Let's Get Baking...Sourdough 101
Flour. Water. Seems so simple, right? But many women I talk to are downright intimidated by these two ingredients! Now, what makes these ingredients SO intimidating? Two simple words . . . sourdough starter.
Back in 2020, when the world seemingly came to a halt, many women found themselves experimenting with sourdough bread making and, in turn, making a sourdough starter. I was one of those women who jumped on the bandwagon, and if it’s a trend you think you missed out on, I’m here to tell you it’s never too late! There are so many health benefits to sourdough baking that this will never go back out of style and will be a skill that will serve you and your family for a long time.
Now, what exactly makes a sourdough starter so daunting? It’s just flour and water, right? Well, here’s the thing that I think holds many women back . . . it’s LIVING! That’s right, your starter is a living, breathing organism and must be kept alive to be used. This fun fact, however, shouldn’t hold you back from living out your greatest sourdough-baking dreams! I’ll let you in on a little secret . . . it’s very forgiving.
Before I give you my foolproof method for a great sourdough starter, let me lay out some of the benefits!
1. Easier to digest: Those who struggle to eat gluten tend to be able to digest sourdough because of the long fermentation process. This allows most of the gluten to be broken down before being eaten. It also means your body doesn’t have to do all the work! Not only is it yummy, but your tummy will thank you too!
2. Lower glycemic index: This makes for a great carb option! Most of the bad starches are depleted during the fermentation process so that it won’t spike your blood sugar as much as regular yeasted bread!
3. Fewer ingredients & natural preservatives: Since sourdough contain acetic acid, it prevents the premature growth of mold . . . so you don’t need to add anything to stop it from going bad. Water, flour, a starter, & salt is all you need to create a delicious loaf of bread!
4. Nutritious & gut friendly: Not only does sourdough contain various vitamins and minerals that regular bread does not, but it also provides your gut with good bacteria to help your microbiome thrive.
You may still be asking yourself, though … “but what exactly is a sourdough starter?”. Simply put, a starter is just the process of creating active wild yeast. This will allow your bread or other baked goods to rise without adding yeast. The time it takes for the fermentation process to take place gives you all those lovely benefits of sourdough baking you read about above!
Let’s make one last clarification before we get started! Active starter vs. Discard . . . these both use your sourdough starter, just at different stages of its activeness! The active starter is used at the peak of your starter's rise and will allow your baked goods to rise without adding a leavening agent such as yeast, baking soda, or baking powder. Discard is anytime your starter is not at its peak and will need the addition of a leavening agent. Discard is great for baked goods like cookies, pancakes, waffles, muffins, etc.
Ok, now what we’ve all been waiting for . . . let’s make a starter! This process will take about 7 to 10 days before your starter is active enough for baking. This may seem odd, but I encourage you to name your starter! After all, it is a living organism, and you’re more likely to take care of it if it has a name. My starter's name is Esther!
Supplies:
- 2 Wide mouth glass quart jars with lid
- Spatula
- Food Scale
- Organic All-purpose flour
- Water
- Rubber band
Day 1: Using your food scale, measure out 60g flour & 60g water. Stir together and scrape down the sides of the jar. Set on a loose-fitting lid (do not screw down or tighten). Put your jar somewhere warm. In the winter, I like to keep mine by my heating vent.
Day 2: After 24hrs, we’re going to feed our starter. This is just the process of adding more flour and water to your mixture. To your existing starter, add 60g flour & 60g water. Stir together and scrape down the sides of the jar. Set on a loose-fitting lid. At this point, I like to use a rubber band to track the growth of my starter. Place the rubber band where your starter ends, and you’ll easily be able to see when your starter has doubled. Put your jar somewhere warm until tomorrow.
Day 3: After 24hr, you’re going to discard* (throw away) half of your starter. I like to use a clean jar and measure out 120g of starter and add to it 60g flour & 60g water. Stir together and scrape down the sides of the jar. Set on a loose-fitting lid and set somewhere warm for another 24hrs.
