Start your own sourdough

 

Ok, rather than confuse you with long explanations and reasons why, I'll cook it all the way down to the basics, which are guaranteed to work, and if you have any questions whatsoever, you just hit me back with your questions. I'll be more than happy to help with free advice and tips, based on my professional experience since 1979, because the pleasures, pride, joy and benefits you get out of making your own, is phenomenal and once you "catch on", you are hooked for life, to everyone's benefit.

If you don't have a "starter", a tiny piece of sourdough to start the process with, you either ask me for a free starter, which I will be happy to provide, or you start out from scratch at step one.

If you already have a starter, say the one you got from me, for free, you start out at step two.

Step one (making your starter):

In a small, clean container (make sure it's clean!), you throw in 1/2 cup of no more than lukewarm water and 1/2 cup of all purpose flour (forget everything anyone have ever told you about specialty flours. all you need is all purpose. Ther's a reason it's called "all purpose"). This 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of flour you mix up until it's smooth and free of lumps. I recommend using your hands, because with your hands you can actually feel what you are doing. You can't feel anything in a mixer or through a wooden spoon. Once smooth, you cover it lightly, ensuring it can "breathe". You can use a clean towel or a lid with a vent hole. Then you set it aside for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, you throw out half and that half you just threw out, you now replace with equal amounts of water and flour, just like you started out. That means you now (after you throw oout half) add 1/4 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of water. Again, mix until it's smooth and free of lumps, and you are back up to your initial 1 cup of eventual sourdough starter. This process is called "refreshing" or "feeding" your sourdough. Again, cover it lightly and put it aside for 24 hours.

This process of throwing out half and replacing the half you just threw out with flour and water on a "half-and-half" scale, you keep repeating every 24 hours, until your sourdough starts "bubbling". It may take 5 days and it may come a lot faster, pending circumstances and conditions. The bubbling that slowly starts to form, means the natural yeasts that are in the air all oround us, has taken a liking to your mixture, to the extend where they have started to multiply. 

Now you wait until your starter is well and truly alive; the bubbles become a lot larger and your mixture has at least doubled in size. At this point in time, you put your starter in a small container (suggested: wide-mouth) that is absolutely clean, and you put the lid on like normal and keep it in the fridge, where it will last a long time without being "fed" and is ready to "start your big one" with, whenever you want to bake.

Step two (making your loaf):

Now it's time to bake. If you didn't get a starter from me, you take the one you now have in your fridge. A good piece of advice, when it comes to anything in baking: Get into a routine right from the beginning. Getting into a routine from the get-go will make it a lot easier to trouble shoot and correct any potential issues that might potentially show up.

Now, put your starter in a clean bowl, add a cup of flour and a cup of water. Mix it til smooth and free of lumps and then leave it on counter, covered with a clean cloth or a lid with a vent hole. Then you go to sleep and when you wake up next morning, your sourdough is ready to use; it's very well risen, well "ripe" and at least twice as big as before you went to bed. It's ready to bake with, but here's the most important thing to remember: Before you do anything, take away a large handful or two, to use as a starter for your next one. Remember the little piece of starter you had in your fridge? Take away a large handful or two of your big sourdough you have now, put in the the small contaier that goes in the fridge, so you have a starter for your next dough.

The rest, you put your salt and your oil in (10 and 20 grams respectively), add your flour and whatever else you want in your bread, knead it to maximum gluten elasticity (smooth and stretchy). Then you split it into two smaller loaves or one larger one, shape your loaves and put then on a piece of parchment paper, covered with an upside-down bowl so your breads don't dry out. After a couple or a few hours, pending conditions, they are at least twice as big and ready to go in the oven...which you have preheated.

Note that each and every oven is as individual as each and every car and no car, no oven works exactly the same, but baking times and temperatures I will be happy to provide you with, based on my own experiences in my own oven. You will just have to experiment a bit with your own oven, if you are not really sure. But again, being in a regular routine will make it a lot easier for you to adress any potential issues.

HAVE QUESTIONS OR NEED MORE DETAIL: HIT ME BACK.

WATER, FLOUR AND PATIENCE.
ALL YOU NEED TO GET YOUR STARTER GOING.