I have to admit the UK bread scene has evolved over the years.

It’s much easier now to buy proper bread than it used to be. And with proper I mean bread that is holding up with my German standards … Aye, bread nation …

I remember during our first visit, the only bread you could get was white toast. Soft, mostly burned when toasted and bland.

To be fair, most people here don’t want anything else. They don’t eat as much bread as Germans do. And the white toast will do for a sandwich.

So, even if you can buy real sourdough bread in supermarkets now, I still prefer to bake my own.

The best part about breadmaking is that you can just mix and match. From the various types of flour to adding seeds and using different raising agents.

I usually use a dutch oven to bake the bread in, but you can just place it on a lined baking tray.

Happy Baking!

Ingredients

300g rye flour

150g strong white flour

200g strong wholemeal flour

seed mix (i.e. pumpkin, sunflower, linseeds, hemp)

15g salt

200g fresh sourdough starter

1 packet fast action yeast

~ 350ml lukewarm water

Method

1. In a big bowl, mix the flour, seeds, salt, yeast and sourdough together.

2. The amount of water you need depends on the flour you’re using and the thickness of your starter.

3. Start off with about 2/3 and mix it roughly into the dry ingredients. Then add in as much as needed to get a soft dough.

4. Knead the dough for about 5-10 min using an electric mixer (about 15 min if you do it by hand) until the dough is stretchy and smooth.

5. Cover the bowl with cling film or a tea towel. Leave to rise in a warm room for about 2h or until doubled in size.

6. Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan).

7. Tip the dough out onto a dusted surface and push it down to knock the air out.

8. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a dusted dutch oven. Put the lid on.

9. Bake for about 30min on the bottom shelf of your oven.

10. Then turn the temperature down to 180°C and bake for a further 15 to 20min until the loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when you tap it on the base.

11. Tip - Remove the lid for the last 5min to get an even crunchier crust.

12. Leave to cool on a wire rack.