Cakes & Bakes: Buckfastleigh sourdough loaf

I have found my new ‘go to’ sourdough loaf recipe; a run-of-the-mill, no frills method that has worked for me perfectly every time. I give you… **loud trumpeting sound** the Buckfastleigh sourdough loaf!

It’s the unfussiest sourdough loaf recipe I’ve come across, and it’s also the best tasting. With the scarcity of strong bread flour (all flour, to be fair) because of the Covid lockdown, I bought a few kilos direct from Shipton Mill and boy, did their Extra Course Organic Wholemeal Flour make a difference to the finished loaf. The flavour was incredible; I won’t be going back to the common or garden supermarket own brand version.

The recipe came from Gordon, a small-scale baker who bakes 5 times per week, selling his loaves locally. I’m not sure if he’s based in the Devon town of Buckfastleigh – which I think may be the origin of the bread’s title.

The recipe directions are very spare; perhaps not the best to give a go if you’re a complete newbie. However, he gives a more detailed breakdown of the method (broken down into two separate posts) – complete with photographs – on the Fresh Loaf blog.

In it, he reveals his views on the matter… about which I wholeheartedly agree:

Sourdough – I do not think there is any magic to it… Here’s my take; It’s just bread. Get over it and just do it.
Sure – you can apply rules, you can take far more care with it that I appear to do, you can regiment the process and create rules – if what you’re after is something extra special. The one loaf a week you make and you want to take pride in it and make sure its the best there is. And that’s fine. I’m making basic daily sourdough bread here and for that, there is nothing special. No tricky processes, no strict timings or (within reason) temperatures. Gordon, on the Fresh Loaf blog

Want to give it a try? Click here or on the image below to save the recipe to Pinterest

Buckfastleigh sourdough loaf

Gordon

Print recipe Pin recipe

Course Bread

Cuisine British

Servings 1 kg loaf

Ingredients

100 g wholemeal
400 g white
150 g starter @ 100% hydration
8 g salt
300 g water

Instructions

Mix, knead, leave overnight, shape into a boule, put in a cloth-lined basket/banneton, leave to prove (maybe 2 hours, do the finger poke test) and into a 250ºC oven with a cup of water splashed on the bottom (in a metal tin) and down to 210ºC after 12 minutes for another 25 minutes.

Buckfastleigh sourdough loaf ingredients

Keyword bread, loaf, sourdough

Cakes & Bakes: Seeded sourdough boule

For this week’s Cakes & Bakes recipe we have a delicious, crusty, seeded sourdough boule (a fancy French word for a round, slightly domed loaf).

My starter and, as a result, dough are getting quite lively in this warmer weather!

The seeds add texture and and depth of flavour, with distinctive little hits as you crunch through individual seeds. You could even lightly toast them before adding them to the dough – something which I’ll try next time.

It’s a very versatile loaf, suitable for accompanying all manner of meals and perfect for sandwiches. It makes for great toast too! We enjoyed ours liberally spread with a lovely soft goat’s cheese on day 1 – and then it was transformed into the aforementioned toast and served with poached eggs on day 2. Both fabulous!

Click here to save the recipe to Pinterest

Seeded sourdough boule

2019-07-04 15:46:25

Yields 1

Prep Time

23 hr

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

24 hr

Prep Time

23 hr

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

24 hr

Ingredients

350g/12⅓oz water at 27ºC/80ºF
108g/3¾oz fresh sourdough starter (100% hydration) that has been refreshed the night before and again in the morning
400g/14oz strong white bread flour
140g/5 strong wholemeal bread flour
150g/5oz lightly toasted mixed seeds (sesame, poppy, sunflower, pumpkin, flax, linseeds, pine nuts etc.)
6g/¼oz fine salt
a little rice flour for dusting your banneton

Add ingredients to shopping list

If you don’t have Buy Me a Pie! app installed you’ll see the list with ingredients right after downloading it

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the warm water and starter to combine
Knead in the flour, cover with a reusable food cover / cling film and let the dough rest in a cool environment for 1½ hours
Add the seeds and salt and mix until all the ingredients come together into a large ball
Lift and fold your dough over, do a quarter turn of your bowl and repeat three more times. Repeat hourly 3 more times
Shape your dough lightly and place it into a dusted banneton
Cover again and refrigerate (overnight) for 8-12 hours
Remove from the fridge and allow to warm and prove until the dough has risen by about 50%. This normally takes about 2 hours in a kitchen that is about 18-20ºC
Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/Gas mark 7 for ½-1 hour (also preheat your La Cloche or baking stone if using)
Gently remove the loaf from the banneton, slash the top of with a lame (grignette) and put it into the oven
Bake for 40 minutes, turn the heat down to 190ºC/375ºF/Gas mark 5 and bake for another 10-15 minutes depending on how brown you like the crust
Allow the loaf to cool completely (at least an hour) on a wire rack before slicing

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Beetroot loaf

My Pinterest stream is always full of food photos – predominately cake, fudge, biscuits and bread. One in particular caught my eye last week… a beetroot loaf. The colour is amazing and I love beetroot anyway.

I had a search through many of my cook books and finally found a beetroot loaf recipe in Bread. The recipe has been designed for electric bread-makers (there’s a whole section of bread-maker recipes in the book if that’s your preferred way of making bread!) but it’s fine to use if you’re making it by hand.

