Sourdough
In the Spring of 2020 when we were in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, I was staying at my cabin out of town. During that time, I took pleasure in advancing my sourdough skills. It can be a lifelong passion and the learning is endless. I have laid out what I know here. Although, I have a lot of cooking and baking experience, I am only 12 weeks into this, so take everything with a big Italian pinch of salt. There are many resources online, so see where the journey takes you and feel free to go a different direction. Let me know if you think I should do things differently!
I hope this helps you in some modest way.
Sourdough bread takes some practice, patience and discipline. Having said that it can be forgiving. A lively starter is key. My son in law gave me some. If you have a cast iron Dutch oven, great! If not, a pizza stone or two baking sheets stacked upside down will work great. A kitchen scale is a wonderful tool, but in case you can't get one at this time, I have written some volume measurements. If you take this hobby up, you will want to get a scale.
1 big loaf - Recipe by weight
425 grams white unbleached flour
75 grams whole wheat flour
325 grams water (ideally 85 degrees)
75 grams ripe starter (more on that later)
10 grams salt
50 grams water(2nd measure)
1 big loaf - Recipe by volume
3 cups white unbleached flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
325 ml water(ideally 85 degrees)
1/2 cup ripe starter(stirred down)
2 1/2 tsp salt
50 ml water(2nd measure)
2 big loaves - Recipe by weight
850 grams white unbleached flour
150 grams whole wheat or rye flour
650 ml water (ideally 85 degrees)
150 grams freshly fed ripe starter (more on that later)
20 grams salt
100 grams water(2nd measure)
2 big loaves - Recipe by volume
6 cups white unbleached flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
650 ml water (ideally 85 degrees)
1 cup ripe starter (stirred down)
5 tsp salt
100 ml water(2nd measure)
Day 1 (after re-starting the dry starter if that's the story)
Step 1 - feeding the starter
7:00 or 8:00 a.m.
Discard all but 1/2 cup of the starter. (Or make crumpets with the discard, see below.)
Weigh your remaining cup of starter. Feed it that amount of water and flour.
Example: If your starter weighs 125. Add 125 grams of flour and 125 grams of water. Use 85 degree water. Stir it until it is smooth. Leave it in a warm place. It should double in size in a few hours. It should rise up and be puffy, but should be used before it collapses.
By volume; Discard all but 1/2 cup of the starter. (Or make crumpets with the discard, see below.). Add 3/8 cup flour and 1/4 cup water. Use 85 degree water. Stir it until it is smooth. Leave it in a warm place. It should double in size in a few hours. It should rise up and be puffy, but should be used before it collapses.
It should double in about 4 to 6 hours.
Do a float test. Put a spoonful of the starter in a jar of cold water, it should float.
Step 2 - Mixing the flour and water
9:00 a.m. (Or a time of your choosing, but keep in mind you need a 7 or 8 hour window on day 1)
Mix the 2 kinds of flour and the first measure of water in a large bowl. Mix with a spoon or your hand for about 2 minutes. It will be lumpy. Scrape down the sides of your bowl. Mix a bit more, try to have no dry flour showing. Slip the bowl into a plastic bag, I use a white kitchen catcher. This is your autolyse. This makes you very fancy. You get extra points if you can pronounce it properly. Leave it for approximately 3 hours at room temperature. If your room is cool, you may need to add some warmth.
I hope this helps you in some modest way.
Sourdough bread takes some practice, patience and discipline. Having said that it can be forgiving. A lively starter is key. My son in law gave me some. If you have a cast iron Dutch oven, great! If not, a pizza stone or two baking sheets stacked upside down will work great. A kitchen scale is a wonderful tool, but in case you can't get one at this time, I have written some volume measurements. If you take this hobby up, you will want to get a scale.
1 big loaf - Recipe by weight
425 grams white unbleached flour
75 grams whole wheat flour
325 grams water (ideally 85 degrees)
75 grams ripe starter (more on that later)
10 grams salt
50 grams water(2nd measure)
1 big loaf - Recipe by volume
3 cups white unbleached flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
325 ml water(ideally 85 degrees)
1/2 cup ripe starter(stirred down)
2 1/2 tsp salt
50 ml water(2nd measure)
2 big loaves - Recipe by weight
850 grams white unbleached flour
150 grams whole wheat or rye flour
650 ml water (ideally 85 degrees)
150 grams freshly fed ripe starter (more on that later)
20 grams salt
100 grams water(2nd measure)
2 big loaves - Recipe by volume
6 cups white unbleached flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
650 ml water (ideally 85 degrees)
1 cup ripe starter (stirred down)
5 tsp salt
100 ml water(2nd measure)
Day 1 (after re-starting the dry starter if that's the story)
Step 1 - feeding the starter
7:00 or 8:00 a.m.
