Good things take time and our sourdough is no exception. Some people find it surprising, but each loaf takes up to three days to create. So how does it work from starter to finish? We’ve broken it down for you.
Day 1: Feeding the starter
It all starts with our starter. Our 21-year-old starter is fed at least twice a day with water and unbleached wheat flour. Our natural starter is vital to the texture and flavour profile of our award winning sourdough. It continues to improve with age and refine the flavour, crumb structure and crust of the sourdough it produces. You can find out more about what a starter is and how it works here.
Day 2: Crafting and perfecting the dough
We begin the second day by mixing the starter with sustainably farmed wheat flour, water, Murray River salt and malt. The next step is resting. This process allows the first fermentation to develop the gluten and activate the natural yeasts, bacteria and enzymes. The dough is then hand moulded, giving our artisan bakers complete control over our unique finished loaves. Once shaped, the loaves are placed in linen cloths (called couches) to keep their shape during proving and retarding.
The second day ends with the shaped loaves resting in a cold environment (or cold fermentation) to develop their unique flavour, crumb and crust characteristics. In order to deliver the highest quality loaves, we choose a long and natural fermentation process.
Day 3: Proving and baking
The dough is transferred to a warm, humid environment for its final proving process to enable the sourdough’s internal temperature to slowly rise. This allows for the interaction of the yeast, glucose and carbohydrates to give the bread rise and flavour. Before they are baked, the loaves are slashed with a sharp blade so the bread can spring into shape while baking for a unique decorative look.
The loaves are then baked directly on a stone hearth in a large oven to develop that beautiful crisp crust. Finally, the sourdough bread is cooled down so the complexity of flavours and textures are fully enhanced and ready to be feasted on!
