St John White Loaf

Method

The day before Dissolve the yeast in the water and then add the flour. Knead for 2-3 minutes then place the dough in a medium sized (1litre) bowl with a tight fitting lid. Refrigerate the starter dough for 24 hours or overnight. The following day Break up the starter with your hands in the warm water and then add the yeast. Work the mixture through your fingertips until the starter dough has combined with the water and the yeast has dissolved. Stir in the rye flour and salt. Work the mixture with your hands until you have a rough ball of dough, then tip the dough out on to a floured bench and knead for 4-5 minutes. Replace the dough in the bowl, cover with a damp cloth (or cling film) and leave for 45 minutes. Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and knead the dough into a ball. Line a 3 litre mixing bowl with a tea-towel and liberally flour the interior. Place the ball of dough seam side up in the bowl, then cover the top of the dough with the edges of the cloth. Leave the dough in a warm place for 2 - 2½ hours, or until almost doubled in bulk. Preheat the oven to 220C. Lightly dust a baking sheet with rye flour. Turn the dough out of the bowl on to your hand, and then lay in the centre of the tray, seam side down. With a sharp knife cut a square in the centre of the top of the dough, then bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 200C and bake for a further 50 minutes. Removed the bread from the oven and check to see that it feels light and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Cook's tip To help give the loaves from your oven at home a rich golden colour to the crust, make a dome out of aluminium foil. Make sure it stands a few inches higher than the risen loaf. Sit it over the loaf when it goes in the oven, and then carefully remove it after half way through baking. Be extremely careful, as it will be hot. This dome will help steam and give a beautiful finish to the crust (we used it for the photograph shown). PER 100g 333 Kcal, fat 1.4g, saturated fat 0.2g, salt 2.2g, carbohydrate 73.3g, sugar 1.3g, fibre 3.1g