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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 1How 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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Can't wait to make more. The loaf is really big, I will try to get smaller cast iron dutch ovens.
Thumbs up!!!
Mike
Mike
Thanks from one very happy transplanted Texan.
Also, some hardcore individuals keep a batch at room temperature at all times, but this means endless daily feeding and multiplying stocks unless you have a bakery. There are many online sites for care of your starter.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15572309/Crusty%20Sourdough%20Bread.pdf
My starter was a week old when I made this bread and the first loafs were so tangy and sour and ridiculously spongy; it was amazing. The second batch had been retarded in the fridge because the kitchen was too warm for my timing and the bread turned out fine, just not as sour/spongy.
Looking for the results i got on my first bake so I've got my fingers crossed for 15 more minutes. If it isn't the same as the first time, then in the future I will leave the amount of starter needed out instead of in the fridge, as that use of the starter had never been refrigerated.
I want to start another batch but am now out of flour. I've gone through 15 lbs of flour this week.
using equal parts flour to water mix well both at room temperature mix well then cover and leave for 2 days, after that add half of equal parts flour and water to your original mix then wait another 2 days, after that remove about half don't be precise just eyeball it and replenish, repeat the last step twice more and you have a starter. just add equal parts water and flour to replenish it after you use it
notes*
first-use whole wheat or preferably rye flour because the processed stuff will have the yeasts in it killed when packed so use those kinds of flour.
second-you will know that it is a healthy starter when it is bubbly and slightly runnier than when you mixed it and smell a bit sour then it is healthy, but to be sure that it is producing CO2 to let the bread rise cover your container with plastic wrap and if the plastic cover rises then it is healthy.
third-in the first or second replenish don't be scared of the unusual smell coming from it it is normal it will pass.
fourth- if you find that the starter has a gray/blackish fluid sitting on the top, that is normal just pour out he liquid and replenish as normal before using.
fifth- and finally if you wont be planning to bake for a while place you starter in the fridge to slow down the buggers and to allow moderate feeding.
Have Fun!
Reference-
sourdough 101 thefreshloaf.com
Another note about where you live: elevation... or how close or far from sea level you are will make the dough, and maybe the sourdough rise faster or more slowly. So length of time for raising or proofing could be different.
I wrote a paper on sourdough for new employees; I found people who don't understand sourdough can't make good sourdough. I'll post it here if it fits:
What is Sourdough Starter
Sourdough starter is a working culture of yeast and lactobacillus that flourish together. The lactobacillus produces the sour flavor; the yeast causes the bread to rise. The microorganism community in a good starter is pretty special. Not only must the strains of yeast and bacteria thrive on flour and water only, but they should also not compete for the same nutrients in the flour. The strain of lactobacillus must also be tolerant of the anti-bacterial effect of the alcohol the yeast produces; and the strain of yeast must be tolerant of the acidity the lactobacillus produces. Since the lactobacillus works slowly, the yeast in the culture must also be slow acting. For this reason, some of the best, most perfectly balanced sourdough cultures have been handed down for generations, are closely guarded, and are very old.
NOTE: Do you want a good sourdough starter? Go to www.sourdo.com. They inventory and preserve many excellent (and some very old) starters for everyone to enjoy. I tried several over the years while a hobbiest, I personally recommend the Ischia Island starter in the Italian package.
Want way too much information? Read On.
The sourdough lactobacillus is a bacteria similar to (but not the same as) the dairy lactobacillus strains used to produce the sour flavor in sour cream and yogurt, and the lactobacillus strains used to make vinegar. The dairy fermentation process produces mostly lactic acid; the vinegar fermentation process produces mostly acidic acid. The fermenting sourdough lactobacillus produces both lactic and acidic acids, giving sourdough it’s unique sour taste. The lactic acid provides the mellow, good aftertaste sour; the acidic acid gives you the sharp, in your face sour.
The lactobacillus also produces a bonus: It actually predigests the flour to a certain degree while producing enzymes that help human digestive systems digest not only the bread, but many foods eaten with the bread as well. Some people with gluten and wheat digestive issues claim they can eat sourdough with little or no problem.
The slow fermenting yeast (yeast is a fungi in the mushroom family), produces not only some flavor, but most importantly, the carbon dioxide gas necessary to make the bread rise.
Currently, about 1,500 Yeast species have been described; it is estimated that this number represents 1% of all yeast species. The genus Lactobacillus currently consists of over 125 species and encompasses a wide variety of organisms. (i.e. Huskies and Chihuahuas are members of the same species, but are not particularly interchangeable.) Capturing the best wild yeast and wild lactobacillus to create an excellent starter is purely a matter of luck. Again; this is why some of the best commercial starters are closely guarded and very old. (Some people believe starter "acclimates" to an area and the various DNA somehow magically mutate to become the same as all the other starters in the same geographical area........Completely incorrect.)
Commercial baker’s yeast is a strain developed to feed on all the food elements in flour and produce a fast consistent rise. The down side is that baker’s yeast produces very little flavor (and no enzymes). Almost all of the flavor in regular bread comes from additives such as sugar, milk, oils, eggs, etc., etc.
NOTE: If a "sourdough" bread label lists vinegar as an additive and does not list starter, it’s artificially soured standard bread dough with zero of the above health benefits. (I’ve seen both vinegar and starter listed, I can’t imagine why, except to prop-up a really inadequate or incorrectly used starter.)
Sourdough needs no additives; although combining the sourdough flavor with: nuts, dried fruits, honey, onion, herbs, spices, etc., while not required, is certainly not a bad idea!
In short: Sourdough is simply the best bread in the World...And the best bread for you...Period!
I have made sourdough bread off & on for years, but have used store bought yeast to start it.
But, that's using our 95 yo+ starter. Every starter has its own set of rules: Slow lactobacillus / fast yeast = retard yeast a lot, long proof will kill yeast. Slow lactobacillus and yeast = do not retard yeast very much, can proof much longer.
If you don't start with a good starter, no rule will work.
Thanks for this amazing instructable!!
~Leesa B
Taos, NM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNNwzt8eoTQ
450F = 232 C
400F = 200C (actual is 204C), 350F = 175C (actual is 177C), 300F = 150C (actual is 149F).
Gamya