Did you make sourdough bread in lockdown? You’re not alone. Bakers (and would-be bakers) up and down the country slapped on their pinnies during the Covid crisis, turning to the soporific, soothing nature of bread-making to find calm and mindfulness.
Some have continued to turn out loaves week-on-week, having fostered a newfound love for baking. Others...well, let’s just say there are probably hundreds of jars of sourdough starter sitting in fridges and cupboards from Cornwall to Caister.
As we near the end of Sourdough September, now’s the time to really embrace bread making again. And to indulge in remembering just how good ‘real’ bread (made with little more than flour, water and time) can taste.
Siding, a destination bakery and kitchen in Melton Constable is part of the Real Bread Campaign – and just one of dozens of slow dough bakeries in Norfolk where you can get your hands on the good stuff.
Originally operating as a railway siding from 1882 to 1964, the huge, whitewashed brick building has since been a factory and builder’s store – today operating as a bakery and kitchen dosing out fresh sourdough, coffee, small plates, fresh pasta and rotisserie chicken (look out for their sharing Sunday lunches).
Former head chef and partner at the award-winning Anchor Inn, Morston, Harry Farrow runs the kitchen/restaurant and his partner Polly, who heads up the baking side of the operation, creating delicious bread and pastries from stoneground flour made with wheat grown at nearby New Barn Farm, Blakeney. As well homemade pasta, sauces and a variety of breads – from sourdough and wholemeal to oat porridge loaves, golden croissants and orange and sugar dusted cinnamon buns - budding bakers can pop in to buy a jar of sourdough starter, as well as a pack of Siding’s own Norfolk-grown flour.
The Siding kitchen has a concise, confident and exciting menu inspired by local, seasonal produce - only using ingredients readily available from regional suppliers. “Everything comes straight from the producer; chicken straight from the farm, fish from the fisherman, and the veg from Salle,” says Harry. “It’s really nice being able to work directly with producers and having a small menu dictated by what they’ve got, rather than what you need to supply your customer.”
It’s been crucial for Siding to continue sourcing ingredients responsibly. Their timing is spot on. Post lockdown, lifestyles have shifted consumer desires towards more conscientious spending; that goes for eating out as well. We don’t want to spend a fortune and we want to feel good about buying for the everyday as well as occasion food.
The vaulted ceiling and long wooden tables in Siding give the space a stylish continental ambience. In summer, when the doors are flung open and the seductive smells of the kitchen waft out towards the Norfolk fields beyond, you’d be forgiven for momentarily dreaming you’re in the Provencal countryside. It’s enough to sit at the high concrete bar with a cold glass of prosecco and some kalamata olives.
The kitchen’s small plates are mouth-watering. Fava bean ‘panisse’ chips and aioli (£4) is as delicious and moreish as it sounds, the aioli buttery and the fava bean chips being pleasingly crispy on the outside and soft inside. Egg tagliatelle with Cromer crab, shallot, caper parmesan (£16) is tangy and herby with a generous amount of crab. Rotisserie chicken with dripping potatoes and aioli sounds positively finger-licking, and the perfect lunch for a lazy Sunday with the family.
The bakery and kitchen is open from Wednesday to Saturday from 9am, with lunch at 12noon to 3pm and dinner from 6pm to 8.30pm (not Saturdays). There are lots of events coming up, including a Greek Wine Night with Maria Mout on October 15. Find out more at sidingyard.co.uk
Siding’s top 5 tips for making great sourdough
Use an active starter: Make sure your sourdough starter is good and active before you start. You want to be able to see the air bubbles in it, and if you put a small amount in a cup of water it should float.
Add water slowly: Add your water in stages. If you’re making a high hydration loaf, build up the strength in your dough with about 65% of the water before slowly adding in the rest.
Get the right temperature: Temperature is your biggest tool with controlling the fermentation in your dough. Get a thermometer and aim for the bulk fermentation of the dough to be at about 25C. Cold dough will take forever to ferment, and you’ll likely end up with a heavy loaf and a very thick crust, and overly warm dough will become sticky and taste very sour.
Cleaning tips: If you do get your hands in a sticky mess, grab a pinch of flour and rub between your hands over the bin. It cleans them off nicely and avoids blocking up your sink!
Buy quality flour: Choose some interesting flour. Try and buy something untreated and freshly milled if possible. You can blend different flours together to see the effect they have on the bread. It is the main ingredient so caring about where the flour comes from will make a more meaningful loaf and ultimately it will taste better too!
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