The. Best. Sourdough Bread. Ever. (or The Key to the Bread Universe)
The first time I ever had this great bread was in my sister-in-law's kitchen. I thought I was eating some artisan bakery bread when she casually mentioned that she had made it herself. I've made a lot of bread over the years but I've NEVER made bread like what I was eating. The world of bread changed at that moment for me. Two years ago I wrote a lot about sourdough on my blog, My Sister's Kitchen. Since then, with a lot of practice almost daily, my recipe and technique has been perfected--at least for MY kitchen! (If you want to read more about my sourdough journey, please feel free to check out My Sister's Kitchen.)
I had resigned myself to simply buying good, crusty sourdough since I never even came close to replicating the famous San Francisco sourdough loaves I ate as a child. But no longer~! For over two years now my kitchen counter has been lined with many bowls of starter, batter, dough, etc. (Dr. Seuss aficionados should think, Bartholomew and the Ooblek.) My entire kitchen has been taken over by this wonderful project. So far, the results have been overwhelmingly excellent!
A very important detail to note is that this method makes extra large loaves that are approximately 4.5 pounds each. Each loaf costs only $0.68 to make. That is sixty-eight cents. I buy flour and yeast in bulk, so it's possible that if you buy your ingredients at a regular grocery store, your loaf might cost twice that....a whopping $1.36! As you'll see, that's for a loaf that's about 3 times the size of a loaf of grocery store bread.
(And don't be intimidated by all the steps. I've broken things down into as simple increments as possible because this is really EASY!)
In some ways, sourdough starter is the ultimate renewable resource because it's ALIVE! I was coaching a friend through her first bread-making experience and explaining how to care for her starter. She turned to me and said, "You're talking about this starter like it's a live creature!" And she's right. It IS a live critter. As long as I keep it comfortable and well-fed, it will go on growing, replicating, and replenishing itself.
The art of making sourdough bread is a delightful exercise in returning to the "olden days" of some of the original DIYers--the gold miners and the pioneers. Sourdough isn't a new, green technology; it's an old, even ancient, technology that has sustained people for milennia. Making our own sourdough returns us to an age of LESS technology and LESS speed. Don't forget: LESS money too!
Sourdough bread, made properly, ambles slowly in a world that frantically runs. It might even ask for a tall glass of sweet tea and a rocking chair on the porch.
The first time I ever had this great bread was in my sister-in-law's kitchen. I thought I was eating some artisan bakery bread when she casually mentioned that she had made it herself. I've made a lot of bread over the years but I've NEVER made bread like what I was eating. The world of bread changed at that moment for me. Two years ago I wrote a lot about sourdough on my blog, My Sister's Kitchen. Since then, with a lot of practice almost daily, my recipe and technique has been perfected--at least for MY kitchen! (If you want to read more about my sourdough journey, please feel free to check out My Sister's Kitchen.)
I had resigned myself to simply buying good, crusty sourdough since I never even came close to replicating the famous San Francisco sourdough loaves I ate as a child. But no longer~! For over two years now my kitchen counter has been lined with many bowls of starter, batter, dough, etc. (Dr. Seuss aficionados should think, Bartholomew and the Ooblek.) My entire kitchen has been taken over by this wonderful project. So far, the results have been overwhelmingly excellent!
A very important detail to note is that this method makes extra large loaves that are approximately 4.5 pounds each. Each loaf costs only $0.68 to make. That is sixty-eight cents. I buy flour and yeast in bulk, so it's possible that if you buy your ingredients at a regular grocery store, your loaf might cost twice that....a whopping $1.36! As you'll see, that's for a loaf that's about 3 times the size of a loaf of grocery store bread.
(And don't be intimidated by all the steps. I've broken things down into as simple increments as possible because this is really EASY!)
In some ways, sourdough starter is the ultimate renewable resource because it's ALIVE! I was coaching a friend through her first bread-making experience and explaining how to care for her starter. She turned to me and said, "You're talking about this starter like it's a live creature!" And she's right. It IS a live critter. As long as I keep it comfortable and well-fed, it will go on growing, replicating, and replenishing itself.
The art of making sourdough bread is a delightful exercise in returning to the "olden days" of some of the original DIYers--the gold miners and the pioneers. Sourdough isn't a new, green technology; it's an old, even ancient, technology that has sustained people for milennia. Making our own sourdough returns us to an age of LESS technology and LESS speed. Don't forget: LESS money too!
Sourdough bread, made properly, ambles slowly in a world that frantically runs. It might even ask for a tall glass of sweet tea and a rocking chair on the porch.
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Signing UpStep 1: How in the world does sourdough save energy?
I'm glad you asked!
First of all, any time we prepare our own food instead of buying it at the supermarket, we're choosing a lower tech option.
*We start by saving the fuel cost of driving to the store to buy bread.
*We save the energy cost of the commercial manufacturing process of baking bread.
*We save the fuel costs of shipping commercial bread to stores.
*We know exactly what's IN our bread because we've made it by hand. There are no additives or funky unnatural ingredients.
*Every step of the breadmaking process is done by hand. We don't use mixers or blenders or any power-consuming appliances.
*We can even choose the option of baking our bread in the woodstove, on the charcoal grill, or over a campfire if we want to avoid using the oven.
