Recipes and notes · Recipe · 6 min read
A weekend sourdough that shows off the salt
A country loaf with 2% fine sea salt in the dough and flakes pressed into the crust. The recipe the bakery down the road uses on Saturdays.
This is a straightforward country loaf with one change: the salt is doing two jobs. Fine salt goes into the dough for seasoning and structure, and a few flakes are pressed into the crust just before it goes in the oven, so the first slice crunches.
What you need
- 500 g strong white flour
- 350 g water at about 27 °C
- 100 g active sourdough starter
- 10 g fine sea salt — 2% of the flour
- A pinch of sea salt flakes for the top
Mix and rest
Mix the flour and 320 g of the water until there is no dry flour left, cover and leave for an hour. Add the starter, then the salt dissolved in the last 30 g of water, and squeeze it through the dough with a wet hand until it comes together again.
Salt tightens gluten, so the dough will feel firmer after it goes in. That is what you want.
Fold and shape
Give it four sets of stretch-and-folds half an hour apart, then leave it until it has grown by about half — three to five hours depending on the kitchen. Shape it into a round, put it seam-up in a floured basket and leave it in the fridge overnight.
Bake
Heat a lidded cast-iron pot at 250 °C for 45 minutes. Turn the loaf onto paper, score it, and press a small pinch of flakes into the cuts. Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered at 230 °C for another 20–25, until it is darker than you think it should be.
Let it cool for an hour before cutting. The flakes on top stay crisp for a day; after that, toast it.
