Merriam Webster's defines it as:
a type of dough that is allowed to ferment before it is baked and that has a slightly sour taste.
It is so much more than that folks. It is life giving, nutrient rich, and so so yummy. Sourdough has to be made with a "mother". You actually catch yeast from your environment (or order a starter over the internet) and use it as the leavening agent in your bread. "Real" sourdough only has four ingredients. Starter, water, flour, and salt. If you add yeast, you cheated and it doesn't count :-) Sourdough is slow food. It takes a few days to make. Don't be scared, the total amount of time you spend on it is small; the return is huge.
We had been grinding our own flour and making bread to avoid the " extras" in store bought bread. I know it has been better for us, but recently though my studies at Vintage Remedies I was introduced to the history of bread and some new and interesting ideas.
We had been grinding our own flour and making bread to avoid the " extras" in store bought bread. I know it has been better for us, but recently though my studies at Vintage Remedies I was introduced to the history of bread and some new and interesting ideas.
One thing Jessie Hawkins says in her book, The Vintage Remedies Guide to Bread, is that 53% to 75% of our ancestors daily caloric intake was bread. It provided them with many vital minerals and nutrients that their bodies needed to function. What? Really? She goes on the discuss why our breads are so different today and why our breads today are causing Celiac and Gluten intolerance as well as a myriad of other health issues.
After reading her book I realized that the best bread for our family was sourdough. Up until this point I could only get a couple of brave souls to eat my sourdough bread. Something about it being "heavy" and "too sour" etc. The challenge was on. I was going to make sourdough that the family would eat (and that looked good) by the end of summer or die trying. I have literally made 25 plus loaves of bread this summer. I have by no means arrived, but the family eats it and likes it. I still can't make a boule without it flattening out on the pan so I rise and bake it in loaf pans. This works better for sandwiches anyways.
I will share a few things I have learned along the way. Feel free to contact me and add anything you know that may be helpful for future loaves......I'm still perfecting it.
This my friends is Raisin' Acres Farm sourdough starter. Did you know that different regions have different flavors of sourdough depending on the strain of yeast that is caught? Ever heard of San Francisco sourdough bread? Since this strain was caught here on the farm, it has been named for the place. If you start one, you get to name it yourself. You can look up how to start a starter for more specifics. I'm not always picky on measurements so I did not follow instructions to get this.
I started with 2 tablespoons organic whole wheat pastry flour and 3 tablespoon filtered water. Every day I added more flour and water, never adding more flour than the "base amount". The water and flour was 50-50 the first few days and 50-40 later. To get your starter going more quickly you can add ingredients 12 hours apart to feed the yeasts. It took a good week to get the yeast colony built up to where I was getting good bubbling. The other way you can tell it is ready is it has a fresh smell to it.
I have learned a few things about starters along the way. It is better to have a "more liquid" starter in the beginning of the process, as you build it up you back off on the water to a thicker consistency. This has seemed to help build the yeast for a better rise in my bread.
To get a couple of tablespoons of starter ready for bread, it takes a couple of days of feeding the starter twice a day. My recipe calls for roughly 3/4 cup of starter and I make a double batch so I need to go from 2 tbsp to 1 1/2 cups.
After reading her book I realized that the best bread for our family was sourdough. Up until this point I could only get a couple of brave souls to eat my sourdough bread. Something about it being "heavy" and "too sour" etc. The challenge was on. I was going to make sourdough that the family would eat (and that looked good) by the end of summer or die trying. I have literally made 25 plus loaves of bread this summer. I have by no means arrived, but the family eats it and likes it. I still can't make a boule without it flattening out on the pan so I rise and bake it in loaf pans. This works better for sandwiches anyways.
I will share a few things I have learned along the way. Feel free to contact me and add anything you know that may be helpful for future loaves......I'm still perfecting it.
I started with 2 tablespoons organic whole wheat pastry flour and 3 tablespoon filtered water. Every day I added more flour and water, never adding more flour than the "base amount". The water and flour was 50-50 the first few days and 50-40 later. To get your starter going more quickly you can add ingredients 12 hours apart to feed the yeasts. It took a good week to get the yeast colony built up to where I was getting good bubbling. The other way you can tell it is ready is it has a fresh smell to it.
I have learned a few things about starters along the way. It is better to have a "more liquid" starter in the beginning of the process, as you build it up you back off on the water to a thicker consistency. This has seemed to help build the yeast for a better rise in my bread.
To get a couple of tablespoons of starter ready for bread, it takes a couple of days of feeding the starter twice a day. My recipe calls for roughly 3/4 cup of starter and I make a double batch so I need to go from 2 tbsp to 1 1/2 cups.
- I started weighing all my ingredients after I read that there is a big difference in measurements.
- I switched from trying to make a 100% ground ww bread to mixing in ww pastry flour, kamut, and spelt. From what I have read in my studies, it's not so much the flour as it is the chemical process that happens from the slow rise time that creates the nutrition.
- I found out that whole wheat takes longer to absorb the water added. What's the big deal? I incorporate all the ingredients and let the dough sit for 15minutes or so before mixing and kneading. That way I don't add too much flour and have a dryer dough.~Sourdough does better if it is wetter than traditional yeast breads.
- I found a better way to "knead" the bread.....I don't like kneading....If you have made sourdough you know what I mean when I say it is sticky and hard to knead. The process is called "folding". You basically do initial mix, let sit, mix thoroughly then let sit for an hour. After the hour (I do 30 minute intervals) dump dough out and stretch it out in a square and fold it in on itself. Repeat 3-4 times. Every time you do that it should be more stretchy and pliable.
So far that is all I have learned but it has helped. I mix my bread up in the afternoon, work it though the folding process and refrigerate overnight. I get it out the next day and let it rise, punch down, rise, and bake. The more time it rises the more sour it gets but the more time it rises the better the chemical changes occur that make it good for you. Trial and error will help you find the best balance for you and your family. I cannot let it rise as long as I would like or I would have rebellion on my hands. I will just have to be happy that they are eating it now.
Do you have any suggestions or comments? Do you have a sourdough saga to share?
Your bread looks yummy!! It is great stuff because we are finding you can use it for everything from pizza crust to brownies! Thanks!
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