Sourdough sponge method

Here's a little visual journey through my latest sourdough baking odyssey. I was using Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's sourdough recipe. [I won't re-type it, just follow the link.] I guess I went with about 60:40 white:wholemeal flour.

The trick to this recipe is that you make a sponge the night before. A sponge is basically half your flour and all your water from the recipe mixed together and left over night. It's a way of getting the natural yeast really fizzing and active - effectively you are turning half the flour into a large sourdough starter!

Half the flour, all the water and five spoonfuls of
sourdough starter to make the 'sponge'

Leave overnight to get 'fizzy'

Add the rest of the flour and the salt, kead, prove, knock-back, shape
(repeat prove, knock-back and shape up to three times for more texture and flavour)

Finally, the dough was shaped and left to rise (one in a floured tin, one free-form;
can you guess which was which), gently tipped out and baked.

Et voila - a sourdough loaf (or two). One is showing signs of a frenzied 'just out of oven' attack on one end!