Discard all but 1/2 cup of the starter. (Or make crumpets with the discard, see below.)
Weigh your remaining cup of starter. Feed it that amount of water and flour.
Example: If your starter weighs 125. Add 125 grams of flour and 125 grams of water. Use 85 degree water. Stir it until it is smooth. Leave it in a warm place. It should double in size in a few hours. It should rise up and be puffy, but should be used before it collapses.
By volume; Discard all but 1/2 cup of the starter. (Or make crumpets with the discard, see below.). Add 3/8 cup flour and 1/4 cup water. Use 85 degree water. Stir it until it is smooth. Leave it in a warm place. It should double in size in a few hours. It should rise up and be puffy, but should be used before it collapses.
It should double in about 4 to 6 hours.
Do a float test. Put a spoonful of the starter in a jar of cold water, it should float.
Step 2 - Mixing the flour and water
9:00 a.m. (Or a time of your choosing, but keep in mind you need a 7 or 8 hour window on day 1)
Mix the 2 kinds of flour and the first measure of water in a large bowl. Mix with a spoon or your hand for about 2 minutes. It will be lumpy. Scrape down the sides of your bowl. Mix a bit more, try to have no dry flour showing. Slip the bowl into a plastic bag, I use a white kitchen catcher. This is your autolyse. This makes you very fancy. You get extra points if you can pronounce it properly. Leave it for approximately 3 hours at room temperature. If your room is cool, you may need to add some warmth.
Step 3 - Adding the rest of the ingredients
12:00 o'clock.(3 hours later)
Measure out the starter, salt and 2nd measure of water.
Have a little bowl of water close at hand. Dip your hand in the water and shake off excess. Add the starter, water and salt to the autolyse. Mix by squeezing and breaking up the dough. At first, it will be very uncooperative, rather a shaggy mess.
Keep going. It will start to come together in 5 or 6 minutes.
Very active starter is key to good oven spring.
Step 4 - Fold and stretch:
After 30 minutes or so , stretch and fold the dough as shown in the video. Lift the dough up from the far side, stretch it up and towards you, fold it flat. Best seen in the video. Do this around 12 times each time.
Do this 3 times, then leave to rest 2 hours somewhere a little warm.
Rice Flour(helps to coat the loaf):
I make rice flour in my little coffee grinder. (I discard the first coffee scented bit) Rice flour seems to work better for me, but some people just work with regular flour, semolina or cornmeal.
Step 5 - Shaping the loaves:
Shape the loaves, smother heavily with rice flour, cornmeal or semolina and place upside down in a cloth lined bowl. (Dust the cloth heavily with rice flour). If you are lucky enough to have a fancy banneton, that is marvellous. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
Day 2 - Get up and get ready to bake! Place your Dutch oven, pizza stone or two cookie sheets stacked upside down in the cold oven. Turn oven on to 500 degrees.
Baking the loaf
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees for 1 hour.
Slip the loaf into the Dutch oven(watch the video). Place the lid on the Dutch oven. Set a timer for 25 minutes.
Remove the lid after 25 minutes. Turn oven down to 450 degrees.
Bake an additional 15 to 25 minutes or so, depending on how charred and crusty you like it. The loaf should sound hollow when you knock on the bottom.
Eating the loaf
Resist the temptation to eat the loaf warm. Wait two or better yet three hours before cutting in the loaf with your bread knife. Have lots of fresh butter standing by.
It freezes very very well. Slice before freezing. It make wonderful toast.
Resist the temptation to eat the loaf warm. Wait two or better yet three hours before cutting in the loaf with your bread knife. Have lots of fresh butter standing by.
It freezes very very well. Slice before freezing. It make wonderful toast.
Getting Starter
How to find sourdough: ask around, ask online, one of your neighbours probably has some. Maybe you will make a new friend. We always end up with too much starter. I make sourdough crumpets with the extra. Also, I dry it out and can send you some in the mail if you need it. Just send me a self addressed envelope with 2 stamps to 66633 Summer Road, Hope, BC, V0X 1L1.
