Easy sourdough

1. To make the starter, place the flour and yeast in a glass bowl or jar and top up with 1 cup lukewarm water. Cover and allow to ferment for at least 24 hours before starting the sourdough recipe. The starter should be bubbly and smell fermented when it’s ready.
2. To make the sourdough, place all the ingredients for the dough and the starter into the bowl of an electric mixer. Combine until a dough has formed.
3. Knead until smooth and springy, this should take 5–10 minutes.
4. Place into a well-greased bowl, cover and allow to prove for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
5. Preheat the oven to 220°C and tip out the dough onto a well-floured sheet of baking paper taking care not to knock too much air out of it. Cover and let the dough rise once again for an hour.
6. When the sourdough is ready to bake, dust with more flour, slash a pattern into the top and slide onto a hot tray in the oven. Liberally spray water into the oven using a spray bottle – the steam creates a nice crust on the bread. Bake for 25–35 minutes, or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Cook's note: If you're using your own homemade starter, replace the first starter step with 1/2 cup of your own fed starter. You also don't need to use the yeast called for in the second step if you're using your own starter.

Find more bread recipes here.

Photograph: Myburgh Du Plessis

Food assistants: Bianca Strydom & Keletso Motau