CHARCOAL SOURDOUGH LOAF
Gewone geaktiveerde houtskool “activated charcoal” is by sommige kettingwinkels en apteke beskikbaar, gewoonlik in plastiese bottels verpak. Kyk by die gesondheidsafdelings. Die resep is vir een brood. “Happy baking. This bread takes a little preparation the day before baking, so factor this into your baking timings.”
- Bread:
- 400 g strong white bread flour
- 250 ml water
- 100 g white wheat sourdough starter (recipe below)
- 12 g fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon charcoal powder
- Sourdough starter:
- bread flour (I used pure rye flour), amount – see method
- spring water – amount – see method
Bread: Day before:
Dissolve one tablespoon of charcoal powder in 250 ml of water. Add starter and mix by hand. Add flour and mix with all other ingredients until bound together. Cover dough with tea towel and leave to rest for one hour. After one hour, dough will have started to relax and at this point, add sea salt and knead dough for five minutes so it becomes pliable. Cover bowl with kitchen cloth to prevent dough from drying out and leave for a further three hours at room temperature. Prepare rising basket by lining it with a tea towel and flouring it well. After three hours, dough should look alive, stretchy and should have started to rise. Place dough on lightly floured work surface. Pinch each end of dough and bring together in middle. Turn upside down and leave to rest for 10 – 15 minutes. Fold dough into itself to create a ball by turning dough upside down and slowly stretch dough with your fingers and fold it back onto itself until it forms a ball. Place ball into rising basket, sprinkle with some flour, cover with cloth and place back in fridge. Dough is ready when it has increased by a third and if you gently make an indent in dough with finger, dough rises back up. I normally leave dough overnight.
Baking day:
Preheat oven to 240 °C and when oven has come up to temperature, place loaf on baking tray and place in oven. Bake for 40 minutes at 240 °C until bread is golden brown and firm to the touch. Pull out of oven and place on cooling rack.
Sourdough starter: Day 1:
In clean jar, add 50 g flour and 50 g water. Mix, cover loosely and let stand on kitchen counter for 24 hours.
Day 2:
Add another 50 g water and 50 g flour. Mix, cover loosely and let it stand 24 hours.
Day 3:
Discard 50 g starter, add 50 g water and 50 g flour. Carry on with 3rd day’s step for at least two weeks.
Do not attempt to bake with starter before that, as bad bacteria needs to be eradicated by good bacteria. Do not throw starter away if it smells bad. It will smell terrible the first few days. The only time you throw a starter away is when it has mold. The mold is toxic, so please do not even scrape it off. Throw starter away and start again.
Recipe and photo: Natacha Visagie
