I am about to embark on sourdough bread making, and want to ask for your advice. (See my Resources page for sourdough starter sources). It comes dehydrated, and I must mix it with water and flour to get it going and bubbling, ready to produce. I am so excited to do this!
On Wednesday, I bought a loaf of sourdough bread from The Lighthouse Bakery and Cafe. It was tremendously good! We are going there for lunch today, just me and Jeff (the kids are out of town), and I plan to ask for some tips on sourdough baking. Theirs is a traditional sourdough, for they use no yeast in the bread, and every bit of flour is soured for 24 hours, so I feel sure that they would make Sally Fallon Morell, of Nourishing Traditions, proud. They have a seven-grain sourdough bread which is entirely whole-grain, and that is what I hope to eat today at lunch. They didn’t have any of that at the Farmers’ Market on Wednesday, so I got Garlic-Romano Sourdough, which was only partially whole-grain. But , you may be wondering what is so special about traditional sourdough bread? So read on…
Why Traditional Sourdough?
Quoting from a quote in Nourishing Traditions, Jacques DeLangre writes,
In books on baking and even in nutritional/medical writings, the two techniques for making bread, natural leaven (sourdough) and baker’s yeast, are often mingled and confounded… Baking with leaven is in harmony with nature and maintains the integrity and nutrition of the cereal grains used… The process helps to increase and reinforce our body’s absorption of the cereal’s nutrients. Unlike yeasted bread that diminishes, even destroys, much of the grain’s nutritional value, naturally leavened bread does not stale and, as it ages, maintains its original moisture much longer. A lot of that information was known pragmatically for centuries; and thus when yeast was first introduced in France at the court of Louixs XIV in March 1668, because at that time the scientists already knew that the use of yeast would imperil the people’s health, it was strongly rejected. Today, yeast is used almost universally, without any testing; and the recent scientific evidence and clinical findings are confirming the ancient taboos with bio-chemical and bioelectronic valid proofs that wholly support that age-old common sense decision.
Whew! What a long quote. But the point is that the process of making sourdough bread helps our body to absorb the grains’ nutrients, while yeasted breads work to destroy much of the grain’s nutritional value. Sourdough bread resists going stale and keeps moisture much longer.
What Now?
I feel badly that all these years, I have promoted yeast-breads, rather than exploring the traditional sourdough bread-making methods. It feels like such wasted time to me and I regret being one who passed on poor information! Five years ago, I did try to make my own sourdough starter, following Nourishing Traditions‘ directions. This was when we lived in California. The starter got moldy and was a genuine disaster.
Which is why I am looking for help. I have sufficiently recovered in those five years to want to try this again. 
So… give me your best tips, websites, advice and common sense, please!
Also, time will tell whether our gluten-sensitive folks (Haniya and Jeff) can eat the sourdough bread. They do well with sprouted bread, and I’m hoping for the same here. I have rye, kamut, and spelt to use in my experimenting. If you have ideas to share about which are your favorite flours for sourdough bread, I’d love to hear that, too. Hey, please share ANYTHING else you think might help! I need it!
This post is part of Fight Back Fridays! at FoodRenegade.
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I successfully made my own starter and gluten free sourdough bread at thanksgiving last year. It took some patience and lots of tweaking, but I eventually got it right. Unfortunately, we don’t tolerate yeast around here…I thought perhaps the wild yeast would work better but it didn’t. Took me three months to heal up again. Anyway, it was delicious and the process was fun. Good luck!
I hope you have great success. I have never used a mix or purchased culture. I have always simply made the starter and allowed it to sit on the counter top to inoculate with whatever ubiquitous bacteria may be hanging around. I think that is why sour dough bread in one area of the country tastes different from another part of the country, even though it may be made in the same fashion the bacteria are different.
I recently started my own starter and have had immense success with it! So i will try to offer what advice I can. I started with simply 1 cup of my local flour and 1 cup of water and let it sit out for about 4 days – I fed it a teaspoon of sugar (cane juice) the first day, then about a teaspoon of flour each day after until the smell was sour and the top developed a nice crust.
I have used it now four times and each time the bread gets better! If you’d like to read my complete process, go here: http://realfoodmama.wordpress.com/2009/07/03/home-made-sourdough-bread/
Good luck!
– RFM
.-= Real Food Mama´s last blog post… Slow Food and Slow Money =-.
I will offer no advice since I followed Nourishing Traditions recipe and made two loaves of bread suitable for building a fireplace. I buzzed one up into bread crumbs and chop the other up and soaked it in broth for poultry stuffing. Waste not, want not.
I am making sourdough again. A long time ago I had a starter going and just made plain white sourdough. Now I have a whole wheat starter and make whole wheat sourdough. I made my starter (7 day process) and once it was ready very excitedly made my first two loaves. They turned out something like little bricks. Hubby loved the taste of them but the rest of us could barely lift a piece to get it in our mouth.
