Making Sourdough Bread with Local Flour

There is something deeply satisfying about pulling a dark, crusty loaf from your own oven, especially when it began with a jar of bubbling starter and a bag of flour grown and milled within a few miles of your kitchen. Sourdough is slow food at its best, and when you pair it with local stoneground flour, the result is a loaf that tastes of place – earthy, tangy, and utterly worth the wait.

A Starter That Bubbles with Life

Your starter is the soul of the loaf. If you are new to sourdough, begin by mixing equal weights of wholemeal flour and water – 50g of each – in a clean jar. Stir well, cover loosely, and leave at room temperature. Every day for a week, discard half and feed with another 50g of flour and 50g of water. By day seven, you should see bubbles, a pleasant sour smell, and a rise within a few hours of feeding. A lively starter can double in 4–6 hours at 24–26°C. If your kitchen is cool, stand the jar near a warm spot, but avoid direct heat. A starter kept this way will be ready to bake with when it passes the float test: drop a teaspoon into water and it should float.

Once established, your starter can live in the fridge between bakes. Bring it out the night before you plan to mix dough, feed it, and let it wake up. A healthy starter is resilient – it will forgive a missed feeding or two, but regular attention keeps it vigorous.

Choosing Stoneground Local Flour

Stoneground flour is milled slowly, preserving more of the grain's oils, nutrients, and flavour. Unlike roller-milled white flour, it often includes some of the bran and germ, giving your bread a deeper colour and a more complex taste. Look for flour grown and milled in your region – many small mills now sell direct, and farmers' markets are a good source. A blend works beautifully: 70% strong white flour for structure and 30% wholemeal or spelt for character. If you can find locally grown heritage wheat, such as a population wheat, so much the better. Its variable protein content may mean you need to adjust hydration slightly, but the flavour is unmatched.

Store your flour in a cool, dry place, and use it within a few months for the best results. Wholegrain flours go rancid faster than white, so keep larger quantities in the freezer if you bake less often.

The Slow Art of Proving

Sourdough cannot be rushed. After mixing your dough – typically 500g flour, 350g water, 100g active starter, and 10g salt – you will need to build strength through a series of stretches and folds. Combine everything, rest for 30 minutes, then perform four sets of stretch-and-folds, spaced 30 minutes apart. This develops gluten without kneading. Then comes the bulk ferment: leave the dough, covered, at room temperature for 3–5 hours, until it has risen by about 50% and feels airy. If you want a tangier loaf, prove it overnight in the fridge – 12 to 16 hours – which slows fermentation and deepens the sour flavour. Cold proving also makes the dough easier to shape.

Watch the dough, not the clock. Warm kitchens speed things up; cold ones slow them down. A dough that is ready will look puffy, have visible bubbles on the surface, and feel soft and marshmallowy.

Shaping and the Hot Dutch Oven

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape it into a tight round or oval by folding the edges into the centre, then flipping it over and dragging it towards you to create tension. Place it seam-side up in a floured banneton or a bowl lined with a tea towel. Cover and prove for 1–2 hours at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge for a final cold retard. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 240°C with a Dutch oven inside – it needs at least 30 minutes to get properly hot.

When ready to bake, tip the dough onto a piece of baking parchment, score the top with a sharp blade or lame, and lower it into the hot Dutch oven. Put the lid on and bake for 20 minutes. The trapped steam gives the loaf an impressive rise, called oven spring. Then remove the lid and bake for another 20–25 minutes, until the crust is deep brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. An internal temperature of 96–99°C means it is done. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing – the crumb is still setting.

Troubleshooting and Everyday Enjoyment

If your first loaf is dense, it may have been under-proved or your starter was not active enough. If it spreads rather than rises, the gluten was under-developed or the dough was over-proved. Keep notes: room temperature, timings, and hydration. Small adjustments make a big difference.

Once you have a reliable method, experiment. Add a handful of seeds, a little rye for extra sourness, or a splash of local honey. Serve thick slices with butter, alongside a bowl of soup, or toasted under a poached egg from your own hens. This is rural living at its most nourishing: a loaf that connects your kitchen to the fields around it, one slow rise at a time.