Baking has become a lockdown hobby for many, with sourdough starters finding a home in kitchens across the North Coast.

For David Henry of Breadologie Bakery in Sheffield however, baking with sourdough has been a lifelong passion.

Born in Mozambique and schooled in Switzerland and the UK, Henry spent 15 years working in hospitality and tourism across Europe and Africa.

After working as a hospitality lecturer in Switzerland, he and his wife Monica decided to move back to Southern Africa to open up the bakery on Claremont Farm in Sheffield. 

It was the perfect opportunity to merge his skills with his passion.

We asked him to share few words of baking wisdom with our readers.

First and foremost, quality ingredients are a must – if you can source them locally as a way to harness the native terroir, then all the better.

“We are situated on a farm which makes it easier, but with a bit of extra effort you can find ingredients that are both local and sustainable,” he said.

Ultimately, bread-making is a low cost way to dip your toe into the waters of baking, with so few ingredients needed.

“Really it is flour, water and yeast and you have got yourself a delicious loaf of bread. Do not be scared off by the sound of sourdough, it is just a difference in method.”

In the case of sourdough, the yeast is actually the starter which is a fermented mixture of flour and water, it may also be called liquid yeast in some recipes.

This mixture needs constant attention during the fermentation process which can take up to 72 hours, but is generally around 48 hours before being bake-ready.

“People give up on their starter if it is not rising, but it is actually super resilient, you cannot kill that thing,” laughed Henry.

It is an exercise in perseverance, as you need to ‘feed’ the starter with flour and water as it ferments and this is where a lot of amateurs make their mistake.

“Often too much water is added and the starter cannot develop, if you think this has happened remove the excess water and carry on, the process is not ruined.”

Once the starter is ready, it will need to be combined with fresh water and flour to make a workable dough.

Many amateur bakers buy expensive banettons (which are used to shape the bread as it proofs) but it is definitely not necessary on a small scale.

“You can use any container that has a desired shape, there is no need to go wasting money on something that might only be used once or twice.”

Breadologie uses a woodfired oven, but a household convection oven will work just fine with a little bit of practice.

“If you find your breads are not rising, add a pot of boiling water to the oven and it will help the process.”

Once the bread has risen and develops a brown crust, then your job is done and all that is left is to enjoy.