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I was very intimidated by sourdough for a long time. But I have realized that there are multiple ways to do it, and although, you might need a few practice runs, once you get the hang of it and realize there is wiggle room, you can just modify it to fit into your schedule.
I personally just love the taste of sourdough, but the fermentation process also creates beneficial bacteria and enzymes that break down gluten into amino acids. If you are interested in diving into the world of making your own bread, sourdough is awesome!
Supplies
(you may have to plan ahead for)
Sourdough starter
In my opinion, the best way to get a starter is to find a friend with one and get a couple of Tablespoons from them. If you don’t know anyone with a starter, you can buy a Sourdough Starter Culture. Or get a freeze dried starter from somewhere like Ballerina Farm.
You do need to plan ahead, because you will have to feed your starter the night before you plan to make sourdough. My starter’s name is Doughbert. You can keep your starter in something simple like a quart sized glass jar. I have a very nice little starter kit that I really like. It came with the glass jar and a few extras that I use.
Feeding your starter is as easy as mixing equal parts flour and water and adding in a Tablespoon or two of your previous batch of starter. I usually do 200g of flour and 200g of water, mix it all up and leave it overnight. You will know that it is ready because it will float in water.
If I’m starting the process in the morning, and want bread for dinner that night, I will use my friend Hannah’s recipe. She uses a little yeast to give her sourdough a boost.
Hannah’s Recipe
Ingredients:
646 grams water
388 grams Starter
1175 grams flour
36 grams Salt
3 grams yeast
Step 1: Mix water and starter first. Then add flour, salt and yeast. When it is well mixed, hand knead for 8 minutes.
Step 2: Rest in a bowl in a warm environment for 30 minutes, then stretch and fold your dough before resting for another 30 minutes.
Step 3: Divide into 2 loaves, shape, and place in loaf pans. Let rise until it is 2 inches above the pan.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F for 45 minutes.
Alternate Recipe: (If you can leave it overnight)
I follow the same recipe, but without adding the yeast, and when I have completed Step 2, I pop the dough(in its bowl) into the fridge overnight.
In the morning, I cut the dough in half, shape into two round loaves and put them into baskets(Bottom side up) to rise for about 2 hours in a warm environment. I put mine in front of our wood stove.
Preheat the oven(with your Dutch oven inside) about 30 minutes before baking to 500 degrees.
Dump the round loaf out of the basket onto a piece of parchment paper(it is now right side up) and lift the loaf into the (now very hot) Dutch oven using the corners of the parchment paper.
Reduce oven temperature to 475 degrees F and bake for 20 minutes with lid on.
Remove lid and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
Every time I bake Sourdough, I make little adjustments, pull from different recipes, and adjust it to fit my life and my schedule. I think every family could end up with their own Sourdough recipe as they adapt it to their tastes and routine. Someday, maybe I will share a recipe with you that I feel I can call my own.
