If you have ever baked bread (and I'm not talking about take-and-bake rolls from the grocery store, even though some of them are of pretty good quality, quite tasty and are the best option when you want fresh baked bread but have no time to bake it), you know the finished product is something to be shared with others. I mean, plenty of people will make themselves some eggs, or a sandwich, or even a piece of fish or chicken or meat, then proceed to eat it all; most people do not bake a loaf of bread and sit down to consume the whole thing. Due to the relative size of a portion of bread to the size of the loaf, bread was made for the purpose of sharing; it's no wonder that "breaking bread" is the term used universally for sharing food and dining together.
With sourdough bread, which is undeniably the best kind of bread that ever was, is or will be, the sharing starts even before the bread comes out of the oven. Unlike most breads which use dry or fresh yeast as the leavening agent, sourdough gets its rise from a starter, a mixture of flour and water that is then left out in the open to allow the yeasts that naturally occur on the flour to promote fermentation of some of the carbohydrates, thus producing lactic and acetic acids; these acids give sourdough its unique sour taste. If cared for regularly by adding additional flour and water as prescribed by the recipe, starter can last a very long time, arguably, indefinitely. One can even preserve starter for the long term by drying it out, as described here by the folks at King Arthur Flour. I was lucky to get some of my friend Serah's starter a few years back, which, I'm ashamed to say, I did not care for sufficiently. While we were getting ready to move to NJ, I ended up throwing it out, partly because I didn't know how I would get it across country (just imagine the look on the TSA agent's face if I were to try to carry that through security!), and partly because I couldn't figure out how to revive a starter that was in a coma. I vowed to make my own starter when we got into our new place, but alas, I forgot about it.
About 9 months after the move, my friend Rivky texted me that she had recently made starter but had more than she knew what to do with, and would I want some. I texted her back with a resounding YES!!! and asked if I could come over that day. I left with 100 grams of starter and dreams of crusty boules of flavorful bread gracing my table once again. A few months after that another friend, Rivka, knowing how much I love sourdough, gave me some of her starter, which is older than the starter I already had, and has a slightly different flavor. I now have 2 quarts of different starters in my fridge (or on the counter, depending on if I'll be baking soon), each with its own unique flavor and character. The older one is lighter in color, a little thinner, and has a more pronounced sour flavor; it also produces a chewier dough. The younger starter is darker in color (I used white whole wheat flour to feed it for the first month), is a thicker consistency (probably from the whole grain, but I'm not sure), and has a milder flavor. They both make utterly delicious bread.
Today we had our neighbors for lunch, and I served my sourdough bread. We were talking about it and my husband mentioned how much starter we have. At that point I offered to give them starter so they can make the bread at home. The starter friendship chain continues.
Everyday Sourdough adapted from Artisan Sourdough Made Simple: A Beginner's Guide to Delicious Handcrafted Bread with Minimal Kneading by Emilie Raffa
My notes:
Ingredients:
50 grams bubbly, active starter
350 grams warm water
500 grams bread flour
9 grams kosher salt
Make the dough: In the evening, mix the starter and water together in a large bowl with a fork. Add the flour and salt. Combine (I use a silicone spatula) until a stiff dough forms, then finish by mixing by hand to fully incorporate the flour. The dough will feel dense and shaggy, and it will stick to your fingers as you go. Scrape off as much as you can. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes. Feed starter with 50 grams each flour and water, stir, and either let sit out or return to the fridge (depending on when you next plan to use it).
After the dough has rested, work the mass into a fairly smooth ball. To do this, grab a portion of the dough and fold it over, pressing your fingertips into the center. Repeat, working your way around the dough until it begins to tighten, about 15-30 seconds.
First rise: Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let rise overnight at room temperature, at least 8-10 hours. The dough is ready when it no longer looks dense and has doubled in size.
Shaping the dough: The following day, coax the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. To shape it into a round, start at the top and fold the dough over toward the center. Turn the dough slightly and fold over the next section of dough. Repeat until you have come full circle. Flip the dough, seam side down, onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Let rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The dough is ready when it looks puffy and has risen slightly but not yet doubled in size.
If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven when you finish shaping the bread. Whether or not you have a baking stone, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
When your bread is ready to bake and your oven is preheated, turn the oven down to 425 degrees. Score your loaf with a knife (I usually make an X in the middle, but fancier ideas can be found here).
Bake: Place the pan with the bread in the oven, on the baking stone if you are using one. If desired, spray the loaf with water until it glistens slightly. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the bread and spray again with water, if using. Bake for another 10 minutes, and once again, rotate the bread but do not spray with water. Bake another 15-20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.
Sourdough is best consumed the day it is baked. It's great on its own, with a little salted butter, or dipped in garlic olive oil. It makes a fantastic accompaniment to soups and stews, and it makes a killer grilled cheese sandwich (use thin-ish slices so you have a good bread:cheese ratio).