Sending sourdough to friends
Dry out about 120 grams of fresh starter on a 13 by 18 inch cookie sheet using parchment or a silicone pad. It will dry out in about 24 hours. Put it in a paper bag, crush it with a rolling pin and put it in a little Zip-lock bag. Put it in an envelope with 2 stamps. Send it to your friend along with the instructions: (See below)
Dry out about 120 grams of fresh starter on a 13 by 18 inch cookie sheet using parchment or a silicone pad. It will dry out in about 24 hours. Put it in a paper bag, crush it with a rolling pin and put it in a little Zip-lock bag. Put it in an envelope with 2 stamps. Send it to your friend along with the instructions: (See below)
Here are the instructions to rehydrate the dry starter:
Step 1. Place half the sourdough flakes (25 to 30 grams) in a tall wide mouth jar or bowl. Add 60 grams of water at 90 degrees (1/4 cup). Put it somewhere warm. Above the fridge? You can set it in a bowl of warm water and keep covered.
Step 2. 4 hours later, stir it up, break up any pieces remaining. Add 30 grams of flour ( scant 1/4 cup). Stir. Cover and leave overnight.
Step 3. The next morning, add 60 grams of water (1/4 cup) and 60 grams ( rounded 1/3 cup) of flour.
Step 4. 5 or 6 hours later, add 60 grams of water(1/4cup) and 60 grams ( rounded 1/3 cup) of flour. Cover and leave overnight.
Let's hope it is getting bubbly and ready to go. It may take one more feeding to get it really lively.
The next morning we will see....
Below is my granddaughter Cassidy doing a demo.
Camera and direction by Annabelle. Set decoration by Cassidy and Annabelle.
Step 1. Place half the sourdough flakes (25 to 30 grams) in a tall wide mouth jar or bowl. Add 60 grams of water at 90 degrees (1/4 cup). Put it somewhere warm. Above the fridge? You can set it in a bowl of warm water and keep covered.
Step 2. 4 hours later, stir it up, break up any pieces remaining. Add 30 grams of flour ( scant 1/4 cup). Stir. Cover and leave overnight.
Step 3. The next morning, add 60 grams of water (1/4 cup) and 60 grams ( rounded 1/3 cup) of flour.
Step 4. 5 or 6 hours later, add 60 grams of water(1/4cup) and 60 grams ( rounded 1/3 cup) of flour. Cover and leave overnight.
Let's hope it is getting bubbly and ready to go. It may take one more feeding to get it really lively.
The next morning we will see....
Below is my granddaughter Cassidy doing a demo.
Camera and direction by Annabelle. Set decoration by Cassidy and Annabelle.
Naming your sourdough starter and keeping it lively.
I name my canoes and I am told it is important to name your starter, so I named mine. Sophia. That name works for mine. I am working here to develop my thinking and coaching to help you have a lively starter. A lively starter is key. More to come...
I name my canoes and I am told it is important to name your starter, so I named mine. Sophia. That name works for mine. I am working here to develop my thinking and coaching to help you have a lively starter. A lively starter is key. More to come...
Make sourdough crumpets
Yield: 3, maybe 4
You will end up with excess starter. Most people throw it away. In these times, I refuse to throw away any scrap of food. So lately, every few days we have warm crumpets with butter and jam. I never hear even a hint of complaint.
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon sugar or honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/8 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup sourdough starter
Mix together the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Add the starter and mix briefly until well combined. Leave rest for 5 minutes. The batter should rise up and bubble a bit.
Heat your griddle or frying pan over medium-low heat. Add a little butter.
Using a wet tablespoon, gently scoop a generous spoonful of batter onto the pan. Press it down lightly with the back of your wet spoon to flatten to about 1/2 an inch.
Cook for about 5 minutes, until the tops are slightly set. Flip the crumpets over, and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, until they're golden on the bottom.
Enjoy the crumpets warm, split and spread with butter and jam. I prefer to split them, toast to brown and crisp them before serving.
Yield: 3, maybe 4
You will end up with excess starter. Most people throw it away. In these times, I refuse to throw away any scrap of food. So lately, every few days we have warm crumpets with butter and jam. I never hear even a hint of complaint.
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon sugar or honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/8 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup sourdough starter
Mix together the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Add the starter and mix briefly until well combined. Leave rest for 5 minutes. The batter should rise up and bubble a bit.
Heat your griddle or frying pan over medium-low heat. Add a little butter.
Using a wet tablespoon, gently scoop a generous spoonful of batter onto the pan. Press it down lightly with the back of your wet spoon to flatten to about 1/2 an inch.
Cook for about 5 minutes, until the tops are slightly set. Flip the crumpets over, and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, until they're golden on the bottom.
Enjoy the crumpets warm, split and spread with butter and jam. I prefer to split them, toast to brown and crisp them before serving.