Here is the recipe for my overnight sponge bread, for which I am eternally grateful to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Everyday for getting me started with.
My bread
In a bowl add
250g Strong white bread flour
325g Lukewarm water
5g Fast Action Yeast
Mix with a wooden spoon and leave covered overnight.
The next morning add
250g Strong white bread flour, or replace with an equal quantity of alternative (wholemeal/barleycorn/5seed)
10g Fine Sea Salt
Mix until it comes together and knead for 10 mins on a worktop until silky and soft
Oil the bowl lightly with olive/rapeseed oil but the dough in and let rise until doubled (approx. 1 hour)
Fold the dough over on itself again and again to form a tight ball, coat lightly with a tiny amount of oil and then some polenta and leave to rise for another hour
Place a baking stone or heavy duty baking sheet in the oven and turn the oven to maximum, or alternatively in a wood fired oven which has cooled and is giving a steady heat, make sure the oven is well up to temperature before placing the bread in the oven, a quick squirt of water from a plant mister.
Cook at maximum temperature for 15minutes, before turning down to 200deg C for half an hour until the base sounds hollow when tapped. Allow to cool before slicing and enjoying with lashings of butter or dipped into olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar….delicious.