Finally!

I have at last -at long long last - managed to make a decent sourdough loaf.

My starter that I created last April has been pretty much fine - but the loaves I've made have not been. I'd almost given up. They've been very very solid and dense. or spread too flat; but mostly they have stuck badly to whatever I have attempted to prove them in.

As a last ditch attempt I brought my starter back from its sluggish state and trawled the internet (and my cookery book collection). I made the loaf following the recipe in the River Cottage Everyday book, which involves an overnight sponge. I found a genius tip on the net, which is not merely to flour the linen cloth (aka as an old but clean teatowel) but to rub the flour into the cloth and keeping rubbing more flour in until it is full of flour. Then dust flour on top. Result! One not stuck, but not stupidly floury (oh yes I have had one of those, which ended up being baked with a thick flour crust. It was Not A Success) loaf.

It is very nice, but not very sour. Mmm might have to go and do another internet search. I'm on a roll (pun intended)