Have you ever wanted to get into sourdough but became so overwhelmed with the thought of starting that it just never happened. Let’s take a look at how simple sourdough actually is and why it isn’t the over complicated thing it has been turned it into.
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What is Simple Sourdough?
Sourdough is the art of bread making using a natural fermented starter instead of a commercial yeast. Known to have many health benefits because of this natural fermenting of the grains. It makes a wonderful addition to most peoples diet.
Sourdough is a simple process that has been made for many decades by homemakers around the world. It has been wonderful seeing sourdough make a comeback and becoming a staple in most homes once again.
In this post we will be looking at why sourdough is for all for home bakers, not just for the artisans and pro bakers out there. It is for those of us that just want to be able to make our own bread from scratch with no fuss. Not all of us need all the deep technical details we just want to bake.
What’s stopping your simple sourdough journey?
When you first start looking into sourdough it can seem that it involves so much work. We may have lots of questions and concerns that may include:
- The thought of having to feed your starter regularly
- Fear of it dying after all that work
- It isn’t active enough and your bread not turning out.
- Quantities, how much do you feed it
- How much should you have remaining
- Can you over feed or under feed?
These are some reasons why it may seem daunting and they are legitimate concerns. But instead of them stopping us from progressing in our sourdough journey lets break them down and simplify the whole process.
Most of us don’t have a lot of spare time and everything you may read about sourdough makes it appear like it involves hours of work. But this isn’t true at all, it is actually very simple and uncomplicated.
Did you know that a lot of sourdough recipes involve very little hands on time.
Stop overthinking it.
This was the biggest hurdle for myself, I have learnt that sourdough is very forgiving. It can be a slower process but that in its self teaches us that not everything needs to be now now now.
The Sourdough starter
The key ingredient for any sourdough recipes is the starter. No matter which sourdough recipe you choose to make it is this starter that makes it sourdough. How it is made, stored and fed will depict how your bread turns out. It will also affect the flavour and texture too. So lets focus on this important part of sourdough.
So where do you get a sourdough starter?
The best option is to find someone who already has a mature starter and steal some from them.
Facebook marketplace could also be an option but use caution when buying from strangers you don’t know.
Another fantastic option is buying it dehydrated online. It will come with instructions as to how to rehydrate and use. Making this very easy and readily available.
Making your own starter
If you are determined to make it your self then here are some simple instructions for making your own.
What do you need? Flour and water that is it.
Which flour? Most flours will work but my go to include, wholegrain, all purpose, rye, and spelt.
Start with small amounts as will be adding to it as well as discarding some as you go. Don’t be overly concerned with consistency yet, just make sure it isn’t very thick or very watery.
- Day 1. morning 2 tbsp flour 2 tbsp water mix thoroughly
- Evening 2 tbsp flour 2 tbsp water mix in well
- Day 2 morning 4 tbsp flour 4 tbsp water mix
- Evening 4 tbsp flour 4 tbsp water mix
- Day 3 Discard half of the starter (see below)
- Repeat this process of feeding and discarding for around 4 days reduce the feeding to once a day
- When it looks bubbly and you see bubbles bubbling up when you jiggle it then it is ready to use.
Do not use bread flour for your starter it will kill it, some say you can use it but don’t, I nearly killed my starter with it.
Feeding your starter
If you are a measuring type if person and hate guessing quantities then a good rule of thumb is to use a 1:1:1 ratio this means equal parts starter, flour and water. You can use weight to measure it as well as volume.
The reason I don’t use the ratios is because you can’t over feed your starter but you can underfeed it. So aiming for more flour and water than starter is always a safe move.
Also some flours need more water and others need less. I like to go for a porridge/cake batter consistency.
Rye is a super feeder, if your starter is sluggish and needs waking up quickly feed it rye.
Basically to feed, you discard half the starter and then feed it with more flour and water.
You starter will grow as it ferment but don’t get overly concerned if it isn’t double the size and overflowing. Be more concerned with active bubbles.
Sidenote: Whichever flour you choose to feed it with will affect the end result so keep that in mind.
How to store your sourdough starter
Glass or plastic does it matter?
So many people love glass jars and yes I do like the look of it but they do tend to be a pain to clean. Also with how much you may need a large jar and I have found they can be a pain when feeding and mixing.
We use a high sided snap lid plastic container. The lid even when closed lets air in. This is important. It is also easy to clean.
Whichever container you choose to use it a personal preference. The main thing to remember is that the lid cannot but sealed air needs to escape.
Sourdough is a ferment and releases gasses that need to escape, so make sure it can breath.
Temperature plays a large part in sourdough. It speeds up with heat and slows with cold. This will effect
I store my sourdough in the fridge when I am not using it. When I need it then I will discard some starter and give it a couple of feedings to wake it up. Once it is bubbly I will use it for whatever I am making then it will go back into the fridge.
I tend to refrigerate it for a week at a time but I have left it there for two to three weeks and it was still alive. It may just need more feedings to wake it up.
Sourdough discard
My biggest pet peeve when I was starting out with sourdough was throwing away my sourdough discard. It felt like such a waste. But then I found discard recipes and also how I choose to bake my bread.
I make 2 loaves a week for my husband and myself. This uses 250g of starter alone. This can be my discard. How?
- I store my starter in the fridge in between baking.
- Remove the starter from the fridge feed it right away once or twice depending on how my starters health.
- I then use my starter for the bread.
- The starter then goes right back into the fridge. So no discard waste.
If my starter is pretty sluggish and so needs feeding more. This will mean I have discard waste so what should I do?
Why not add it to your baking, make pizzas, quick bread. There are so many easy simple uses for this discard. Go check out my post about sourdough discard uses for some ideas.
Simple sourdough takeaway points
- Instead of making your own try to get hold of a mature starter either from a friend or possibly Facebook marketplace (use caution). You can even purchase dehydrated starter online.
- Use your discard for other breads cakes or crackers
- Store your starter in the fridge when your not using it, saves having to feed it every day.
- Don’t despair if you miss a feed it is still alive.
- You can’t over feed your starter but you can underfeed it.
- Don’t feed it with bread flour.
- Kick start your starter with rye flour.
- Share your starter with others who are also wanting to get into sourdough
- Whether you store it in plastic or glass make sure the lid is not sealed tightly it needs to breath.
- Focus on the bubbles being actively bubbly.
- Warm conditions will speed it up, cold conditions slows it down.
Above all else you just need to….
“Enjoy The Journey”
And remember the more you do it the easier it will become but we all have to start somewhere.
Useful books and resources for simple sourdough
- Flour, water, salt and yeast book for an in depth look at artisan breads.
- Lisa from farmhouse on Boone for recipes and simple sourdough classes
- Sue Becker for all things flour and grains
- Meyers bakery book for bread recipes
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