Follow the Sourdough - Day 5: The Sponge

Finally! We are ready to make sourdough bread! All right, as you'll hear me say in the clip, you don't want to do this step, until you've seen the last couple videos. Because your times will vary, you should see the last few steps so you can decide when is the best time to make the sponge. If you starter is ready, simply refrigerate it and wait until the timing is right.

Here's what you'll see in the last episodes, and what you'll need to plan for:

You take your starter and make what's called a "sponge" (that's today's video). This sponge must sit out for between 4 and 10 hours to ferment and become very bubbly (pictured here after 30 minutes).

Then, we use part of the sponge to make our dough. This needs to rise and double in size. The sourdough rises much slower than regular yeast bread, so I let it rise overnight.

After the dough has risen, we punch it down, and form a loaf. This loaf of sourdough must then be allowed to double in size before being baked (usually 3 to 6 hours).

Once you've seen the last episodes, you should be able to plan the final bread making. Don’t worry, the starter is fine in the fridge, so don't rush things! You're patience will be rewarded! Enjoy.