FRENCH SOURDOUGH BREAD (STEP 1)

Come on join me ....let's make a sourdough loaf. There are 3 steps in the preparation of a sourdough loaf, the first is the starter. What is a starter? A starter is a bacterial or fungal culture used to initiate fermentation and the development of flavour. For the starter you will need 230 gm of wholemeal bread flour and 230 ml of lukewarm water. Now, place the wholemeal flour in a medium non metallic bowl and make a well in the centre and pour in the lukewarm water and mix to a very thick batter and cover with a damp tea towel. Leave at room temperature for 3 days, re dampening the tea towel each day, so the batter absorbs the natural yeasts in the air. After 3 days, the starter should be smelly, grey and only slightly bubbly. We will continue in 3 days and move onto step 2 the sponge .