Page 57 - Phonebox Magazine September 2016

of it, so you probably want to get baking? Having to rely on natural yeast to do the work rather than commercially produced yeast, the process of making sourdough is a lot longer. When Gareth makes sourdough, the whole process takes 36 hours although that includes all the proving time.
First water is added to the sourdough starter, then our and salt is added and it’s all combined to create one ball of dough. Normal bread is 60% water compared to the weight of our, sourdough is 75% water. This creates a very sloppy dough. This is left to
prove so the yeast and bacteria can start doing their job.
After this, the dough is stretched and folded several times over the course of a few hours. This folding technique traps air in the dough – essential for making sure the nished bread has a good texture. Each time the dough will be getting more developed and the avours enhancing. Once this process is done, the dough then goes into the fridge for 24 hours for a nal prove. After the proving stage the bread is ready for baking and is baked in a similar way to a normal loaf of bread.
Get Involved
The Big Olney Bake Off at this year’s Big Olney Food Festival features a sourdough category. This is your chance to showcase your baking skills against fellow competitors and possibly winning the title of chief baker. Gareth will even supply you with some sourdough starter. See the rules of entry on page 47.
Thanks to Gareth Roberts of Amazing Grains in Olney for letting us into his bakery for the morning, and explaining the process of sourdough.
Capturing the history of Olney
Sandra, Barry, Gillian and Jennifer welcome you to Olney’s newest family run cafe, now open on The Market Place.
With a new menu coming soon and a daily specials board, there are sweet and savoury pancakes to suit every taste – all being freshly made on the premises by our new cooks.
Ask about our loyalty card scheme – collect ten stamps for a free hot drink.
Olney Pancake Parlour is the perfect place for a well deserved treat, right in the centre of Olney.
Keep track of our progress on Facebook.
olneypancakeparlour
24-25 Market Place, Olney • 01234 713152 • info@olneypancakeparlour.co.uk
September 2016 | Phonebox Magazine 57
Parlour refurbishment coming soon