Simple Sourdough

START AT THE STARTER

Your first decision as a sourdough baker is which sourdough starter you will use. An internet search will yield many sources for purchasing a sourdough starter or you can make your own. The choice is yours. I will show you how I made my starter that I currently use for baking.

Your first decision as a sourdough baker is which sourdough starter
you will use. An internet search will yield many sources for purchasing a sourdough starter or you can make your own. The choice is yours. I will show you how I made my starter that I currently use for baking.

A Few Words About Starters

The Yeast facts you may find helpful

Yeast and Bacteria are all around you!!! If it weren’t for them we would be walking around the dead remains of plants and animals from the dawn of our planet. We live in a world where naturally occurring Yeast, Bacteria and Viruses are both a help and a hindrance to human life. (I am writing this book during the Covid 19 pandemic which has caused a rapid response anti-viral vaccine to be developed. This vaccine could not have been made without the help from Mother Nature!!! The Crisper nucleic acid cutting enzyme used to create the spliced proteins to respond to the Covid 19 structure was discovered in and refined from dirt.) So just like we humans adapt to our environment by the clothes we wear so do Yeast, Bacteria and viruses but they adapt by changing their molecular structure. This impacts our sourdough by causing a change in taste from one geographical area to another. So bread made from locally made sourdough starter in San Francisco will taste slightly different from bread made in Albuquerque from a local starter. Yeast and Bacteria adhere to the Darwinian philosophy of survival of the fittest, just like all living things do. It’s either adapt or go extinct. So for the sourdough baker this means a starter purchased from another geographical area may make breads that taste like the area the starter came from but if the environmental conditions are too different or cannot be maintained eventually the local yeast can take over and change the bread taste. I may explore this in a book that I never plan to write. Please note the predominate taste of sourdough is from the yeast but the bacteria mixed in with the yeast in addition to the waste products from both, also contributes to the taste.

To be successful with making your own starter you need to think of the sourdough starter as just another houseplant that has a few special needs. Just like a houseplant the starter needs water and food on a regular schedule depending upon environmental conditions. And just like a houseplant your starter can be “trained” to thrive in slightly modified conditions. By altering the “growing” conditions of your starter you can alter the intensity of the sourdough flavor in your baked goods and can control to some extent your personal baking schedule.

Start the Starter

Necessary supplies:

1. A container for your starter – 1 quart or slightly larger container. I use a quart round straight sided glass jar with lid. I would like to find one with a wire retaining clip structure instead of the one I have which uses flat metal clips. A glazed shiny porcelain container will work also. I have used plastic containers but do not recommend them. Reason for not recommending plastic is that the chemistry of living yeast and bacteria has the potential to leach chemicals out of the plastic. Your container will be used without cleaning so the easier it is to scrape down the sides the better.

2. Rye flour – A small quantity of milled rye flower has the necessary yeast in the flour to get your starter going. The rye flour will be used for the first 3 feedings then bread flour of 4% protein will be used from then on.

3. Pure Pineapple Juice with no added sugar or other additives – This will supply your beginning starter with the water it needs for the yeast. Plus it contains sugars which will encourage the yeast to grow and it also contains natural acids which will inhibit bacteria growth. We will switch to water after 2 feedings

4. Measuring cup – 1/3 cup will do.

5. Kitchen Scale – suggest one that has 10 pound max weight.

6. Mixing bowl – glass or metal approximately 10 quart capacity

7. Electric Mixer with dough hook – this is optional if you mix by hand

8. Wicker basket 9” with cloth liner -

9. Rice Flour -

10. Parchment Paper -

11. Baking vessel – I use cast Iron that has handle on lid and bottom

12. Roll of plastic bags – bags should be large enough to cover the wicker basket 14” X 20”

13. Bread Flour with 4% protein content – I buy the 25 pound sacks and place the sack in a large commercial kitchen plastic container with lid for storage. When your ready to experiment you can try bread flours with 3% protein content.

