In the sixties, ‘fast bread’ was invented in the UK town of Chorleywood. This soft, gluey sliced stuff in a plastic bag is what I like to call ‘white death’ – a science experiment designed to last a week on the shelf that replaced the slow-proved bread made from natural yeast we know as sourdough. It contains more than 20 ingredients, including low-protein flour, commercial yeast, preservatives, sugars and enzymes labelled ‘improvers’. The shorter fermentation process in mass-produced white sliced bread is not long enough for the bacteria to work on potentially harmful substances.

As a parent, I’ve had many lunchboxes returned full because their contents stood out against square sandwiches and processed cheese sticks. My lunchbox loaf may look like the packaged variety, but it has only three ingredients. You can make your own starter, or use store-bought from Kitchen by Mike or an artisan bakery.

Mike’s sourdough tips

• Use flour with a gluten level of 11-11.5 per cent. If higher, substitute a little with all-purpose plain flour.
• Look for flour with ‘stone ground’, ‘unbleached’ and ‘organic’ on the label. Don’t buy bread mix.
• Throughout the mixing and proving process, keep the dough under 25°C or the starter will spoil.
• To feed the starter, remove from the fridge and set aside at room temperature for 2 hours. Discard half the starter, then feed with the equivalent quantity of flour and water (for example, if you remove 300g starter, you need to feed with 300g flour and 300ml water). Seal in a sterilised 1L glass jar and stand at room temperature (25°C or below) for 2 hours or until it starts to bubble and increase in volume. Chill for at least 12 hours.
• Sourdough likes routine, so feed it at the same time each day and you’ll find your bread will be consistent.
• Any remaining starter can be frozen for up to 3 months. Bring it back to life by feeding it over a couple of days, starting at day three of the process until active and bubbly again.
• The loaf is cooked when a kitchen thermometer inserted into the centre reaches over 96°C.

To replicate Mike’s famous sourdough recipes click here.

Looking for even more bread recipes? Be sure to check out our best ever bread recipe collection right here.