Sourdough Bread

I have a pet.
It lives in a jar in the fridge.
I feed it once a week.

It is my Sourdough Starter.

I had the starter recipe in a cook book my mom made for me, but no directions on what to do with the dough after I had a starter! So, I did a little online research and I found a fabulous Sourdough Bread website. I will give my start recipe and directions on the bread, but for more information, I'd definitely go to this website to learn all about sourdough bread making.

It may seem like a LOT of work and a long process, but once you figure out how to do it, it goes faster and is a lot easier. So, don't be scared of it!


Sourdough Starter

2 1/2- 3 cups lukewarm potato water (this is the water you boiled potatoes in)
1 pkg. dry yeast (this is a "cheat" to getting your starter going faster)
1 1/2 Tbl. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups flour

Make this a day or two before you need the starter!

Pour potato water into a bowl. Sprinkle with yeast, sugar and salt. Let rest 10 minutes.

Sift flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in yeast water. Stir to combine. Beat with an electric mixer.

Drape a towel over the top and set in a warm place for 1-2 days.

The sourdough starter should have a slight odor. If it doesn't ferment or it turns very discolored, discard it!

You can either use the starter to begin baking (after it has had its 1-2 day rest), or put it in a container and place it in the fridge until you are ready.

Here is my refrigerated starter. As it sits, it develops a hooch- a stinky, colored liquid that will sit on top. Either drain it off or stir it in.

Here is my starter after I have fed it and stirred it up. I usually feed it equal parts of flour and water. Usually 1/2 a cup of each. If you want it to grow in volume faster, feed it 1 cup of each and/or more frequently.


When you are ready to bake, you first need to "proof the starter". Bring the starter to room temperature (although, I forgot to this last time and it was just fine).

Pour all of your starter out into a bowl! Add 1 cup of warm water and 1 cup of flour. Stir well and let it sit for anywhere from 1-8 hours.

The amount of time really just depends on you. I let this batch of proofed starter, called sponge, sit out all night, I think it was about 20 hours from when I started proofing to when I used it to make the dough. It should bubble when it is ready like this:


Take 2 cups of sponge and place into a separate bowl (return the remaining starter to your jar (wash it again) and return to the fridge).

Sourdough

2 cups sponge
2 Tbl. olive oil (if you want)
4 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
3 cups flour (in 1/2 cup portions)

Stir the sponge, oil, sugar and salt together. Add 1/2 cup of flour and mix. Then add another 1/2 cup. At this point you can begin to knead it with your hands in the bowl. Add the flour by 1/2 cup each time. Pay attention to the dough! You'll know when it is ready: elastic and flexible and easy to work with. I rarely can get more than 2 cups of flour into it. One time I forced 2 1/2 and it was hard work. This kneading takes a lot of arm power (I don't have a food processor)! Form into a ball, cover with a towel and let rise until double.


After it has risen double its size, punch it down, knead for a few minutes. Then form into a loaf.

One good way to make a loaf ( I didn't take a picture, sorry) is to flatten it out on the counter a bit, dimple with your fingers then grab the edges at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock on the dough and pull it up to the center and pinch it together. Turn the lump over so that the edges are all now tucked neatly underneath. Use cupped hands to smooth it down and out a little bit.

Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise until double- again.


Place the dough in the oven. Then turn the oven on to 350 degrees. Do not preheat the oven! Cook for 30-40 minutes or until golden and it sounds hollow when you tap the bottom.

If you just place it in the oven, it will be a light color and the crust will get soft after cooling. If you brush it with milk, it will brown a little more (see below) but still be pretty soft. If you brush it with egg, it will be shiny and brown and the crust will be a little more chewy/crispy. I think it is prettiest with the egg wash!

(that ring is from milk that went under the loaf as it baked).

It is delicious plain, toasted with butter, used for sandwiches, used as the toast for creamed tuna and toast, garlic toast, bread bowls and anything else!

The longer you let your starter sit in the fridge and the longer it proofs, the more "sour" it will taste. Happy bread baking!