Recipe: Heritage wheat bread

Recipe for heritage wheat bread from Eric Kayser's The Bread Book

Makes 1 loaf

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Resting time: 15 hours 15 minutes

Baking time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

• 500g heritage wheat flour
• 200g Stiff Levain (see below)
• 380g water at 22°C
• 10g Guérande sea salt

The previous day, combine all the ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix and knead for 7 minutes on low speed. Cover the mixer bowl with a cloth and leave the dough to rise for 3 hours at room temperature, folding after every hour.

Transfer the dough to a floured work counter and loosely shape into a ball. Cover with a cloth and rest for 15 minutes at room temperature.

Shape the dough into a square (see right). Line a bowl with a cloth and dust with flour. Put the dough into the bowl with the seam underneath and cover with a cloth. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours (at about 6°C).

On the day, transfer the dough to a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Place a baking pan on the lowest oven rack and preheat the oven to 250°C. Score the loaf with a diamond cross- hatch. Once the oven is hot, pour 50ml water into the hot baking pan. Put the loaf and pan of water into the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Lower the temperature to 220°C and bake for another 45 minutes.

Remove the loaf from the oven, then cool on a wire rack.

Stiff levain recipe

Makes about 650g

Day 1

In a bowl whisk 60g water at 30°C and 60g organic rye flour.

Cover with a cloth and leave to ferment for 24 hours at room temperature (20°C-25°C).

Day 2

In a bowl, whisk together 50g water at 30°C and 100g light wholemeal (whole wheat) flour (T80), preferably organic, and 20g honey. Mix this into Day 1's mixture. Cover with a cloth and leave to ferment for 24 hours at room temperature.

Day 3

In a bowl, mix 250g organic light wholemeal (whole wheat) flour (T80) and 135g water at 30°C by hand. Mix this into Day 2's preparation. Cover with a cloth and leave to ferment for 12 hours at room temperature. The stiff levain is ready to be used.

The levain can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 8 days. It must be fed a day before use.

Recipe from The Bread Book by Éric Kayser (Phaidon, £29.95)