approximately 6mins if using a mixer, or 10mins if by hand, ensuring all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated and the dough starts to develop some strength.

Leave to rest for 30mins, then add the 22g Salt, kneading for a further 4mins in the mixer or 5-6mins by hand.

3. Bulk prove

Leave your dough at ambient temperature (18-20’C) for 4hrs, putting a fold through the dough every hour or so. The dough should develop in strength through this time.

4. Shape

Unlike sourdoughs made from stronger protein flour, this dough does not benefit from firm shaping and long bench rests.

Turn your dough out onto a floured surface, and portion into two equal dough pieces. Gently shape before putting into a floured banneton.

5. Prove

This will vary depending on the temperature of the room, but as a guide, prove for between 1 to 1.5hrs at room temperature, before putting in the fridge to prove overnight, or up to 20hrs.

6. Bake

Preheat your oven (and baking stone) to 255’C.

Turn your sourdough out onto the baking stone, dust with flour and score.

Transfer to the oven, and steam (a third of a cup of water, or 3 ice cubes dropped into a roasting tray at the bottom of your oven)

Bake for 20 mins before reducing the temperature of your oven to 220’C for a further 20-25mins or until golden

NIZI Bakery
24 St. Owen Street, Hereford, HR1 2PR
Instagram: @nizibakery