2. Stainless steel mixing bowl – Mine is big enough to comfortably hold at least 4kg of dough. I use it for mixing, resting, and sometimes also for proving the dough.

If at any point you feel the ferment is becoming too hard, dense and dormant, and is losing its smell, it is probably too cold for it to be properly active. Simply take it out of the fridge for 4 hours or so to give it time to come back to life, and then put it back into the fridge again.

Forming the dough into a ball Having lightly dusted your work surface with flour (1), place your dough, smooth-side down (2), and fold each edge in turn into the centre of the dough, pressing down well with your

fingers (3) and rotating the ball as you go (4–5). Finally turn the whole ball over and stretch and tuck the edges underneath (6).

A pain de levain or pain de campagne, on the other hand, is bought to last for 2–3 days, to slice at first, and then to cut up into croûtons, to toast, to make tartines, or to put in slices into soup or a pot-au-feu. No bread in France is ever wasted.

15. Baking cloths – I have a good stack of thick, natural fibre linen cloths for covering dough while it is resting. You can also use baking cloths for lining baking trays, if you don’t have a baker’s couche (see 20). Don’t use cotton tea towels, as the dough will stick to them. I simply shake or brush my cloths well after each breadmaking session and

As you continue to work the dough it will expand as the air bubbles get trapped inside and feel silky, smooth and firm, yet at the same time lively and a little wobbly, and it should come away from your work surface cleanly. If, after you have been working it for 10–15 minutes, the dough is still a bit sticky, don’t panic. You’ve still done enough

The flours I use come from small, artisan mills such as Shipton Mill in Tetbury, Gloucestershire (which also imports specialist ciabatta and 00 flour from Italy) and Bacheldre Watermill in Wales.

If you do use dried yeast, buy the ‘easy-blend’ type and halve the ratio of yeast to flour recommended on the pack.