More sourdough resources:
With sourdough bread, which is undeniably the best kind of bread that ever was, is or will be, the sharing starts even before the bread comes out of the oven. Unlike most breads which use dry or fresh yeast as the leavening agent, sourdough gets its rise from a starter, a mixture of flour and water that is then left out in the open to allow the yeasts that naturally occur on the flour to promote fermentation of some of the carbohydrates, thus producing lactic and acetic acids; these acids give sourdough its unique sour taste. If cared for regularly by adding additional flour and water as prescribed by the recipe, starter can last a very long time, arguably, indefinitely. One can even preserve starter for the long term by drying it out, as described here by the folks at King Arthur Flour. I was lucky to get some of my friend Serah's starter a few years back, which, I'm ashamed to say, I did not care for sufficiently. While we were getting ready to move to NJ, I ended up throwing it out, partly because I didn't know how I would get it across country (just imagine the look on the TSA agent's face if I were to try to carry that through security!), and partly because I couldn't figure out how to revive a starter that was in a coma. I vowed to make my own starter when we got into our new place, but alas, I forgot about it.
About 9 months after the move, my friend Rivky texted me that she had recently made starter but had more than she knew what to do with, and would I want some. I texted her back with a resounding YES!!! and asked if I could come over that day. I left with 100 grams of starter and dreams of crusty boules of flavorful bread gracing my table once again. A few months after that another friend, Rivka, knowing how much I love sourdough, gave me some of her starter, which is older than the starter I already had, and has a slightly different flavor. I now have 2 quarts of different starters in my fridge (or on the counter, depending on if I'll be baking soon), each with its own unique flavor and character. The older one is lighter in color, a little thinner, and has a more pronounced sour flavor; it also produces a chewier dough. The younger starter is darker in color (I used white whole wheat flour to feed it for the first month), is a thicker consistency (probably from the whole grain, but I'm not sure), and has a milder flavor. They both make utterly delicious bread.
Today we had our neighbors for lunch, and I served my sourdough bread. We were talking about it and my husband mentioned how much starter we have. At that point I offered to give them starter so they can make the bread at home. The starter friendship chain continues.
Everyday Sourdough adapted from Artisan Sourdough Made Simple: A Beginner's Guide to Delicious Handcrafted Bread with Minimal Kneading by Emilie Raffa
My notes:
- Measure in grams, please. Volumetric measurements are quite imprecise, and in something like bread, this makes a very big difference. Get yourself a digital scale, which range in price from $10-$50+. You want one with both ounces and grams, one that has a tare feature (I think all of them do), and one that you can see the screen even when there is a bowl on the scale.
- In the original recipe, the author has a schedule based on baking the loaf on Sunday morning; I've adjusted this to reflect baking on Friday, since that's usually when I bake my sourdough.
- I usually make a double recipe (2 loaves), since we usually have 1 on Friday and 1 on Saturday. Try this recipe if you have leftover sourdough. You'll be glad you did.
- I have made slight adaptations to the baking time and temperature. The first time I made the recipe as-is, I nearly burned my loaf.
- Treat yourself to a small spray bottle (dollar store special!) so you can spray the loaf with water while it bakes. This creates steam and helps that chewy-crunchy crust form. It's not a necessity, but it's nice.
- Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning: feed starter with 50 grams each flour and water, let sit (uncovered or covered with something permeable, like a basket-shaped coffee filter). Starter should get bubbly and active.
- Thursday evening: make the dough, let rise overnight.
- Friday: shape the dough, let rise again, score, bake.
Ingredients:
50 grams bubbly, active starter
350 grams warm water
500 grams bread flour
9 grams kosher salt
Make the dough: In the evening, mix the starter and water together in a large bowl with a fork. Add the flour and salt. Combine (I use a silicone spatula) until a stiff dough forms, then finish by mixing by hand to fully incorporate the flour. The dough will feel dense and shaggy, and it will stick to your fingers as you go. Scrape off as much as you can. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes. Feed starter with 50 grams each flour and water, stir, and either let sit out or return to the fridge (depending on when you next plan to use it).
After the dough has rested, work the mass into a fairly smooth ball. To do this, grab a portion of the dough and fold it over, pressing your fingertips into the center. Repeat, working your way around the dough until it begins to tighten, about 15-30 seconds.
First rise: Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let rise overnight at room temperature, at least 8-10 hours. The dough is ready when it no longer looks dense and has doubled in size.
Shaping the dough: The following day, coax the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. To shape it into a round, start at the top and fold the dough over toward the center. Turn the dough slightly and fold over the next section of dough. Repeat until you have come full circle. Flip the dough, seam side down, onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Let rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The dough is ready when it looks puffy and has risen slightly but not yet doubled in size.
If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven when you finish shaping the bread. Whether or not you have a baking stone, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
When your bread is ready to bake and your oven is preheated, turn the oven down to 425 degrees. Score your loaf with a knife (I usually make an X in the middle, but fancier ideas can be found here).
Bake: Place the pan with the bread in the oven, on the baking stone if you are using one. If desired, spray the loaf with water until it glistens slightly. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the bread and spray again with water, if using. Bake for another 10 minutes, and once again, rotate the bread but do not spray with water. Bake another 15-20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.
Sourdough is best consumed the day it is baked. It's great on its own, with a little salted butter, or dipped in garlic olive oil. It makes a fantastic accompaniment to soups and stews, and it makes a killer grilled cheese sandwich (use thin-ish slices so you have a good bread:cheese ratio).
More sourdough resources:
- Spilled Milk Podcast, Sourdough episode (after you listen to the podcast, check out the links at the bottom of the page)
- An interesting looking recipe for sourdough pita bread because, apparently, central NJ does not have good quality pita, and I really want good pita with my shwarma!
- Sourdough English muffins from Beyond the Chicken Coop, in case I get really ambitious
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