This sourdough is the perfect pairing for the festive season. The flowery sweet honey contrasts well with the sharp, salty blue cheese and earthy walnuts. This is such a delicious recipe and couldn’t be simpler to make!
To prepare the levain. This should be done 8 to 10 hours prior to making your dough.
Combine 60g of sourdough starter with 60g of strong white flour (if using a rye starter use rye flour) and 60g water, stir everything together and leave covered at room temperature until you are ready to start making the dough.
As the dough is stretched out cover the surface with some of the blue cheese and walnuts. Fold the dough over. Return to the bowl and rest for 30 minutes before repeating.
After the dough has been allowed to prove for 4 hours turn out onto a floured work surface. Without knocking too much air from the dough gently preshape. Let the dough rest on the counter for ten minutes.
This quantity of dough will make 1 large sourdough loaf.
Whether you are using a proving basket, Pyrex dish or simply proving in a bowl lined with a tea towel it should be prepared by dusting with flour. Rye flour or rice flour works well for this.
Mould the dough into a round, dust the surface of the dough with flour and place it into your proving basket seem side facing up. Leave the shaped dough to prove for 30 mins at room temperature before placing it into the fridge to prove overnight.
The next day remove the dough from the fridge. Preheat the oven to 240c with an empty tray placed into the base of the oven.
Turn the dough out from the proving basket, rub some flour over the surface of the dough and score. If baking using a Pyrex dish or Dutch oven place the dome over the dough and bake.
Bake for 35 minutes with the lid on and a further 8 minutes with the lid off. If using a Pyrex dish or Dutch oven there is no need to steam the bread however if simply baking on a baking tray adding steam to the oven is required. This can be done by pouring boiling water into the preheated tray that is sitting in the base of your oven.