Day 4: Repeat “Day 3” by discarding half of your starter and feeding it with 60g of flour and 60g of water. By this point, you should begin to see some bubbles forming, and your starter should be starting to grow but not quite double yet! This is a good sign that your starter is moving in the right direction.
Day 5-10: Continue to discard and feed your starter. By day 7-10, you should notice lots of bubbles and that your starter has begun to double! If your starter has not doubled in size by day 7 or 8, I suggest increasing your discarding/feeding to every 12hrs. to help it along!
If you miss a feeding, don’t fret! Just pick up where you left off; remember, I said it’s very forgiving. One way to check to see if your starter is ready to use is to drop some into a glass of water, and if it floats on top of the water, it’s ready! If it sinks to the bottom, it is not ready to bake with yet. After you have a starter that’s ready to bake with, you can begin to use your “discard” for baking discard recipes! You can use your discard immediately or place it in the refrigerator for a couple of days until you have enough for your recipe. Just keep in mind, the longer it sits in the refrigerator, the sourer of a taste you will have! If your starter looks like it has doubled in size and has already begun to go back down, this would no longer be suitable for recipes that need an active starter but would be perfect for a discard recipe!
Now, let’s bake some bread! For this No Knead Artisan Loaf, you will need a Dutch oven to bake the bread.
No Knead Artisan Loaf
Ingredients:
100g starter
215g water
325g organic all-purpose flour
10g salt
Instructions:
1. Add water to a large mixing bowl. To the water, add in your starter and mix (it will become foamy).
2. Next, add your flour and salt. Using a large serving fork or Danish dough whisk, mix your ingredients until combined. This will result in a sticky, jagged dough. Don’t worry; your dough will smooth out over the next few steps! Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel.
3. Now you will wait 15 minutes and then do four sets of “stretch and folds” over the next hour. To do a stretch and fold, pull up on the side of the dough and stretch it across itself. Do this about 8-10 times, moving in a circular motion around the dough. Recover with the kitchen towel and repeat three more times every 15 minutes.
**This is a good time to feed your starter! I always try to add what I used. So, in this case, I would feed 50g flour & 50g water. Mix, cover, & place back to activate again for your next bake!
4. Once you have completed four sets of stretch and folds, you will cover your mixing bowl with saran wrap so it’s airtight. Your dough should be smooth and less sticky! Leave your dough to rest on the counter for about 12hr or until your dough has doubled in size.
5. After your dough has doubled, you will turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Next, you’re going to shape the dough. To do this, gently take the left side of the dough and fold it over itself. Repeat this on the right side, top, and bottom. You should end up with the seam side down. Using your hands, gently shape the dough into a tight ball by pulling the dough towards you and slightly twisting. This will help form the dough into a ball and put some tension on the surface of the dough.
6. Return the dough to a small bowl with a floured towel placed inside. You will want the seam of the bread to be facing up. Cover the dough with the remainder of the towel and allow to rest for 45-90min.
7. While your dough is resting, place your Dutch oven into the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
8. After the dough has rested, turn your dough out onto a sheet of parchment paper, and using a knife, score your dough. Carefully place your dough into your preheated Dutch oven and cover it with the lid. Bake for 20 minutes with the lid on and then 20 more minutes with the lid off.
9. Once the bread is done baking, carefully pull the bread out Dutch oven and place it on a cooling rack. Allow the bread to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting!
10. Using a good bread knife, slice your bread and enjoy it with high-quality grass-fed salted butter! Believe me when I say the quality of your butter matters!
I love sourdough baking because it’s so versatile, and there is always something new and fun to bake! Sourdough baking is more of an art than a science. It takes time to learn, and patience is required. My motto is, “No bad bread” . . . It might not look pretty, but I guarantee it’s still going to taste great! Just keep practicing, and you’ll develop your own rhythm and style in no time.