My enriched foodbod master recipe sourdough…

I’m so excited about this post, I’ve really enjoyed making and testing these loaves…I hope you like it too!

Every bread in this post has been made using my master recipe to create enriched doughs and loaves…they’re beautiful and shiny and they smell amazing; the texture of the bread is light, soft, not too rich, not too sweet, and with a hint of our joyful sourdough flavour…I’ve played with flours and shapes and pans, and have had great fun creating my ‘enriched master recipe sourdough’…

This loaf was made using the lighter version of the dough below, and with half strong white bread flour and half white spelt flour. Before and after shots of the bake below.
Soft and fluffy interior.
A slice of the above loaf.

The doughs are all enriched with eggs, milk, butter and honey. This is a very very tasty sourdough creation! Its great eaten on it’s own, as well as with your choice of toppings, and smells amazing all over again when toasted. And no mixer required, even better!

The end shot of the loaf above.

I have tested this several times recently and it worked perfectly with just strong white bread flour, a mix of SWBF and white spelt flour, and with 100% white spelt flour. Each version has been a success, the white spelt flour adding a silkiness to the dough that’s lovely to work with, as well as a lightness to the crumb.

This loaf was made with the richer version of the dough below and 100% white spelt flour. Once baked I brushed with it butter and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
The inside of the loaf above.

NOTES:

🌟 The added dairy products do not go bad during the overnight prove, the dough is protected by the starter.

🌟 The butter only needs to be softened, not fully melted. If you do melt it, ensure it is cool before mixing with the rest of the ingredients.

🌟 The softened butter does not need to be fully mixed through the dough initially, it will soften more and become fully incorporated as your work with the dough.

🌟 This is a heavy slow dough, allow it time to grow fully.

🌟 It’s also a dough that requires very little shaping.

🌟 It keeps well for a week if wrapped well.

🌟 I don’t like things very sweet; for us, chief taster included, the 50g honey in the recipe was perfect. If you prefer things sweeter, replace it with sugar, quantity of your choice.

🌟 I have made two slightly different versions of this, one a little richer than the other, and I like both. You can tone things down, or up, as you choose.

🌟 You can choose your own version, using the flour/s of your choice, and all or just one to two of the added ingredients. It works whichever options you choose.

🌟 For dietary alternatives, use no eggs or egg replacements/non dairy milk/no butter or a dairy free option.

🌟 I made the round loaf in my 20cm diameter enamel roaster (above) and the rectangular loaf in a large loaf tin (27cm x 17cm/10.5” x 6.5”). You can use a standard 2 lb loaf tin too.

🌟🌟🌟 My master recipe strikes again! 🌟🌟🌟

Slices of the loaf tin loaf from above.

Ingredients

50g active starter

1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk (save the white) + milk to make up a total of 350g (I use semi skimmed/half fat milk)

75g softened butter

50g runny honey

500g strong white bread flour OR 250g SWBF + 250g white spelt flour OR 500g white spelt flour

1 teaspoon of salt, or to taste

Alternative slightly lighter option:

50g active starter

1 whole egg + milk to make up a total of 350g

50g softened butter

50g runny honey

500g strong white bread flour OR 250g SWBF + 250g white spelt flour OR 500g white spelt flour

1 teaspoon of salt, or to taste

As per my master recipe (for full step by step directions click on the link to the left):

Feed your starter as normal to generate the 50g needed for the recipe.

Begin mixing the dough in the evening.

Roughly mix all of the ingredients: it will be very sticky.

After an hour, perform the first set of pulls and folds on the dough. Lifting and pulling the dough across the bowl until it starts to come into a soft ball then stop. Cover the bowl again and leave it to sit.

During this first set of pulls and folds the dough will still be sticky but keep working with it.

After an hour, perform the second set.

During this set of pulls and folds, the dough will start to become smooth and silky (esp if it’s 100% white spelt flour) and will take less actions to pull it into a ball. Cover and leave to sit.

Over the next hour or so, perform the third, and fourth set if you do one, the dough should be nice to handle now. Each time stop when the dough comes into a loose ball.

Cover and leave to prove on the counter overnight as usual.

Next morning the dough will typically have grown, but not yet doubled, allow it 2-3 more hours if it needs more time.

Line a tin with baking parchment paper or a loaf tin liner.

Pull the dough together, it does not need to be handled much, it doesn’t need to be too tight, this will be a stiff heavy dough, and place it hand side down/smooth side up into your liner.

Cover again and leave to prove on the counter again until the dough is level with the edge of the pan, typically 3-4 hours.

Mix the egg white with a tablespoon of water and brush the top of the dough gently with it.

Bake, uncovered, from a cold start at 160C fan/convection, or 180C non fan/convention oven, for 45 mins, covering if the top becomes too dark.

Remove from the oven, and the tin and allow to cool.

Enjoy!

Braided and hand shaped loaf using dough made with half strong white bread flour and half white spelt flour
Dough made with the lighter version of the above options and made with half strong white bread flour and half white spelt flour.
Slices of the inside of the baked loaf above.