*Both bread-making and the cultivation of sourdough starters have some great community implications. We're not in this alone. Just like the yeasts in the sourdough, we can permeate our communities with change.
*Best of all, anyone can make this bread. The average individual who is trying to live responsibly, minimize use of non-renewable resources, maximize use of renewable resources, and make small but significant changes can easily start making bread like this.
*Sourdough starter itself is a great example on a small scale of a renewable and renewing resource. The crock of starter sitting on the counter can remind you every day that small things make a difference.
So let's get started. This is much more of a method than a recipe. It's not difficult. The entire process takes several hours, but for most of that time, the starter does all the heavy lifting.
First of all, any time we prepare our own food instead of buying it at the supermarket, we're choosing a lower tech option.
*We start by saving the fuel cost of driving to the store to buy bread.
*We save the energy cost of the commercial manufacturing process of baking bread.
*We save the fuel costs of shipping commercial bread to stores.
*We know exactly what's IN our bread because we've made it by hand. There are no additives or funky unnatural ingredients.
*Every step of the breadmaking process is done by hand. We don't use mixers or blenders or any power-consuming appliances.
*We can even choose the option of baking our bread in the woodstove, on the charcoal grill, or over a campfire if we want to avoid using the oven.
*Both bread-making and the cultivation of sourdough starters have some great community implications. We're not in this alone. Just like the yeasts in the sourdough, we can permeate our communities with change.
*Best of all, anyone can make this bread. The average individual who is trying to live responsibly, minimize use of non-renewable resources, maximize use of renewable resources, and make small but significant changes can easily start making bread like this.
*Sourdough starter itself is a great example on a small scale of a renewable and renewing resource. The crock of starter sitting on the counter can remind you every day that small things make a difference.
So let's get started. This is much more of a method than a recipe. It's not difficult. The entire process takes several hours, but for most of that time, the starter does all the heavy lifting.
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California “bread” and born, my three favorite things about my home state is the citrus, avocado and San Francisco Sourdough Bread! . . . *Earned spending money when my children where small by making and selling bread and pasta. . . Always, always, always looking for and never finding a sourdough recipe that even resembled the chewy, rounded wharf staple wafting over the bay area ... that is until now AND I think it's even better! (Confirmed by my family who consumed that 4 ½ lb loaf in half the time it took to make it - LoL) I am still struggling with the turning part of the bread though ... I am used to kneading in enough flour to get the look and the feel (the shine and the bounce) but you seem to have something else in mind here ... wish I could see it on video or drop by someone’s house at bread turning hour to observe someone who actually knows what they are doing :) Any clarification on the subject would be appreciated. Thank you so very much for sharing this wonderful recipe ... Can't wait to get the "feel" so I too can perfect it for my friends and family.
Any other tips for a first timer? :)
Also, I have gotten less afraid to add a bit of salt...The recipe calls for 2 tsp, and I usually use about 2.5. Seems to make the bread taste better (it was a little flat tasting with only 2). It doesn't seem to impact the overall rise or quality of the fermentation. What else...I use a bit more water than the recipe calls for, probably less than a quarter cup more added to the last step to adjust the wetness of the finished dough. In the first step of mixing, I use a whisk and VIGOROUSLY whisk the water and starter until its light and very foamy/bubbly. Don't be afraid, the yeast/starter LOVES air and you'll have better rises from it.
I do not have access to a pan like yours. Therefore, I used a flat baking sheet lined with baking paper and polenta (we do not have cornmeal here) I then put a broiler pan filled with water on the bottom of the oven while it was pre-heating. I put the loaves in (at 200°C Fan Forced oven) leaving that pan of water in to produce the steam. It worked well and the loaves are sour and have a perfect chewy crust and colour. Thanks so much.
peace,
msk
1) It is 1:00pm and I just covered it for the first 12-15 hour rise, but I realized that would be 1-4am! Whoops! It's in a cool basement, so should I just leave it until the morning or put it in the fridge before I go to bed tonight (or now?). If so, should I leave it on the counter for a couple of hours before I turn it out for the second rise?
2) how would you make rolls our of this recipe? Is it too wet to attempt making smaller dollops for dinner rolls?
Thank you so much for finally giving me a sourdough bread I can make!
BTW, I out my first batch in a covered clay pot and it turned out great.
I put it together as late in the day as I can stand - and then put it in the frig overnight. In the morning I take it out and let it come to room temp (at my house I put it in the oven with the light on for 2-3 hours - sometimes longer).
Then I go to the next steps and usually can bake it in the early afternoon.
What a great bread....and what a joy to make and serve!
No towels!
In my experience, the dough is a bit sticky but not nearly as wet as oatmeal. Bake for 30 minutes covered at 450 - and then lower the heat to 350 - remove the cover and bake for 15 more minutes (or a bit less for a softer crust) for a total of 45 mins.
The denseness may be due to how active your starter is, or how long your dough has been rested.
My starter has continued to improve (it's from scratch and is about 9 months old) both in the texture of loaf it produces and in the sourness. My first few loaves were pretty dense but they still tasted great.
Should I wait or move on to turning out the dough?
you can spritz the top of the dough with a bit of water before putting it into the oven to help prevent this or get a pot with a tighter seal.
I can't wait to taste it, I'm serving it up with dinner tonight.