Just mix the yeast and sugar in the water using a small measuring jug or cup, combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl making a well in the centre, pour in the yeast mixture and bring together roughly. Chuck in the beetroot, spring onions and butter (I omitted the last two ingredients) then knead well for about 10 minutes. Cover the mixing bowl in cling film (or put it inside a big clear [reusable] plastic bag like I do). Allow it to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl, punch down and put it into a loaf tin or well-floured banneton. Allow to double in size again before (transferring from the banneton to a greased oven tray) baking in a preheated oven at 220ºC/425ºF/Gas mark 7 for 30-40 minutes or until it sounds hollow when knocked on the base.

It was beautiful and absolutely delicious! Slightly sweet with a slightly earthy flavour. I had it with goats cheese and horseradish and Justin had the same in addition to a char-grilled sirloin steak.

Click here to pin the recipe for later!

Beetroot loaf

2017-03-10 15:10:56

SMALL

150ml/5fl oz/⅔ cup water
140g/5oz/1 cup grated raw beetroot
2 spring onions, chopped
375g/13oz/3¼ cups unbleached white bread flour
15g/½oz/1tbsp butter
1½tsp salt
1tsp granulated sugar
1tsp easy-blend (rapid-rise) dried yeast

MEDIUM

170ml/6fl oz/¾ cup water
225g/8oz/1½ cup grated raw beetroot
3 spring onions, chopped
500g/1lb 2oz/4½ cups unbleached white bread flour
25g/1oz/2tbsp butter
2tsp salt
1tsp granulated sugar
1tsp easy-blend (rapid-rise) dried yeast

LARGE

280ml/1ofl oz/1¼ cup water
280g/10oz/2 cups grated raw beetroot
4 spring onions, chopped
675g/1 ½lbs/6 cups unbleached white bread flour
40g/1½oz/3tbsp butter
2tsp salt
1½tsp granulated sugar
1½tsp easy-blend (rapid-rise) dried yeast

Add ingredients to shopping list

If you don’t have Buy Me a Pie! app installed you’ll see the list with ingredients right after downloading it

Instructions

Pour the water into the bread pan. Sprinkle over the grated beetroot. If the instructions for your machine specify that the yeast is to be placed in the pan first, reverse the order in which you add the liquid mixture and dry ingredients
Add the chopped spring onions. However, if your bread machine offers you the option of adding any extra ingredients during the kneading cycle, set the spring onions aside so that you may add them later on
Sprinkle the flour over the beetroot and water, ensuring it covers them both. Add the butter, salt and sugar in separate corners. Make a small indent in the centre of the flour (but not down as far as the liquid) and add the yeast
Set the bread machine to the basic/normal setting, medium crust. Press start. If you like, slash the top of the loaf with diagonal slashes just before the baking cycle starts
Remove at the end of the baking cycle and turn out on to a wire rack

Notes

If you prefer an all-over red loaf rather than speckled, purée the raw beetroot in a mini-food processor instead of grating it

By Christine Ingram and Jennie Shapter

Adapted from Bread

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Nettle loaf

Foraging season is upon us again. A fortnight ago I made a batch of wild garlic butter. This week, the stinging nettles are just right for picking. We had a patch in a corner of our allotment that was looking lush and healthy. It’s now had a little pruning session – and is the star ingredient in a nettle loaf.

Don’t forget, if you’re going to try this recipe, take a pair of gloves and only pick the tips and first two leaves – much like tea-picking, I reckon!

The nettles make for a rustic, flavoursome and attractive loaf.

I’ve used a basic white loaf recipe; but a half & half mixture of white and wholemeal will enhance the earthy, nutty flavour of the nettles. And nettles are SO good for you!

Click here to pin this nettle loaf recipe for later!

Nettle loaf

Print recipe Pin recipe

Cook Time 35

Course Bread

Cuisine British

Ingredients

5 g/⅙oz active dried yeast
300 ml/10.5 fl oz warm water
500 g/18oz plain flour
10 g/⅓oz salt
handful of nettle leaves

Instructions

Add the yeast to the water and stir to remove any lumps. Add a teaspoon of sugar (optional) to help it along if the yeast is a bit old. Set aside for 15 minutes until it forms a foam
In a colander, rinse & drain the nettle leaves removing any thick stalks. Set aside 4 or 5 of the leaves before roughly ripping the remainder
Add the flour to a large mixing bowl and make a well in the middle
Pour the yeast liquid into the well in the flour
Bring the flour into the centre and combine
Add the salt to the dough and knead to form a ball
On a lightly floured work surface, knead the dough for 10-15 minutes
Put the dough back into the bowl, cover with clingfilm and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about an hour)
Lay the reserved nettle leaves, smooth side down, into a well-floured banneton if you have one. If not, lay them into a well-greased loaf tin
Once proved, empty the dough out on to a lightly floured work surface and knead in the nettles (this is best done wearing a pair of clean rubber gloves)
Form the dough into a ball and place into the banneton (or oblong if using a loaf tin)
Put the banneton/loaf tin into the large mixing bowl and cover with clingfilm and leave to prove, again until doubled in size, in a warm place
Preheat the oven to 240ºC/465ºF/Gas mark 9, put an empty roasting dish on the bottom shelf of the oven and fill a cup with cold water and set aside
Once the loaf has risen, if using a banneton, grease a baking sheet and gently decant the loaf on to it, trying not to knock any air out of it
Quickly & carefully pour the cup of water into the roasting dish before putting the loaf into the oven
After 10 minutes, turn the oven down to 200ºC/ 400ºF/Gas mark 6
Bake for a further 20-25 minutes before taking it out of the oven
Leave to cool on a wire rack for at least half an hour before use

Keyword boule, bread, loaf, nettles