To use the dough to create shaped doughs, refrigerate the dough for 1-2 hours after the overnight prove to firm it up, then turn it out, portion it and shape it as you choose before covering it again and leaving it to prove again for 3-4 hours, then bake as above.

Dough split into 6 equal pieces (by eye), shaped into balls and placed together inside the lined pan and allowed to prove again before baking. You could also bake them separately to make rolls.
The baked loaf.

🌟🌟🌟 It really is true, you can use my master recipe as a base for anything you want to create! 🌟🌟🌟

You can now find this recipe in more detail and with new variations in my new book! Happy baking!

86 thoughts on “My enriched foodbod master recipe sourdough…”

  1. I can’t wait to make this loaf. Did you actually bake it in the colander? Fantastic – never thought of that!! :))

  2. Thank you ☺️☺️ no, it’s not a colander, it’s an enamel roaster 👍🏻 x

  3. this looks fantastic and perfect timing as I have managed some consistently good results using the master recipe (thank you SO much! – I wont use anything else ever), and was contemplating branching out into cinnamon rolls. I will give it a try – thank you again

  6. It must be the angle of the photo but it just looks like a colander. I guess you could use an enamel colander to bake in. Guess who is going to give it a go? :))
    I am having great success with my Sourdough and with your starter recipe. I am so glad I used your recipe – no discard, easy to care for. Thanks for good advice. Just waiting on your book arriving and many thanks for sending your extra recipes. :))

  8. My mouth is watering reading just the ingredients. Do you think I could make it just like I make the sourdough boule? Meaning after the overnight proof on the counter, shape and put into my tea towel lined bowl and refrigerate for a few hours and then bake in a cold roaster?

  9. It’s the one method I haven’t tested with this yet, but I can’t see any reason why not x

  10. I made the richer loaf today. Our house must be cold as the loaf was slow to grow overnight & took all day today to rise in the tin. Alas remembering your tip: ‘look at the dough not the clock before you cook’. And it turned out beautifully. I haven’t cut it yet, but it looks good. If only I could add a photo 😉

  11. Great news, I’m glad you like it! 🤩🤩 You can always email me a photo or two?

  12. They look absolutely epic Elaine, my new try for the weekend. You are bread genius 🤩🤩🤩

  16. Similar, but a lot less rich or sweet, for our tastes 👍🏻

  19. This looks wonderful! Is it possible to use combo of SWBF & maybe wholemeal bread flour?

  20. Thank you 🙏🏻
    There’s only one way to find out…👍🏻

  22. Trying it today. I noticed your boule for this recipe is not scored. Is there a reason? Thank you for the wonderful recipes and instructions. ❤️

  24. Thank you 🙏🏻
    It just doesn’t necessarily need to be scored, but you can…👍🏻

  25. Reading through, you don’t use the fridge rest for several hours as per Master recipe ?

  26. At the time of writing, I hadn’t tested doing it like that yet, if you do, do let me know 👍🏻

  27. Mine turned out a bit flat. Was I meant to substitute the water from the master recipe for the milk and egg?

  30. Hi, I’m loving your website and recipes. I’m currently in a caravan and everyday the temperature Is between 26-29 degrees Celsius and overnight it rarely drops below 18. What time do you recommend I start your master recipe and your enriched recipe? Should I be expecting the dough to double in size. I suffer from a condition with causes memory fog so don’t always understand or process things properly. Any advice would be great fully received. Can’t wait to receive your book through my letter box.

  31. Hi, thank you for your message…for my master recipe the best thing is to use less starter, just 20g to prevent over proving and start around 5-6pm.
    For the enriched dough, start at a similar time but no changes need to be made.
    Have fun!

  32. Ma’am, you mentioned to bake from a cold start at 180°… Does it mean that we don’t need to preheat the oven! I would like to know to it ma’am. I would like to try foodbod recipe and to take part in your contest mentioned in instagram post today. It’s my pleasure to take part in the baking contest.

  34. Thank you for this recipe, Elaine!
    I tried your enriched SD master recipe and just love it! 💕💕💕
    Followed the richer version and brushed dough with softened butter (love butter) before I placed it in 2 loaf pans. I braided the other half but missed your note about refrigerating shaped doughs so the braids did not hold much. Gonna try it again😀
    But taste and texture is the best, Enriched indeed! 🌟🌟🌟
    This will now be my go-to recipe for loaves and shaped breads!

  35. Oh wow, thank you so much 💞💞 I’m so glad you like it, thank you for trying it xx

  36. Tried this today, did overnight in the fridge before shaping and used maple syrup instead of honey. Cooked in Le Creuset, lid off, took much longer and in the end when brown enough put lid on and turned up temp to finish.
    Looks good, just letting it cool.

