FLOWER POT KITCHEN: WOOD FIRED SOUR DOUGH LOAF

11 Sept 2013

WOOD FIRED SOUR DOUGH LOAF

So pleased to have my oven back up and running, even if I am finding she is a little more efficient, maybe than we should be? Within 45minutes she is holding a steady 700 degrees, so maybe I need to slow down my feeding of the fire and let her go up to come back down quickly and try to keep her at around 500 degrees. Have burnt a few loaves and one pizza spontaneously combusted!

BETTY'S SOUR DOUGH CULTURE LOAF

(search engine top right corner for recipe - sourdough culture)

INGREDIENTS

300g sourdough culture (Betty)

460g strong white plain flour

10g salt

230ml warm water

That is all it takes to make the most wonderful perfect natural loaf of bread! Place the flour and salt on your work top and make a well in the centre, add the sourdough culture and water into the well and then make your hand like a beak and in a circular motion slowly incorporate the flour into the wet liquid until you have a sticky mass.

Don't feel tempted to add any flour, I know I did the first time I used this method, but the more you work the dough the less sticky and spring it will become.

To fold air in to the dough, lift the dough up like a child under the arms and then throw the dough forward away from you, without letting go of the piece you are holding, when it hits the work top and sticks then with the dough that is still in your hands pull back a little and throw forward like the crest of a large rolling wave, and then roll the dough back towards you, in effect you are creating a whole circle, which is allowing you to fold and trap air inside the dough.

Do this for 7-10 minutes until your dough is smooth and springy to touch, you may sprinkle a hint of flour towards the end of the kneading if required.

Place in your floured proving basket or bowl and cover, leave to rise for 4hours or more, when ready to cook, pre-heat your oven with a pizza stone (230 degrees), or your wood fired oven 300 degrees. Gently tip the dough out onto the cooking surface and bake for 15-25 minutes until lovely and crusty and you have the traditional hollow tapping sound from the base.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.