Your daily BREAD

SOURDOUGH FERMENT

Your essential starter.

STAGE 1

✣ 100g (3½oz) strong white bread flour
✣ 100ml (3½fl oz) warm water
✣ 20g (¾oz) honey

Mix all the ingredients together in a large plastic container, cover with a freezer bag, and leave, undisturbed, in a warm place for 24–36 hrs. The mixture will start to smell a little lactic, darken in colour and bubbles will begin to form (see right-hand tub in the inset photo, above). Move on to stage 2.

STAGE 2

✣ 100g (3½oz) strong white bread flour
✣ 200ml (7fl oz) warm water

Add the flour and water to your ferment, mix well, cover as before and leave in a warm place for 24–36 hrs. The mixture will expand a little (as in the middle tub in the photo), and start to smell sweet and lightly fermented. Time to move on to stage 3.

STAGE 3

✣ 100g (3½oz) strong white bread flour
✣ 200ml (7fl oz) warm water

Add the flour and water to your ferment, mix well, cover as before and leave in a warm place for another 24–36 hrs. By the end of this stage you should have a total of 800g (1½lb) of ferment. Use half of this to make your bread and keep the rest in the fridge to make another batch of bread.

REFRESHING YOUR FERMENT

Simply weigh the ferment,