In this recipe you will learn to make an ambient basic sourdough 50:50 tin loaf
Learning Objective
This recipe is the foundation loaf. You apply the basic principles of fermentation and use the specific timings, temperature and flour needed to achieve a classic Sourdough Tin Loaf that can be made in just 10 minutes of active time. The aim of this recipe is to put into practice the knowledge of when best to use your starter, and how to find a rhythm and routine to your baking, making it possible for anyone with a busy life to be able to bake sourdough.
Makes: | 2 |
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Level: | Absolute beginner |
Created Over: | 3 days |
Kind of Bake: | Ambient overnight – 10-minute style – mixed in the evening and baked in the morning |
Gut Factor: | Introducing wholegrain and probiotics |
Diversity Score: | 5 (if you include salt, oil and butter) |
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Suggested Botanical Blend: | Use organic stoneground flour |
Prebiotic: | The fibre in wholegrain flour is a prebiotic |
Probiotic: | Cultured butter |
Recommended For: |
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Introduction
Even if you are a seasoned sourdough baker, this is where I suggest you start. We know from experience that when starting to bake sourdough, mastering a tin/pan loaf means you are much more likely to succeed with more advanced breads, as you have taken the time to understand every bake. You will be delighted to know that my new book is called 10-Minute Sourdough, and follows the same principles as the recipes you will find in the Club. When you start baking sourdough, there is so much to learn. The very first thing is to learn a rhythm, and to recognise what good, robust fermentation looks like, so I recommend that you begin with a tin loaf. It gives you time to get into the rhythm of the schedule and to understand the basic principles of flour. This recipe has my suggestions for timings and temperatures that suit a typical working day. It is an ambient bake, and the timings mean that you refresh your starter before you go to bed, and then bake to a convenient schedule that fits in with your day.
This loaf is 50 per cent wholegrain, so has a good level of fibre. Fibre benefits your digestive system and reduces your risks of developing chronic disease. Fibre also leaves your stomach without being digested, moving into your colon, where it feeds friendly gut bacteria. It only takes about 10 minutes of total effort to make this bread. The recipe makes two loaves. If this is too much bread for you, simply halve the recipe – or better still, make two loaves and give one away. Or, if you prefer, you can bake two, enjoy one fresh and slice and freeze the other.
Connect
Your challenge for this loaf is to see if you can find a local farmer for your wholegrain organic stoneground flour. I have a list of mills I know personally here. Don't worry if you don't have one locally – you can use the internet or find someone on social media – but oh how amazing if you could ask them about their flour or grain. There is the magic.
Please remember to share your stories and bakes on the Club Forum, so I can see them too, even if I can't taste or smell them.
Vanessa
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Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Spatula
- 2 x 900g (2lb) loaf tins (see below)
- Olive oil spray
- Oven gloves
- A jug of tepid water in which to dip your hands when handling the dough
Tin Size
- 900g (2lb) loaf tin, measuring 25 x 13 x 8.5cm OR 9 x 5 x 3 inches (USA)
Suggested Starter
Status of Starter
bubbly, lively second-build starter
Hydration
75%
DDT
27°C (80°F)
Flours
To Ferment Your Dough
- 200g bubbly, lively second-build starter
For The Dough
- 750g water at 28C° (82°F) (remember to reserve 50g to bassinage with)
- 500g organic stoneground wholegrain flour (11.5% protein)
- 500g organic strong white roller-milled flour (ideally about 13% protein)
- 20g fine sea salt
- Butter, for greasing the tin
Baking Time
45–50 minutes
Oven Position
middle shelf
Preheat Oven To
220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7
Bake At
180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4
Baking Tips - During/After Baking
- Remove the bake from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 5–6 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Everyone's oven is slightly different. Use the timings given here as a guide and always check your loaf towards the end of the baking time to see how much longer it needs.