A few days later I tried again. Much better. I think I’ve made four batches now and each batch turns out a little better. I’ve heard the starter gets better as it gets older. And one thing I’m doing that I think helps is giving it plenty of time to develop. From start to finish it takes me over 24 hours to make my loaves of course most of that is rise time not hands on. I’m working on feeding my starter up so I can make 4 loaves at once the next time. We are eating the bread faster than I can keep up with the making!
I love Cultures for Health. I got my dairy kefir grains and my kombucha mother from them. Both are doing wonderfully!
.-= Millie´s last blog post… Know Your Food Source =-.
I’m just hoping you’re going to tell us that 5-minute method works with sour dough!
Christie –
I’m STILL trying to find a good sourdough bread recipe that’s not too sour (my husband is not a fan), to use as an everyday/sandwich bread.
I very successfully made my own starter using this method: http://www.sourdoughhome.com/startermyway.html
It’s a great website with lots of info.
My starter mostly gets used to make these extremely yummy homemade crackers: http://sarahs-musings.blogspot.com/2008/08/whole-wheat-sourdough-crackers.html
Good luck! If you discover a good, non-sour recipe for bread… please share.
Michael Pollan briefly discusses it (I just read this last night) and I believe just uses a flour, water starter. His worked right away, but he did say that sometimes they just get funky and you have to start over! This is a great thread-I’m going to try to make some too!
hi wardeh. i have a successful, thriving rye sourdough culture that i caught this spring. i use a recipe very similar to sally fallons with rye and spelt. the bread is good, and healthy, but not fantatstically delicious as non whole grain sourdoughs can be. still we all enjoy it and there is just whole grains, water, and salt. (well, and the wild yeast culture which was made with just whole rye and water).
id be happy to share exactly how i caught and maintain the starter (since we live nearby, you can probably catch the same yeast in the same way)OR share some of mine with you.
i actually havent used mine in probably two weeks, so this is a reminder for me to feed it up, thanks!
Wardeh,
I read that using rye flour for the starter is the best way to go. Whenever I have used rye for anything it has turned into a brick.
I need to experiment more.
Good luck!
i have recently done a lot of reading about this… rye is favored because rye loves to ferment and it is very easy to catch a wild yeast and make a rye starter.
however, once you have the starter, you can easily use other grains in the actual bread recipe. you can even begin to feed the starter with a different grain and turn it into a spelt or wheat starter until eventually all the rye will be gone.
but if you let it rise long enough (for me this is 12 hours at least) the rye, or a combo of rye and spelt make a nice loaf. even lighter is all spelt with just the rye in the starter.
Thank you to everyone for all the great links and tips! I have printed everything you’ve written, including the content at the links and I’m about to sit down and read through it all.
My starter is ready – I’ve fed it three times and it is bubbly and active. I’m so excited!
But I’m still too chicken to start anything, so I’m going to read all you’ve shared and try to get brave. Thanks, again, SO MUCH!
I kept a batch of sourdough going for six years and didn’t ruin it until after I came to Oregon and forgot to stir it and feed it for several weeks. That said, it took me two or three tries to get the sourdough starter right. The first one turned pink – a kind of nasty fungus grew on top. The second one was fine, but the black stuff that floated to the top scared me (it’s just byproducts of fermentation, like alcohol!) so I tossed it. The third was good. I started with white flour and a tablespoon of sugar because that was what I heard was easiest. Then I fed it every time thereafter with rye or oat flour. The starter I began after moving here was half white, half rye and a few raisins. It was great until I forgot to stir it again. I think in general sourdough is very forgiving as long as you take care of it every two or three days. Most of the time sourdough bread is wonderful, but I had an occasional brick experience, too. If the dough does not rise I make tiny flat dog biscuits out of it so it’s not wasted.
I recommend reading the information at http://ranprieur.com/readings/natleavbread.html
about naturally leavened bread from a starter kept at cool temperatures.
I have tried a few different starter methods including Sally Fallon Morell’s (I could have shown the children of Israel how to make bricks for Pharoah without straw!) and have had the best and most dependable results from keeping my starter in the fridge, feeding it daily whether I use it or not. I make pancakes from the starter if I get more than I need for bread. The bread makes excellent toast, rolls, and yes even sandwich loaves that you can slice and the children can eat without it being too “rugged” as my husband would say. It is 100% whole grain, just the simple ingredients of flour water and salt, mixed with the whole wheat starter. (I love to use oats or spelt to add variety.) I “this bread is a miracle” every batch I make:) It is glory to God that He created wild yeast and natural leavening, and it astounds me.
Heather – thank you! That is intriguing information – just my style! I am saying Amen with you – giving glory to God for His miraculous designs!
Gabrielle – could you share how you started and are maintaining your starter. I am tempted to ask you to share yours with me at some point, but I feel like I’ve got to make a go of the starter that I already acquired.
Heather – I read through the natural leavened bread article (at cool temps) and it resonates with what the sourdough bakery here told me yesterday. I had a long talk about sourdough with them and my mind is getting clearer with regard to the whole adventure. I think I’d like to start with what is working for you – Can you recommend a recipe? That article doesn’t share a recipe, though it is very helpful with philosophy.
The recipe I use is as follows:
For one loaf….
