sourdough cooked in a pot

by Dan Lepard, the Times recipe here - Jan 2009

we were shown this method at the workshop, & of course, it works incredibly well

Talk about do-able!

there are 3 processes before making your loaves

1. to make your rye leaven
2. to refresh your leaven before freezing
3. to freeze your leaven into 25g nuggets for later use

then, when it comes to making your sourdough en cocotte,

1 leaven nugget is activated in tepid water, flours added as per Dan's recipe

• & it is animated over 24 hours into a fobby soured mix, left image
• the following day room temperature water is added, centre image
• & the required flours to make the bread dough, right image

to make the sourdough bread on the day - baked in a pot

you will need an aluminium pot that transfers to the oven, with an inside rim in the lid to create a tidy seal during the baking

• follow mixing, resting & on-the-hour kneading process

• until, when sliced thus, you can detect air bubbles of activity in the dough, not massive, just noticeable
  

• where it is now ready to shape into a ball, cover & rest again, cross pattern, & then bake in a pot using Baking Parchment (not greaseproof)

perfect when toasted for breakfast too