Tutorials
Total Active Time: 9 minutes
Step | Timings | Active Time (min) |
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Essential time-saving tips before you begin baking | Before you start | |
Refresh starter (first build) | Day 1, 8pm first build | 1 |
Refresh starter (second build) | Day 2, 8am second build | 1 |
Mix vigorously | Day 2, 7pm | 2 |
Autolyse for 30 minutes | Day 2, 7.02pm | |
Bassinage 1: incorporate 25g of the reserved water. | Day 2, 7.30pm | 1 |
Bassinage 2: incorporate the last 25g of the reserved water, then rest for 15 minutes | Day 2, 7.45pm | 1 |
Transfer the dough to the tin and cover. Leave to prove overnight on the side in the kitchen | Day 2, 8pm - Overnight | |
Return your starter to the fridge | Day 3, 8am | 1 |
Bake your bread | Day 3, 8am | 2 |
Total Active Time | 9 |
Guidance, tips & techniques
Before you begin baking, please read the essential time-saving tips to make sourdough in just 10 minutes. To put it plainly, you won't be able to make this recipe in 10 minutes if you do not follow the advice on this page.
Build your starter
If you bake every day, then you might not need to double-refresh your starter. However, if you leave it more than three days between bakes, then do a back-to-back double refreshment. This involves two refreshments to rebuild your starter and make sure it is robust enough to raise your bread. There are many recipes for what to do with the discard here.
Mix
This is a quick mix. In a bowl, whisk together your lively bubbly sourdough starter with 700g of the water (remember to reserve the other 50g of the water). Once combined, add the flours and the salt* and mix your dough vigorously using a strong spatula for about 2 minutes. It will come together to form a stiff ball. Leave this to rest on the side in the kitchen for 30 minutes. While your dough is autolysing, this is a good time to refresh the remaining starter in your jar and set it aside to ferment overnight at room temperature.
* Note: yes, I do want you to put the salt in with the initial mix of the dough. Recipes later on will ask you to hold back salt until later, but not with this technique.
Bassinage
When the gluten has had 30 minutes to develop, you can begin your bassinage. Bassinage is the technique of adding water to dough over a period of time. It's easy to do. You just add 25g of the reserved water at a time, squidging the dough with your hands to mix this in (you can dip your hands in the jug of tepid water before handling the dough to avoid sticking). It should take less than 1 minute to mix in the first 25g water. Cover and leave the dough for 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining 25g water, then allow the dough to rest for about 10 minutes. There are detailed instructions on how to do this in the link in the steps.
Prove
Prep your tin, then place the dough in the tin. Cover with a shower cap and leave to prove on the kitchen table overnight. My kitchen is usually about 21°C (70°F).
Return your starter to the fridge
Day 3 at 8am is an important moment, as both your loaf and your starter should have doubled overnight. So, before you bake your loaf in the oven, put your starter back into the fridge until you next want to rebuild it again for another bake.
Bake
Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7 for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4 to bake. Before baking, drizzle the olive oil down the sides of the loaf before putting the tin in the oven. Bake for 45–50 minutes: it should have a beautiful burnished copper crust.
Tip for baking your bread
If you like a crustier finish, remove your loaf from the oven at the end of the baking time and remove from the tin, then return the ‘naked’ loaf (without the tin) to the oven for a few minutes to create a lovely crunchy crust on the parts of the loaf that were covered by the tin.
Probiotic Serving Suggestion
How to Store
Once cool, wrap your loaf in a tea towel. Best enjoyed within 3–4 days.
![](https://thesourdoughschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/starter-22-330x413.jpg)
![A close-up of hands mixing ingredients in a large, white mixing bowl. The person is using a wooden spoon to stir the mixture, which appears to be a batter or dough. The bowl is on a wooden surface, and the background is blurred, keeping the focus on the hands and the mixing process.](https://thesourdoughschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/mixing-29-330x413.jpg)
![](https://thesourdoughschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/SOURDOUGH-SCHOOL-94-330x413.jpg)
Learning Outcome
This loaf allows you to make a loaf in just 10 minutes the results of the fermentation as your loaf bakes. You will learn about timings and temperature, and how to bake a basic tinned loaf that is a joy to eat every day.