Please help with your step by step sourdough recipe and timings. Losing my mind!

[Sleepersausage]

Every recipe, Instagram reel, set of instructions is different. I thought I found a good one and just went to try it, before realising it required 300g of starter which I didn't have. The starter itself has been weeks of work after chucking two in the bin because they smelt so bad, jar and all.

So I now have my starter, brought it online from some London deli, have refreshed it, it was in the kitchen all day and looks active. I have bought a proofing basket, I have a big casserole dish again bought specially for this.

I want a technique that lines up with putting it in the oven at about 8 in the morning. Please help!

At this stage tonight, I have mixed about 50g starter with 500g flour and warm water, mixed in to a dough and left in an oiled bowl. In 20 mins or so I'll start some stretch and folds then prove overnight in the fridge. Does this sound like it will work?

https://www.instagram.com/elaine_foodbod?igsh=MXN4NjI3MXJhcGFwOQ==

I find this lady has the easiest, most straight forward sourdough advice. There’s a link to her website through her Instagram account.

I, ultimately found making sourdough just too time consuming for my lifestyle and my starter has been sitting in the fridge for a while. I did enjoy following this account though.

I use the below recipe but don't always add the oil. Mix together until 'shaggy', leave for 30 mins to 1 hour then do some folds, leave for another 30 mins to 1 hour then more folds, I then cover and leave somewhere warm overnight.

Punch down in the morning and shape into a ball, leave for an hour then I bake in a covered pot - 45 mins in a cold oven at 200 fan with lid on then lid off for 15 mins

I keep around 100g starter.

feed with 100g flour and 100g water mid-late morning

late afternoon- early evening mix up 200g starter, 350-400g water, 650g flour, 20g salt.

stretch and fold every half hour and 3 times in total

shape and out in proving basket, cover with damp tea towel and in fridge

in the morning take out of fridge and turn oven on to 250 degrees or max if that is lower with lidded casserole in to preheat.

slide loaf into casserol, turn down oven to 220 and cook 35 mins with lid on

take out of casserole and cook for a further 10 mins

you can add seeds and bits to the bread if you like but that should be extra weight above the flour. Water quantity is variable as you may need more or less depending on your flour

General idea is to use 2% of salt to flour weight.

You’re asking „how long is a piece of string”.

Depends on how much starter you’re going to use, how active it is and what’s the temperature of the water used and room that the fermentation takes place.

Hydration of the dough also plays the role- more water and fermentation is faster.

Starter has to be robust-need to be able to start working straight away (not sleepy)

I feed the starter in the evening

In the morning-

50-100g starter(more starter means faster fermentation)
10 g salt
500g bread flour
350 ml water(warmer water means faster fermentation)

Chuck everything into the bowl,mix roughly so there’s no dry flour pockets and wait about half and hour. Enzymes in flour starts building gluten network.

Stretch and fold a few times(no time rules but dough should relax between each s&f)

Dough should rise to about 2/3 of original volume, jiggly but still firm. Floppy dough means overproofed-gluten network has collapsed so focaccia on the menu.

It’s normally ready till mid afternoon. Preshape, leave it alone on the worktop for about 20 minutes then shape it and chuck it upside down into a bowl lined with cotton cloth generously sprinkled with gluten free flour. Put in the fridge overnight.

Following morning- Flip it over to cast iron dish lined with non stick baking parchment, score it and put in the oven on max temperature(around 250°C) with the lid on.You’ll need something at the bottom to block up the heat(baking stone) otherwise you’ll burn it.
After 40 minutes check your bread and bake until you get the colour you want- I normally leave the lid on.

It does sound complicated but it’s not.

No need for fancy equipment and temperature police.

Go by the feel of the dough.

One more thing- you can use whatever flour for your bread but starter needs good quality flour. Mine is fed with rye Shipton Mill or Doves Farm flour. A few years back tesco wholemeal killed my starter(not just mine but they removed the review)

I went on a sourdough bread course and the couple who ran it kept everything very simple. I keep my starter in the fridge and feed it once or twice a week (more often if you’re using it really regularly). I tend to use 10g of water and 10g flour each time to feed it.
My recipe is 50-100g starter mixed into 350g water. Then add 500g strong bread flour and 10g salt. Roughly mix it into a dough and then put the dough in the fridge, not shaped or kneaded for about 48 hours. Then I take it out of the fridge, flatten the dough into a dinner plate shape, envelope fold it twice, flatten it out again and envelope fold again. Then I dip it in polenta flour or similar to stop it sticking, put it into a casserole dish lined with greaseproof paper and leave it to prove for about an hour somewhere warm. Then I put the lid of the casserole dish on, and into a hot oven (250 degrees Celsius) for 5 minutes then turn it down to 240 for another 35 mins. Then I make sure the internal temp is at least 93 degrees.
Ive learnt that sourdough is quite forgiving and even if it doesn’t always look perfect, it tastes fab :)