Ingredients:
500g raisins or dried currants
500ml water
1 tsp sugar
300g plain flour
50g whole wheat flour
a little whole wheat flour for dusting
For the Mother Dough:
300g plain flour
50g whole wheat flour
250ml lukewarm water
whole wheat flour for dusting
Method:
The first step is to prepare the raising liquid. Tip the raisins into a plastic box with a lid. Add the water and sugar and mix to combine. Seal the lid tightly on the container and set aside for 5 days at room temperature to ferment. Tip the mixture into a sieve and press the fruit quite firmly to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids and tip the liquid into a large bowl.
Add the 300g flour and 50g whole wheat flour and stir to combine. Use your hands to bring he mixture together as a dough then place in a bowl dusted with whole wheat flour. Dust the top of the dough with whole wheat flour then cover with a plastic bag and set aside in a warm place to rise for 4 hours.
You are now ready to make the mother dough, the basis of a sourdough bread. Place the dough you've made so far in a bowl and add 250ml lukewarm water along with the 350g flour and 50g whole wheat flour. You can now add a pinch of fresh yeast if desired as this will help the sourdough rise. Mix thoroughly to combine then turn onto a lightly-floured surface and knead vigourously until you have a smooth and elastic dough. Dust a bowl with whole wheat flour, transfer the dough into this (it will be quite sloppy) then dust the top with more flour, cover and allow to prove for 2 hours at room temperature. Now transfer to a refrigerator at 4°C and leave over night (any colder than this and the dough simply will not rise). The dough should have doubled in volume over night. It it hasn't then leave at room temperature until it has doubled in volume. Your mother dough is now made and you can turn it into sourdough bread.
The mother dough can be kept alive and active by a process called 'refreshing' which you should do at least once a week. Take 125g of the mother dough and place in a bowl. Add 375ml of lukewarm water, along with 500g flour and 175g whole wheat flour. Mix to thoroughly combine then knead until elastic. Place back in the original container and allow to rest at room temperature for 1 hour then refrigerate over night. The dough can be used to bake at this stage, but sourdough is always better after 2 refreshes. Beyond this point you can bake with the sourdough each time you refresh and you can use the main culture to keep your mother dough going.
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