Make your own Sourdough Bread

AUTHOR

Meet Anna Gorman,backyardfarmer and guest expert on all things science and food.

I can bake some pretty good bread. Yeast and I are pretty good buddies. I grew up watching Alton Brown's sock puppet impersonations of his little fungi friends on Good Eats, and when I got old enough I started to try my hand at baking traditional loaves and other yeast-based treats like cinnamon rolls (which my mom and grandma are famous for). And they have all been pretty darn tasty. But there was one that was always just out of reach, one that I could never quite perfect or even come close to. The elusive sourdough. The days-to-weeks-long process was so intimidating to me, and the few times I tried different sorts of shortcut versions they turned out way too dense, did not rise, and had not even a hint of sourdough flavor. So I was pretty excited when I came home from Fairfax Backyard Farmer with all the specific materials I needed to achieve the perfect sourdough. And you know what? The sourdough I made with all the FBF products was really freaking delicious, but it still wasn't perfect! Because the most important ingredients in sourdough are planning, patience (lots of it), and consistency (even more of that). I'm going to include some personal anecdotes in the recipe below, so continue reading to learn from my mistakes and achieve real perfection!

INSTRUCTIONS
MAKE YOUR OWN SOURDOUGH
EQUIPMENT

• Flour (a 50/50 mix between whole wheat and rye is preferred, but just whole wheat works too)
• Water (Lukewarm)
• Salt
• OPTIONAL: Fairfax Backyard Farmer Yemoos San Francisco Sourdough Starter Cultures*
• 1 digital scale (optional but HIGHLY recommended)
• 1 wooden spoon
• 1 medium size bowl
• 2 16 oz glass mason jars*

*Available for purchase at Fairfax Backyard Farmer

NO-CULTURE STARTER INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium sized bowl, place 300 grams lukewarm water and 315 grams of the flour blend. Mix with your hand or a wooden spoon until combined and no dry spots are visible. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let sit in a warm environment for about 2 days until there are bubbles forming on the sides and on the surface (make sure the room is warm). Let the starter sit for one more day for fermentation to progress. Full disclosure: it will not smell great. It will smell acidic and vinegar-y. But that's good! It means fermentation is happening.
2. Now that you have your starter it's time to turn it into a leaven to actually use in baking. Transfer 75 grams of starter to a 16 oz mason jar, and discard the rest of the starter. Add 150 grams of the 50/50 flour blend and 150 grams of lukewarm water, and mix to combine. This is called "feeding your starter."
3. Repeat this feeding process every 24 hours around the same time of day. Always transfer the starter to a clean jar, add the flour and water, mix, and recover with a towel and allow to sit at a warm temperature. The starter will begin to rise and fall regularly after a few days; the smell will also change from acidic and vinegar-y to slightly acidic, sweet, and fermented (a bit like yogurt). These are signs that the starter is maturing, and getting closer to being able to raise bread!
4. Two days before you want to make the bread (I did say it was a long process!), feed your starter twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, to increase fermentation. Once you're ready to make the dough, take 1 tablespoon of mature starter (discard the rest) and add 200 grams of 50/50 flour blend and 200 grams of lukewarm water. Cover and let the leaven rest for 4-6 hours

5 . Once it's doubling regularly, begin to feed the starter 1/4 cup each of flour and tepid water in order to keep the starter busy for longer.

6. Two days before you want to make the bread, feed your starter twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, to increase fermentation. Once you're ready to make the dough, take 1 tablespoon of mature starter (discard the rest) and add 200 grams of 50/50 flour blend and 200 grams of lukewarm water. Cover and let the leaven rest for 4-6 hours.

BREAD INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place 425 grams flour and 6 grams kosher salt in a large mixing bowl
2. In another mixing bowl, stir together 300 grams lukewarm water with 180 grams of sourdough leaven. Add this to the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise at room temperature for 10-24 hours (if you need to slow the rise, place the bread in the refrigerator).
3. The next day, dust a clean kitchen surface with flour. Scoop the dough out onto the surface and dust it with more flour. Gently fold the edges of the dough in to form a round loaf. Line a bowl or boule with a clean towel and dust (LIBERALLY) with flour. Gently place the dough into the bowl seam-side-up. Cover and allow to double in size, about 2 hours.
4. While the dough is rising, heat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a large enamel Dutch oven in the oven and allow to heat for 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the oven and invert the risen dough into the pot, so that the seam is on the bottom. Return the lid to the pot and place it in the oven.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for an additional 25 minutes until the entire loaf is golden and crusty. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack for 30 minutes before serving.

RECIPE NOTES
Man, that took a while didn't it? Hopefully now you have a beautiful, golden brown loaf of aromatic, crusty, chewy bread. Mine looked absolutely gorgeous when I took it out of the oven (as pictured above). However, I still made a lot of mistakes. My bread was still rather dense, and didn't have as strong a signature sourdough flavor as I was expecting. Below are some tips regarding where I think I went wrong and how you can avoid the same pitfalls.

• The timing of the sourdough feedings is extremely important. My work/life schedule made it really difficult to feed at the same time every day, especially when the feedings were less than 12 hours apart. If you know you'll have the same problem, it will be very difficult to maintain a working sourdough starter.
• The temperature of the room you're working in is really important. If the room you're fermenting your starter in is too cold, it will slow down the fermentation process and prevent the cultures from performing in line with the timing laid out in this recipe. Make sure your room is between 69 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit!
• I had to proof my dough for almost an entire day in order for it to achieve the goal of doubling in size. If the doubling hasn't been achieved in the 2 hours the recipe suggests, don't feel like you have to bake immediately! Just make sure you keep the loaf covered with a towel to keep a skin from forming on the surface of the dough.
• A digital scale, while not strictly necessary, will make your life so much easier while completing this recipe. Instead of having to estimate amounts or look up different conversions for each ingredient, a digital scale makes it universally easy. I got mine for around $30 at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.
• The starter, while it's beginning to ferment, can give off a bit of a pungent aroma. So if you're living in a house with other people, maybe store it in a pantry or a cupboard instead of out on the counter to keep everyone comfortable.
  EQUIPMENT USED
  • 16 oz glass jar
  • Yemoos San Francisco Sourdough Starter Culture Kit
  • Proofing basket
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