Why our sourdough takes three days

People ask why we do not just bake bread in a day. The short answer is flavour; the long answer is below.

Day one: mix

At four in the afternoon we feed Mabel and mix the dough. It rests, and we fold it four times over the evening.

In the morning every loaf is shaped by hand and put in a basket in the cold room. The long, cold rise is where the taste comes from.

At five the ovens go on and the loaves go in, straight from the cold. By seven they are on the shelf, still crackling.