14. Plastic scraper – with rounded edge for helping to remove dough from mixing bowl

15. Spiral bound Notebook– college ruled binder to keep baking notes in.

Procedure

Day 1

1. Measure 1/3 cup X 2 portions of Pineapple juice into your starter container.

2. Next measure 1/3 cup X 2 portions of rye flour into your starter container.

3. Mix thoroughly. I use a silverware knife to mix.

4. Cover starter container and let sit overnight on kitchen counter.

***** Note the time you start this process is not critical *****

Day 2

1. Measure 1/3 cup portions of Pineapple juice into your starter container. Mix thoroughly

2. Next measure 1/3 cup portion of rye flour into your starter container.

3. Mix thoroughly. I use a silverware knife to mix.

4. Cover starter container and let sit overnight on kitchen counter.

***** Note the time you start this process is not critical *****

Day 3

1. Remove ½ of the starter mixture from your container.

2. Measure 1/3 cup X 2 portions of water into your starter container. Mix thoroughly

3. Next measure 1/3 cup X 2 portions of rye flour into your starter container.

3. Cover starter container and let sit overnight on kitchen counter.

***** Note the time you start this process is not critical *****

Day 4

1. Remove ½ of the starter mixture from your container.

2. Measure 1/3 cup X 2 portions of water into your starter container. Mix thoroughly

3. Next measure 1/3 cup X 2 portions of bread flour into your starter container.

3. Cover starter container and let sit overnight on kitchen counter.

***** Note the time you start this process is not critical *****

Days 5 - 7

1. Remove ½ of the starter mixture from your container.

2. Measure 1/3 cup X 2 portions of water into your starter container. Mix thoroughly

3. Next measure 1/3 cup X 2 portions of bread flour into your starter container.

3. Cover starter container and let sit overnight on kitchen counter.

***** Note the time you start this process is not critical *****

Starter First Aid

*** The balance between bacterial growth and yeast growth is very important. Bacteria feed off of the waste products of the yeast so if the yeast do not have enough food material to eat the bacteria will takeover the starter. The waste products of the bacteria will raise the Ph of the starter which will encourage increased bacterial growth. You can tell the health of your starter by smelling it. If it smells like good bread then your starter is well. If it smells like alcohol then bacteria are beginning to ferment the starter and you need to pour off any liquid and feed the starter. If the starter smell rancid, its needing some Life Support measures - pour off any liquid, remove 2/3 to ¾ of the remaining starter add flour to feed it and the same amount of pineapple juice. Next day remove ½ of the starter and feed again with bread flour and pineapple juice. On the third day return to feeding only flour and water. ***

Day8 evening around 9pm

1. Time to make our first loaf.

2. Measure 100 grams of starter into your mixing bowl.

3. Measure 270 grams of water into your mixing bowl.

4. Mix for 3 to 4 minuets with electric mixer on 1 or 2 setting. If mixing by hand 2 to 3 minutes of vigorous mixing with a whisk will do the same.

We will always mix water into our starter first before adding flour since this will disperse the yeast in the water and give us a better distribution of yeast when we add the flour.

5. Measure 612 grams of bread flour into your mixing bowl

6. Mix the flour, starter and water mixture for about 5 minutes so the starter and water will blend with the flour easily

7. Let the mixture rest for 30 minutes undisturbed

8. After resting for 30 minutes, measure 13 grams of salt and dissolve in 30 grams of water add this mixture to the mixing bowl

9. Mix for 8 minutes with the electric mixer using the dough hook on a speed of 2 or 3.

If mixing by hand after incorporating the saltwater solution into the dough then the dough is ready for kneading. Lightly flour the counter top or other kneading surface and begin the kneading process (great physical activity!). Knead the dough for a minimum of 10 minutes. Don’t be gentle take out your aggressive side. Slide and stretch the dough but don’t tear the dough when kneading. Pick up the dough and slap it into the counter if you wish.

10. After this kneading/mixing process lightly dust the inside cloth covering of the wicker basket with rice flour and place the dough into the basket. Once the dough is in the basket dust the top lightly with rice flour and loosely cover the basket with the plastic bag. Leave the opening of the plastic bag facing downward over the basket

11. Feed your starter -1/3 cup X 2 water mix thoroughly before adding 1/3 cup X 2 flour and mix thoroughly again. After feeding the starter place in your refrigerator to store until your ready to bake again or for up to 3 days before reducing the volume and feeding again.

10. After this kneading/mixing process lightly dust the inside cloth covering of the wicker basket with rice flour and place the dough into the basket. Once the dough is in the basket dust the top lightly with rice flour and loosely cover the basket with the plastic bag. Leave the opening of the plastic bag facing downward over the basket

11. Feed your starter -1/3cup X 2 water mix thoroughly before adding 1/3 cup X 2 flour and mix thoroughly again. After feeding the starter place in your refrigerator to store until your ready to bake again or for up to 3 days before reducing the volume and feeding again.

12. Let the dough in the basket sit and rise till the next morning on counter top

13. Check the dough in the basket. It should be at the top of the basket or slightly higher. If not wait 1 to 2 hours more and check again. The additional waiting time will very depending upon your kitchen temperature and relative humidity. When it reaches at the minimum slightly above the top of the basket time to start your oven. Set the oven temperature to 440 degrees F.

14. After starting the oven place your baking vessel in the over to heat up as the oven heats.

15. Once the oven reaches 450 F cut a piece of parchment paper several inches wider than the wicker basket the dough has been proofing in.

16. Gently remove the plastic bag covering the wicker basket. Taking care not to tear the dough that maybe stuck to it. If you pull gently and slowly the dough will release from the plastic, just be patient. If the dough is stubborn then use you finger to help peel the dough free of the plastic bag.

17. Now lightly dust the top of the dough still in the wicker basket with rice flour.

The following steps will determine how pretty you baked bread will look and requires practice so don’t be hard on yourself if you mess it up the first time or two. With repetition you will develop your own speed and techniques to transfer you dough to the baking vessel. Take your time and go slowly. Also rehearsing the following procedures in your mind, prior to using them, will help.

18. Using your oven mittens remove the hot baking vessel from the oven and place it on a secure heat resistance surface.

19. Take the parchment sheet you previously cut and using the oven mitts press and shape it into the bottom of the cooking vessel. Then remove your oven mittens

20. Now the moment of truth – take the wicker basket containing your dough, in both hands and carefully turn it over into the HOT Baking Vessel, on top of the parchment paper, being careful not to touch the baking vessel and burn yourself. Use your fingers and hand and gently remove any places the dough maybe stuck to the cloth basket liner, which should have extended from the bottom of the wicker basket down with the dough.

21. Take a sharp knife or lame (if you have one) and make a few stress relief cuts into the top of the dough.

22. Put the oven mittens back on and put the baking vessel back into the oven and cover with the Top cover of the baking vessel.

23. Set a timer for 20 minutes

24. After 20 minutes when the timer goes off, remove the top cover of the baking vessel

25. Reset the timer for 25 to 30 minutes. After 30 minutes check the bread to see if the top is nice and brown. If somewhat evenly brown check the internal temperature with a thermometer and if the internal temperature is 200 degrees F the bread is done. Remove the baking vessel and turnout the bread boule onto a cooling rack. Wait till the bread has cooled to room temperature before cutting