Sourdough with cheese and chive

sourdough loaf

Pressed flower sourdough, with cheese and chives and options of edible flowers and herb add ins. Small loaf for 8 inch proofing basket.

60 g cheese grated mature cheddar, Parmesan, red Leicester ect
small bunch of chives finely chopped and chive blossoms approx 1 tbsp chives and the flowers from 2 chive blossom heads. plus more for decoration

60 grams grated cheese (hard cheese like cheddar)
large hand full of nasturtium leaves and flowers
small bunch of chives chopped basil works quite nicely too if using Parmesan as it gives a pesto like flavour
3 tbsp sunflower seeds
1/2 tsp chilli flakes

petals from 5 calendula flowers plus more for top nasturtium and herb flowers optional
60 grams grated cheese cheddar or other strong cheese
3 tbsp sunflower seeds
small bunch of herbs like thyme, chives ect

50 g finely grated Parmesan
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 tsp thyme leaves
1 garlic clove finely sliced and fried in olive oil then left to cool saving oil to add in too.
(this this recipe i used smoked salt rather than plain salt in the main dough)

Weigh water in a bowl on some scales and add a spoonful of the starter and make sure it floats, this is called the float test. if it floats then its nice and active and ready to make this loaf with. If not feed your starter and wait four hours and try again.
Add the flours with the water and starter and mix together into a messy shaggy dough, cover and leave for 15 to 30 minutes (if can be left up to an hour if you are busy)
Add the salt, and chosen add ins and knead in for 5 minutes until combined.

You can fold it in by hand or quickly mix in a stand mixer for a dough hook for 2 minutes minutes. I find kneading evenly distributes the salt and add ins, and makes the dough easier to handle.
Cover the dough and leave to relax for 20 minutes, then add the two tbsp of extra water and fold in by hand by lifting corners of the dough and folding it in on its self until combined.

Once the dough has been mixed, cover and leave for 4 hours or until risen. During this time stretch and fold the dough a 4 times over that time period. Do this gently by picking up one corner of the dough and lifting it to stretch it and fold it into the centre of the bowl, then turn the bowl and fold again, do four folds and cover the bowl again, As the dough had some kneading at the beginning if you forget to do one of the stretches don’t panic. The stretching helps build gluten and will help with the structure of the loaf.
After four hours the dough should have risen and be nice and puffy. This can take longer in the colder months and could take 5-6 hours.

Once dough has risen, tip out on to a floured surface, and form into a ball, i do this by pulling the edges of the dough into the centre, then i pinch braid the seam together, turn it over and pull the ball of dough over the work surface towards, causing tension making the dough form a tight ball. I do this for a minute until a nice tight ball is formed. Add flour to the top of the dough and leave for 10 minutes to rest while you prep the basket.
Flour the basket well, i do this by adding a mix of white flour and rice flour, but white flour is fine. For the pressed flower effect, place flowers and herbs in the basket, for whole flowers place them face side down so when the loaf is tipped out they will be facing the right way.
Then place the dough in the basket seam side up on top of the flowers, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise in the fridge over night for 12 hours, or leave to rise at room temp until risen again, approx four hours. (I find scoring a lot more successful with a chilled loaf) if you want to rise it at room temp. once risen, pop it in the fridge for one hour before baking.

Place a lidded cast iron pot, casserole dish, or dutch oven in the oven and preheat to 230c 445f gas 9
Once the oven has reached the temperature, tip the dough out onto a piece of baking paper, (i find scrunching a piece of baking paper up and running it under the tap and then squeezing the water softens it and makes it easier to shape). you can cut the paper to size instead if you wish.

slash the dough with a blade at a 45 degree angle then carefully remove the lid (it will be very hot) and place the bread in and put the lid back on and bake for 25 minutes, remove lid and bake uncovered for a further 8 minutes.

Leave for 2 minutes them carefully lift out of the pan and cool on a rack. Leave for 1 hour before slicing.

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