LEAVEN:

1) Put the room temperature sourdough starter into a bowl, add the rye flour and the lukewarm water and mix together until you get a ‘thick batter’. Cover and leave to rest in a warm place for 8-12 hours.

DOUGH (TO BE PREPARED AFTER THE LEAVEN HAS FERMENTED):

1) Tip the tomatoes into a sieve placed over a bowl and allow some time for the excess oil to drip down. Pat the tomatoes with a paper towel and cut them into strips. Cut the onion in half and then finely slice it. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onions and fry them until golden brown. Remove the onions on a paper towel to remove any excess oil.

2) Tip the flour into a stand mixer bowl, add the salt and mix through. Pour in the fermented leaven, add the lukewarm water and start mixing on a low speed (1) for five minutes. Slightly increase the speed (2) and continue mixing for a further three minutes.

3) Tip the dough out onto a clean floured surface and gently stretch it with your fingers. Add the fried onions and the chopped dried tomatoes and work these into the dough.

4) Place the dough into a well greased bowl, cover it with a cling film and let it rest for about 45-60 minutes.

5) Once the dough has rested, stretch and fold it four times, cover it again with a cling film and let it rest for further 45-60 minutes. When the time’s up, repeat the stretch and fold again and rest the dough for a further 45-60 minutes.

6) Dust a banneton basket with some flour or cornstarch. Tip the dough out onto a clean floured surface and stretch and fold it several times, making sure you remove any air bubbles at the end. Shape and place the dough into the banneton basket seam side up, cover it and let it rise for about 2-3 hours in a warm place (could be left a bit longer, it all depends on the temperature of your kitchen).

7) Heat the oven to 250C / 230 fan. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and fill a heatproof bowl with about 200ml of water. Tip the bread out onto a parchment (baking) paper and using a sharp knife or a razor blade, make a shallow cut in the center of the dough. Place both the baking sheet and the bowl with water in the preheated oven, with the bowl placed at the bottom of the oven.

8) After 20 minutes of baking, remove the bowl with water. Please, apply extra caution when opening the oven as there will be quite a bit of build up of hot steam.

9) Leave the oven door very slightly ajar, prop it with a wooden spoon; to remove any remaining steam. Lower the temperature to 190C/170C fan and bake for a further 10 minutes.

10) Remove the bread from the oven, cool it down on a cooling rack and serve. Enjoy!