Sourdough
Here is the sourdough recipe that I use. Several people have asked me for it over and over again, so I thought I could just put it here and those that are interested could access it anytime they want, as well as ask questions, offer suggestions, etc. Enjoy!
Sourdough Recipe
From David and Eilidh W.
Adapted from Sally Fallon’s “Natural Yeast Bread” recipe in “Nourishing Traditions”
Day 1- In a large glass or ceramic (no metal or plastic) bowl place 1 cup of freshly ground flour, 1 cup of pure (i.e. distilled) water, and half of a really ripe fruit (i.e. apple, pear, peach). Alternately you can add grape pulp in place of fruit- blend grapes in a blender; strain out the juice, and mix 1 cup of the pulp in with the flour and water mixture. For best results the fruit should be organic and unwashed. The organisms on the skin of the fruit will help the culture start.
-Make sure the flour and water mixture is well mixed, and the fruit is placed cut side down in the center. Cover loosely with a dish towel, and set in a slightly warm place out of direct sunlight. (i.e. a hot water heater cupboard--- if it’s summer, and my kitchen is on the warmish side, I leave my bowl on the bench or table. If mixture seems to take too long to do anything it could be that it’s not warm enough.)
A NOTE ABOUT FLOUR: I use freshly ground rye flour, which I have found makes a really nice bread. Some have used wheat, and report really sour tasting bread. When possible use the whole grain freshly ground, storing any extra in the freezer. Fresh flour has all its nutrients, creating a balanced product. Whole grain flour left sitting quickly loses those precious nutrients and goes rancid. If you are unable to get freshly ground grain, use the best that you have. The fermentation process will help with the loss of nutrients; it just may take a bit longer to get an active starter.
Day 2- add to mixture in bowl: 1 cup flour; 1 cup of water. Mix thoroughly, and cover.
If your mixture seems to kind of “dry out”, or get a bit of a “crust” on top, you may want to stir your mixture twice a day (i.e. first thing in the morning and again right before bed). Also, if your mixture starts to get a little mold, scrape it off and stir your mix more often. You can also put your mixture in a clean bowl every day.
Watch that your fruit doesn’t rot. If it begins to do so, remove from mixture. Its sugars and yeast will be in the mix so it shouldn’t be necessary to keep it. If it’s not rotting, by all means keep it in J
Day 3- same as day 2
Watch to see if your mixture is bubbling. If it is, your starter is alive and well and you can make some bread on the following day (day 4). If your mixture hasn’t bubbled, let it sit a little longer. If nothing has happened by day five, add another cup of flour and water, and perhaps another piece of ripe fruit. To keep your starter alive in the beginning stages, it’s important that it is not left too long without a feeding.
Once your mix has bubbled and subsided (i.e. Day 4), remove 1 cup of starter to a clean bowel, or a glass container suitable for storage in fridge or freezer. I find that an 8 ounce jam jar works great. (If you used a "whole" fruit, remove and discard at this point)
To Make the Bread
To the mix left in the bowel add: 1½ cups water; 1 tbs salt; and enough flour to make a nice dough- you can use rye/wheat/etc. I use unbleached white flour because I just want enough “filler” to make a dough that won’t end up too heavy. Knead until dough is nice and “springy” and feels right to you. Dough will probably remain a little sticky due to the rye, so watch that you don’t add too much flour in an effort to get rid of the “stickyness”. Shape into 2 loaves and place in pre-buttered loaf pans. (Butter or coconut oil work best). With a knife cut 3 diagonal slits in the top, and butter the top to help keep it from drying out. Cover and let rise several hours, or until it reaches top of loaf pan. Depending on how warm it is, this rising period could take up to 8 hours. Once the bread has risen, bake at 150 degrees Celsius for 1 ½- 2 hours.
The next time you want to make bread, bring the starter that you set aside from the first round to room temperature. Add 1 cup flour and 1 cup water on days one through three, watching for it to bubble. On day four, separate out 1 cup of starter to save for a later date, and continue to make bread as established above. If you want to make more loaves, or make extra starter to share with a friend, double the amount of flour and water you add to the starter. The longer you can keep the starter alive, the better it will be J Enjoy