Wheat Leaven Bread Recipe
This recipe works well as a sandwich loaf or as a crusty bloomer. It is also great using some Organis Light Malthouse flour or with the Organic Seeded White flour. It keeps really well and makes fabulous toast.
Refresh the Leaven
160g Wheat Leaven Starter
50g Shipton Mill stoneground wholewheat flour
150g Shipton Mill strong white flour
120g warm, filtered water.
Mix everything together into a firm dough. Cover and leave for 3-4 hours in a warm place until dough has expanded and is aerated.
The loaf
450g of refreshed leaven
300g Shipton Mill strong white flour
150g Shipton Mill stoneground wholewheat flour
8g sea salt
30g olive or rapeseed oil
210g filtered water
Mix all the ingredients together by hand or use a free standing food mixer with a dough hook. Add more water if dough is too dry. It should be stretchy and smooth.
Place the dough in a large bowl covered with cling film or placed in a large polythene bag sealed with a clip. It will take about 2 hours depending on the temperature of the room. It should double in size
Shape the dough into a round and prove in a 1kg basket or shape into an oval and place in a greased 1kg loaf tin. Place the basket or tin a a large, slightly inflated plastic bag secured with a plastic clip.
Heat the oven to 220°C / Gas Mark 7. If using a proving basket place a baking tray in the oven to heat up
When the dough has risen to the top of the basket or loaf tin it is ready for the oven.
Remove the baking tray from the oven and dust with flour. Tip the dough from the basket gently onto the tray and slash the top of the dough with a sharp knife. Alternatively slash the top of the dough in the loaf tin.
Put the dough in the oven and bake for 10 mins. Reduce the heat to 200°C / Gas Mark 6 and bake for a further 30 mins. It's done when it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.