In this recipe, we use the delayed salt method. This gives your starter time to become active and your flour time to absorb water before the salt is added. When the hour is up, uncover your dough and place the salt on top. Sprinkle a little water over the salt, then gently start pulling the salt through the dough. This should take about 30 seconds,

WHAT HAPPENS IF LIQUID APPEARS ON TOP OF MY STARTER? Don’t worry if this happens – it’s harmless and is referred to as ‘hooch’, which is naturally occurring alcohol. It’s basically your starter saying ‘I am hungry’ and ‘FEED ME’. The hooch can either be poured off or mixed back into your starter – we are ‘hooch in’ at Bread Ahead.

The sourdough loaf is all about a long fermentation, the development of a real depth of flavour, the open texture of the crumb, a chewy leathery crust, plus a nice singe and a flavour that sings.

You can use any flour to make a starter, but we recommend using a wholegrain rye flour (and we use this in our production bakery). Rye starters tend to be a bit heartier and more resilient than their white counterparts.

During these first 6 days (when you’re feeding and growing your starter), it should be kept loosely covered at room temperature.

HOW/WHERE SHOULD I KEEP MY STARTER AFTER THE FIRST 6 DAYS? If you’re not baking with your starter straight away, put it into the fridge, with the lid of the container firmly fastened. If you’re not baking regularly with your starter, you’ll need to give it a feed (50g of flour and 50g of water) every 2 weeks.

Once you decide you’re going to bake a loaf of bread, you’ll need to feed your starter 8–12 hours before you bake (if you’re using a wholegrain starter you’ll need to feed it at least 8 hours before; if you’re using a white starter, you’ll need to feed it at least 12 hours before). Take a look at your recipe, and if it calls for 150g of starter, fe

and 1 tablespoon of water to your existing starter, and mix. By day 5 it should be nice and lively, with some bubbling and a slightly alcoholic aroma. Store in the fridge in an airtight container and use at least once a fortnight. Before use, feed with 75g of rye flour and 75g of water (or whatever volume your recipe requires) and leave at room tem

It should take about 6 days to create a healthy, bubbly starter. By this point, your starter should have a honeycomb pattern of bubbles in it and a slightly alcoholic aroma.