Elvis Sourdough

(So easy even I can’t mess this up… most of the time)

It’s a weird sourdough-maker thing that you name your starter. Mine is called Elvis. Feel free to call yours whatever you fancy. Or not engage in this nonsense. Up to you.

Making an Elvis starter:

  • Nick a bit from someone who already has one so you can skip this part and go straight to the making a loaf bit below, failing which…
  • Whisk a cup of bread flour (I use white) with a cup of warm water for about 10 minutes getting lots of air into it (stick it in a mixer if you’re lucky enough to have one)
  • Pour into a closable Kilner jar or tupperware
  • Wait until little bubbles start to appear (Elvis lives!) which can take half a day or up to two days
  • As soon as this happens, give Elvis a feed of a cup of flour and a cup of warm water and stir in before closing the lid again
  • The following day, tip half the starter into the bin (I know, heart-breaking, but necessary) and feed again with a cup of flour and this time a cup of COLD water
  • Repeat the last bullet point every day for a week, at the end of which your starter will be ready
  • Some people keep their starter in the fridge but mine sits happily on the counter and I only feed when I bake about twice a week (or more if my bread stops rising so well or Elvis is starting to look forlorn, with a watery layer forming on top)

Making an Elvis loaf (see video):

This takes two days to do, but there’s actually a lot less involved than that would suggest

Day 1: Lunchtime-ish

Mix roughly about 40g of white bread flour and 40g water into your jar of starter (there is no need for too much accuracy in life)

5pm-ish:

Stickily mix together in a big bowl:

  • 60g starter
  • 500g white bread flour
  • 350ml water
  • 8g salt

Cover it with cling film

6pm-ish

Pick up an edge of the dough and squish it into the middle

Turn the bowl and do this all the way round the dough about 20 times, turning it into a ball

Recover with the cling film

7pm-ish and at 8pm-ish, 9pm-ish and 10pm-ish

Pick up the edge of the dough and squish into the middle until it forms a tight ball

(This will only take about 10 goes this time before you can feel the elasticity give way and the dough will have had enough)

It will feel smoother and smoother each hour

Keep recovering each time you do this with the cling film

On the final go at 10pm, recover and leave overnight

The following morning

Your dough should have doubled in size by morning and be all bubbly

Deflate it and pop it into a well floured proving basket before shaping again into a ball (or cover loosely with cling film on a large plate)

Stick it in the fridge

5pm-ish

Tip your dough into a baking tin lined with greaseproof paper

Score the top of the dough with a sharp knife

Pop the lid on and into the oven at about 200-220 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes

Leave it to cool a bit before you cut it, mainly so you can marvel at what you have made

But also so you don’t make soggy any loaf you don’t scoff at the first sitting

This will be quite a big test of your willpower