Baker Martin Read gives us the lowdown on making sourdough.

<p>If baking is a science, Martin Read is a pretty accomplished scientist. We talk to him about his life’s work at the ovens and how he came up with the recipes for our recently launched <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/product/extra-special-bread-rolls/asda-extra-special-seeded-sourdough-boule-600-g/1000383189155?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=article_sourdough-meet-the-tastemakers&utm_campaign=Good-Living" target="_blank">Sourdough Boules</a>.&nbsp;</p>
<p>‘My history with baking goes back – way back!’ says Martin Read with a slight chuckle, pushing his glasses up his nose. The New Product Development (NPD) technologist for centuries-old bakery Nicholas and Harris has been in the game for decades, but his connection to the industry was forged long before.&nbsp;</p>
<p>‘My grandfather started a bakery in Somerset almost 100 years ago. Eventually, my uncle took over and then when my father left the Navy, he and my mother – who were already running a restaurant and hotel – decided to take on a part of the business too. That was in 1975.&nbsp;</p>
<p>‘Two years later, when I was just turning 21, I finished my chef apprenticeship and joined the bakery, which we ran for 15 years. That’s where I learned the trade. And I’ve been in the business ever since – it’s in my blood.’</p>
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<h2>It's all in the preparation</h2>
<p>Nowadays, Martin spends his working days dreaming up recipes, creating exciting new products and turning customers’ briefs into flour-based reality. It’s challenging work and calls on his decades of bakery knowledge and skill – not to mention a smidgen of crystal ball gazing. The team needs to work long in advance, predicting what customers are going to want more than a year ahead of time. (Hot cross buns for spring 2024 are already in the making, you know – we doubt even the Easter bunny is working that far ahead.)</p>
<p>It was Martin who created <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/product/extra-special-bread-rolls/asda-extra-special-white-sourdough/1000371054755?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=article_sourdough-meet-the-tastemakers&utm_campaign=Good-Living" target="_blank">Asda’s Extra Special Sourdough</a> Boules that launched last autumn. They’re the result of weeks of experimentation and testing and are great examples of traditional loaves being made with modern methods.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Sourdough (yes indeed: the stuff of 2020 lockdown fame) is the oldest form of leavened bread, dating back thousands of years. It all starts with just two ingredients: flour and water. They’re mixed and left to ferment, eventually forming a bubbly, glossy substance called a starter or levain.&nbsp;</p>
<p>During fermentation, microorganisms break down the starches (stick with us, we’ll give you the short version) in the mixture, creating gas – and this gas is exactly the oomph the dough needs to rise in the oven and develop that lovely fluffy texture.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Using a starter negates the need for baker’s yeast, which is probably the reason – along with all the spare time everyone suddenly had on their hands – why snaps of homemade sourdoughs were clogging our social media feeds three years ago.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Starters can be kept indefinitely – they just need to be fed with flour and water to give those microorganisms a good base to feed off. The older a starter gets, the more its flavour develops.&nbsp;</p>
<p>‘The starter that we use for Asda’s Extra Special loaves is six years old – but we have others that have been going strong for more than 30,’ says Martin. ‘All told, we keep around three tonnes of starter active, feeding it daily – including Christmas Day – with organic flour from the Cotswolds.&nbsp;</p>
<p>‘Sourdough is so simple in terms of ingredients – it’s time that’s the most important element. The <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/product/extra-special-bread-rolls/asda-extra-special-white-sourdough/1000371054755?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=article_sourdough-meet-the-tastemakers&utm_campaign=Good-Living" target="_blank">Extra Special Sourdough</a> Boules take almost 24 hours to make – and I love the whole process.’</p>
<p>The dough is mixed in a large machine (you’d need Herculean upper body strength to mix this much by hand) before being laid out on trays. The bakers turn and fold it over the next three to five hours, which strengthens the gluten and encourages that lovely open, bubbly texture, as well as encourages the flavour to develop. Then the dough is divided into loaves and left to rest in proving baskets for another hour before being baked for 45 minutes.</p>
<p>‘We make three different versions of these 1kg loaves,’ explains Martin. ‘White, Ancient Grain, and Spelt and Rye. Each has a different flavour and is great served in different ways.&nbsp;</p>
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<h2>Different grains</h2>
<p>‘The dough for the Ancient Grain contains red and white quinoa, spelt flakes, barley flakes, oat flakes and buckwheat flour, and we roll it in quinoa before baking for a crunchy topping. All of that not only gives a wonderful deep flavour but also injects fibre and wholegrains to up its nutritional value. Those ingredients also make the finished bread denser than the white loaf – and it’s a similar story for the Spelt and Rye.</p>
<p>‘All three are perfect for different eating occasions,’ says Martin diplomatically when we prod him for a favourite. ‘I like the Spelt and Rye and the Ancient Grain just with butter, or they’re great served with cheese. The white makes really good toast and is perfect for sandwiches because it has that lighter, more open structure.’&nbsp;</p>
<p>As we geek out about bread with Martin, we think about how little most of us know about the work that goes into perfecting a product before it makes it into our trolleys. It’s often not a short process.&nbsp;</p>
<p>‘I get things wrong more than I get them right!’ laughs Martin. ‘I’m an optimist and find it hard just to drop a recipe and change tack if it’s not getting to where it needs to be. I wouldn’t say I’m stubborn, but I do hate to let good ideas go!&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>‘When it all comes together, though, when I get it right, there’s just no feeling like it.'</p>
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<h2>Feeling inspired by our Tastemakers story?</h2>
<p>Try using our <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/product/extra-special-bread-rolls/asda-extra-special-white-sourdough/1000371054755?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=article_sourdough-meet-the-tastemakers&utm_campaign=Good-Living" target="_blank">Asda Extra Special Sourdough</a> in these irresistable recipes:</p>

