After a couple of false starts I have finally managed to make my first sourdough bread. For a long time now I’ve wanted to make my very own sourdough but have always been put off, primarily by the time it takes but also by the volumes of information on how to do it. Now normally I wouldn’t complain about ‘too much information’ as the more there is the easier something is to do, however in the case of sourdough I’m not sure that’s true.
My first attempt a couple of weeks back was a complete disaster even though I thought I had followed the instructions to the letter. The trouble is that there are just so many differing views on the subject and although in the end they are all basically the same they are not always explained easily for those of us with little brains!
So I’m going to add to the confusion by putting yet another view/explanation out there for all to see, hopefully one that might just make it a bit simpler. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not an expert and my attempts are by no means perfect, but they are edible, tasty and in most respects they have the feel, texture and taste of any other sourdough that I have had.
To cut to the chase and to put things in the simplest possible way here is what you need to create a sourdough starter, which is simply the replacement for the yeast that you would otherwise use to rise the bread:
- A jar
- Flour
- Water
- Patience
That’s it, nothing more, nothing less! You simply take equal parts flour & water, mix them together, leave them in a warmish place for a day or so and then do it again. You keep doing it until you have enough of the starter to bake a loaf and if you’ve done it for long enough you might have enough left over to continue feeding the starter. That’s all well and good I hear you say, but what are the quantities, what flour do I use, how much patience?
Well, from what I have been able to glean it all really depends on who you believe, which books you’ve read, how you word your Google search, because no tow ever appear to be quite the same!
I started by reading ‘Bread Matters‘ by Andrew Whitley which provided various ways to make the starter. My first attempt was with Spelt flour (basically because that’s what I had in the store cupboard at the time), unfortunately it was an abject failure. Why was it a failure, well firstly a lack of patience I think and secondly I probably tried to make too large a loaf! This attempt produced a loaf that was over baked on the outside but under baked and dense on the inside.
For my second attempt I bought a bag of Rye flour, which, according to most people, is the best and easiest flour to use for a sourdough starter. I did some Goggling and came up with this site and more or less used the instructions there, but needless to say I didn’t follow them religiously. After about a week I used the starter, yes I used all of it, which produced 2 small round loaves.
Sourdough Starter
- 50gr Rye Flour
- 50gr Tepid Water (warm water, not too hot)
Mix the two ingredients together in a jar and leave in a relatively warm place, I use the airing cupboard, for at least twenty-four hours and then do the same again. If you keep repeating the process for a week or so you should have a fairly viable starter. You can tell that the process is working as the starter will be increasing in size day by day, it may also kind of bubble and it will definitely have a sourly , fermenting type of smell. Some recipes suggest throwing a portion of the starter away after a few days as otherwise you end up with too much, I didn’t I just carried on feeding, I also didn’t feed every day or at the same time. I’m not convinced that any of it is that critical.
The mixture starts off as a sort of sticky dough but gradually changes texture and consistency as the time goes on. I only did my starter for a week and then used it to make my two small loaves, this next one I will leave for quite a while longer before I use it, mainly because I would like to have some left over so that I don’t always have to start from scratch.
I think one of the reasons that it all seems so complicated is that there is always lots of writing and instruction but seldom any pictures, well that’s about to change as I aim to do a number of posts showing the growth of my new starter. I’ll try and do it on a daily basis but I won’t promise!
Sourdough Bread
So what about the actual bread then? Well that was relatively simple really and for a change I did it all by hand.
- 500gr Bread Flour
- 300gr Sourdough Starter
- 250ml Tepid Water
- 10gr Brown Sugar
- 10gr Sea Salt
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and set aside to rise for several hours, normally if I’m doing a standard yeast loaf I would let it rise for about an hour but sourdough acts much, much more slowly.
I then knocked the dough back, re-kneeded it, split it into two small round loafs, placed each one in a floured tea towel in a bowl and left them to rise for another few hours (about 3-4 hours). Needless to say they didn’t look as though they had risen much at all, never the less I put them in the oven at about 220C for 35-40 minuets and to my utter surprise they actually rose and came out quite nice. I put a bowl of water in the bottom of the oven which produced steam, which in turn produced a very crisp crust.
For a first attempt, I’m completely ignoring the first catastrophe, the results aren’t bad at all. I’ve only got photos of the end result so far but I will try and do another post showing the production process once the next starter is ready.
The 2 loafs straight out of the oven
The inside after breakfast
I have never seen brown sugar or sea salt go into a sourdough starter before. The interior of your bread looks very different from any other I have seen too. Yours looks more reminiscent of an Italian Ciabatta bread or French loaf.
I love how you added “patience” as an ingredient. You are right-but I never thought of listing it quite that way. 🙂
One thing you succeeded in doing is INSPIRING ME TO MAKE SOME SOURDOUGH ON THIS END IN CA.
I am in the process of moving and I am not sure what I would do with the starter. A great book on Sourdough bread making is by Rita Davenport called “The Sourdough Cook Book” if you can find it anywhere. I am not sure if they still print it, but it is by HP Books located in Tucson, AZ. If you like making sourdough breads, this one is incredible. Features all kinds of starters and shows uses for the starter in everything from quick breads to cookies etc.
It is just a good book. I didn’t write it. I am writing one now about mind/body/spirit things and motivational topics.
I found your web site by searching for recipes on the Reader on Word Press here.
Paulette Le Pore Motzko
http://www.CookingUpaStormWithMissPolly.com
http://www.CookingUpaStorminCA.ning.com
If you ever want to be a Contributing Writer on the site, just let me know!
http://www.PhotosThatInspireWords.wordpress.com
That one would be great for some of your amazing shots
http://www.TotallyInspiredPC.wordpress.com
Thanks for the kind words Paulette.
I prefer to use sea salt rather than ‘slug’ salt and brown sugar as they are more natural, in my opinion anyway! I sometimes use honey in my baking which also works well.
It sounds really great and I will try it. You are so funny calling it “slug salt”. God knows I remember my dad pouring it on the things when we had a problem with it in the ivy at our first house in CA!! Horrified me when I saw the outcome! 😦
Paulette Motzko
I have only begun to look at your wonderful web site and the amazing amount of time you put into each article you write. You are pretty amazing!
Yep, it is good for killing slugs but to make them die happy it is much better to burry a yogurt tub filled with beer, they love it!
Anything has got to me more human than the first!
You could make a horror flick out of the other.
I am really happy you and I know one another. I pray to meet people like you: talented, funny, intelligent and care about the world, kids, people and animals.
Paulette Le Pore Motzko
You can call me Polly for short if you like.