  38. Many thanks for what looks like a great bread recipe, I can’t wait to try it, although I have just done my usual bake up of breads for the coming week, or so. I have to agree with your cold start method, I have been doing it for quite a while now. On the last prove the breads go into the not so cold oven, as there is a pan of hot water on the bottom of the oven. This warm damp atmosphere helps in the rising, and after an hour, or so, the oven is turned onto 200 degrees, and I am convinced that the gradual increase in heat also assists with further rising. It also cures the problem of where to safely put the breads, before they go into the oven.
    Thanks again for your advice.

  39. Thank you so much, I hope you like it!
    And yes, cold starts are brilliant, and so unexpected ☺️☺️☺️ I never do anything else now 👍🏻👍🏻

  40. Thanks for an excellent recipe! I’ve made one ‘normal’ (i.e. followed your recipe exactly) and it was so succesful I decided to go slightly off-piste for my second one by adding a bit of sugar and then turning it into a cinnamon swirl cake – so light and fluffy and gorgeous! I’ve never tried doing any sweet sourdough bakes before so this was a revelation. However – have you any idea how much extra exercise I’m going to have to do to make up for all the extra cakes I’ll be making (and eating)? It’s a hard life. 😉

  41. 😄😄😄 sorry! 🤣🤣
    I’m so glad you like it 🙏🏻🙏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

  42. Goodness! I left my lovely enriched dough to prove overnight (I’ve never done an overnight prove before) and I didn’t rush to get out of bed early this morning as, based on the notes, I was expecting to have to give this “slow” dough another 2-3 hours.but the dough had risen to almost fill the bowl. I’ve managed to coax it into my lined DO and assume it now needs to rise again on the counter. Fingers crossed it’s not overprooved!

  45. Delighted with the outcome! It looks amazing and it was a fiddle to make. Can’t wait for it to cool so I can taste it. Thank you so much.

  47. I’ve been trying many sourdough bread recipes this year with some success but always looking for better ways to improve. I came across your site and I am intrigued by your methods and plan to try them. Are these recipes all in your book? And how do I get your book? I’ve been using spelt and Kamut flour for years but what is SWBF flour? I have a lot to learn. Thanks for your patience.

  48. Hi, thank you for your message, my book has versions of some of the recipes on my site plus new ones, but not the enriched recipe, that’s a recent addition.
    You can find my book here https://foodbodsourdough.com/my-book/
    SWBF is strong white bread flour.
    Have fun! I hope you like everything

  49. Thank you for your quick response. Looking forward to some great sourdough!

  51. Iam going to try this Sunday to create the enriched sourdough loaf. I want to try it in the morning as soon my leaven is ready, let it proof unil i go to bed. Then shape into balls ,i have a round cake tin pan. But i will try to let it rise overnignt in fridge and bake it Monday morning before i go to work. Its difficult when you work every day to find the good timing.
    Wish me luck

  53. Hi, your blog is just amazing 🙂

    I want to try this enriched dough but in India we do not have easy access to strong bread flour. Would it be possible to use regular all purpose flour with some other adjustments to get the gorgeous crumb like you have here?

    Much thanks, Namrata

  54. Hi, thank you. All purpose flour will be fine, no adjustments needed 👍🏻👍🏻

  57. Hi, I’m very new to baking and please excuse my naiveness, but what is starter??? Thank you.

    Feih.

  59. Everything baked as directed and I had a bread with good loft. Overnight rise; 4 hours on counter after shaping in six balls. I took the bread out of the oven to cool but got distracted and didn’t remove it immediately from the cast iron pot. When I went back to it five minutes later, the bread collapsed in. What did I do wrong?

  60. I can only guess that it wasn’t sufficiently cooked or that the time leaving it sitting and steaming in the hot pan wasn’t conducive…

  61. Just made this I left on the counter all afternoon and all evening and it had doubled in size – I made the light version and is was lovely, really soft and light and still had a sour tang, thank you

  63. “🌟 It keeps well for a week if wrapped well. ” Not in my house. I’m going to try it this week but most SD loaves only last about six hours before they are gone.

  67. Not all – my Rayburn is ‘controllable’ but I am not sure how long it would take to get to temperature.

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  74. If you follow the link to my enriched blog you’ll find answers there 👍🏻

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  79. Did anyone try a cinnamon roll recipe? I don’t know if I would make into the rolls late and leave overnight ready and rolled, or roll them out in the morning….?

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  83. In your enriched foodbod master recipe sourdough… when you write “Bake, uncovered, from a cold start” do you mean that the oven is not at all pre-heated? I have never heard of a cold start, I am intrigued and I am looking forwarding to attempting this recipe tomorrow
    Thank you Ailish

  85. Thank you so much for this recipe, like many I tackled sourdough during lockdown. Lovely as it is there’s just the two of us and we couldn’t eat a whole loaf quickly enough. Your enriched recipe is a game changer. I adapted the recipe to half and half whole meal and white and added sunflower and pumpkin seeds. This is our absolute favourite loaf.

  86. That’s great news, thank you so much 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

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