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<a href="https://www.asda.com/good-living/recipe/pecan-treacle-tart?recipe_id=5fad09b2-4fb6-11eb-89e8-77e3415d353e"><img src="https://ui.assets-asda.com/dm/asdagroceries/5fad09b2-4fb6-11eb-89e8-77e3415d353e_Square"></a>
<h3><a href="https://www.asda.com/good-living/recipe/pecan-treacle-tart?recipe_id=5fad09b2-4fb6-11eb-89e8-77e3415d353e" target="_blank">Pecan Treacle Tart</a></h3>
<center><p>1 hr 15 mins | £0.67pp | Serves 12</p></center>
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<a href="https://www.asda.com/good-living/recipe/bread-sauce-boule?recipe_id=3c9f4706-1b10-11eb-a9fa-1115c62eb4ae"><img src="https://ui.assets-asda.com/dm/asdagroceries/3c9f4706-1b10-11eb-a9fa-1115c62eb4ae_Square"></a>
<h3><a href="https://www.asda.com/good-living/recipe/bread-sauce-boule?recipe_id=3c9f4706-1b10-11eb-a9fa-1115c62eb4ae" target="_blank">Bread Sauce Boule</a></h3>
<center><p>30 mins | £0.33pp | Serves 8</p></center>
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<a href="https://www.asda.com/good-living/recipe/caramelised-sourdough-and-raspberry-no-churn-ice-cream?recipe_id=5fad09b3-4fb6-11eb-89e8-c9b2011d497a"><img src="https://ui.assets-asda.com/dm/asdagroceries/5fad09b3-4fb6-11eb-89e8-c9b2011d497a_Square"></a>
<h3><a href="https://www.asda.com/good-living/recipe/caramelised-sourdough-and-raspberry-no-churn-ice-cream?recipe_id=5fad09b3-4fb6-11eb-89e8-c9b2011d497a" target="_blank">Caramelised Sourdough & Raspberry No-Churn Ice Cream</a></h3>
<center><p>20 mins | £0.21pp | Serves 10</p></center>
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<p>Make sure to stock up on everything you need at <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=article_sourdough-meet-the-tastemakers&utm_campaign=Good-Living" target="_blank">Asda</a> or pop into <a href="https://storelocator.asda.com/" target="_blank">your local store</a>.</p>

Sourdough - Meet the Tastemakers

By Asda Good Living,1st February 2023

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