Nicky Dear Health Coach

This is my “cheats sour dough “ which I use when I don’t have time to do a slow ferment or retarded ferment as it is officially called.

This one contains some dry yeast to speed up the process, I will put on another recipe for a more authentic sour dough.

300g of Stone-ground wholemeal flour
100g Dark wholemeal Rye flour (this gives a lovely nutty flavour and a shorter texture to the dough)
100g Cotswold crunch flour (or just add additional wholemeal)
10g Pumpkin seeds
10g Sunflower seeds
30ml Good quality extra virgin olive oil
Large table spoon (about 60ml) of lively sourdough culture
4-7g of dried yeast (the more you add the faster the rise)
8g granulated sea salt (never table salt which contains no minerals)
400g of warm water

Using a Bread Maker:

-I use a Bread Maker to make my dough in which case you literally put all the
ingredients into the bowl of the bread maker and put it on a dough program

-If using a machine take the dough out of the bowl after the first rise, shape it into a loaf or roll individual balls for rolls using a small amount of flour.

-For a loaf, place it in a loaf tin lined with parchment and leave to rise in a warm kitchen for about 40 mins. For rolls, do the same on a parchment paper lined tray.

-Pre heat the oven to 230C

-Once the dough is risen into a nice loaf shape place in the hot oven for 23 mins -Turn out immediately and remove parchment.

For rolls, remove from the tray.

-Cool on a cooling rack (if you leave it in the tin you will have a soggy bottom!)

Without a Bread Maker:

-Put the 3 flours into a large bowl
-Add the seeds, dry yeast & salt, give it a good stir until well combined.
-Add in the water, the culture and the olive oil and combine into a wet dough. -If it is very dry add more water. (Rye flour tends to absorb a lot of water and will make a much shorter dough)
-Don’t be tempted to keep adding flour, you want quite a sticky dough
-Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5-10 mins until it forms an elastic cohesive ball (it will still be sticky) .
-Oil the bowl with a little olive oil and place the dough back in the bowl with a tea towel covering it in a warm kitchen . -This is the first rise . Wait for the dough to double in size in the bowl (about 40 mins – 1 hour depending how warms the room is)
-Once risen turn it out onto the surface and knead again to “knock it back “ and then place it in a lined loaf tin for its second rise for another 30-40 mins. For rolls, do the same on a parchment paper lined tray.
-Place in the hot oven and bake for 23 mins.

-Turn onto a cooling rack immediately
after removing from the oven.

-It should be quite dark in colour, but it will not have the normal sour dough open texture.