1 1/2 cups starter
1 cup pure cold water
1 tsp. salt
approx. 3 cups flour
Mix in bowl in the order listed. Gradually add flour until bowl is clean or dough is of good consistency. Then, on oiled counter knead the dough. Let rise by placing in oiled bowl overnight in the refridgerator (or a cool room 55 degrees or cooler), OR you may leave your dough at room temperature for 5-6 hours.
After rising time (and dough has doubled in volume), stretch dough with a drop and fold process until it has a nice texture. Then form into a loaf (rolls, pizza whatever you need) and place in an oiled bread pan. Let rise til double (about 1 1/2 – 3 hours).
Bake at 325 – 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Take out of pans and cool on wire rack. Optional: brush tops with butter or water immediately after removing from oven for a softer crust.
Notes: A variety of flours can be used for the bread. Hard wheat, or spelt alone work beautifully. I usually use a mix of various whole grains. I always double the recipe.
To keep a good healthy starter, which is vital for good bread, it should be fed every 12 to 24 hours. I feed mine in the evening just before I go to bed, after I have started a batch of bread. If I’m not starting a batch of bread I just feed it and return it to the fridge.
I have pancake, waffle and english muffin recipes made with the starter, I can share sometime too.
Heather – Thanks so much! I’m going to start this today. I’d love for you to share the other recipes sometime.
I’d love to see the english muffin recipe, Heather.
Wardeh, its so encouraging to read that you are trying something new! Sometimes I read food blogs and feel discouraged at all there is to learn, but you are a great example.
Christie – I feel the same way, and more often than I should. There are many inspirational blogs out there – but we can’t let ourselves get defeated by wondering why we can’t do it all or know it all. I’m talking to myself here, too. This sourdough thing – I have had it on my mind for about 3 months.
But I just ground my flour, so it is happening… very soon, and finally!
I second those who said that the Nourishing Traditions recipe did not work for them! I stuck it out for a long time, feeling bad that I couldn’t make good bread, but really the recipe just does not tell you everything you need to know.
I highly recommend http://www.sourdoughhome.com, a website someone else mentioned too. This site is incredibly informative (if you find it overwhelming, don’t worry. Just follow the Fast Track to Sourdough, since you already have a starter). It is run by a long time professional baker who really knows his stuff. (He even encourages you to ask questions if you’re having trouble, and responds quickly–I don’t know how or why he donates so much of his time, but it’s really wonderful.)
The recipe for a 100% whole wheat bread (http://www.sourdoughhome.com/100percentwholewheat.html) is truly incredible. Once you get the hang of it, it makes an unbelievably soft, light loaf, delicious for sandwiches and toast. I have actually started making and selling this bread from our farmstand and everyone raves about it. I think I get a better rise and somewhat softer bread from letting it rise twice, but for a long time I just did the one rise and it was still good bread, and not sour at all, for those who don’t like it sour.
After you’re comfortable with sourdough, that website also has recipes for bagels, muffins, pizza crust, English muffins–not all of them are whole wheat, but you can work on adapting them that way.
Baking with sourdough is really exciting—have fun!
.-= Rachelle´s last blog post… And the harvest begins! =-.
Rachelle – Thank you for sharing your experience. It is interesting, your words about NT, “not enough information”. I don’t want to bash NT, but I have thought this again and again. It is hard to know when huge parts of the processes are not addressed. I took a peek at your harvest and your lovely farmstand bread and bagels – you are the real deal.
I hope to see you again!
Wardeh, just found your site a couple of days ago and appreciate all the interesting info. Just today I mixed up a batch of sourdough spelt bread using your sprouted bread recipe and guessing at how much sourdough starter to use and adjusting the flour and water accordingly. Not sure how it will turn out, but so far it has risen nicely and I will bake it later tonight. One site that has a lot of videos and info on working with sourdough, maintaining the starter, and no knead bread is http://www.breadtopia.com I have been working on perfecting sourdough that is a high percentage of wheat, spelt, or other whole grain flours. Some turn out great and others not so great–many recipes you find have a good percentage of white flour in order for the bread to rise more. One thing I really like about sourdough bread is it is much less likely to mold than yeasted breads. Good luck with sourdough
Deb – Thanks for sharing the link to the site with videos and info – I’ll check it out! How did your sourdough turn out using the the sprouted spelt recipe?
hi wardeh. i used a simple process. my starter is healthy and easy to care for. for the actual bread, i use basically the NT recipe with a few tweaks and the bread is good, but not like more traditional white sourdough.
anyway, for the starter, i started with a sterile bowl. i sterilized by boiling water in my tea kettle and pouring it over the bowl. then i let the bowl cool for a minute.
i mixed one cup freshly ground (fine) whole rye flour and one cup filtered water. i covered it with a breathable cotton cloth. a rubber band helps secure it so it doesnt droop into the dough.
each day, for one week, i sterilized a fresh bowl ( i really only used two, alternating them daily) and then mixed in half a cup of rye flour and half a cup of water.
i kept it covered with the cloth and set it out on my counter. this was a couple of months ago and it wasnt very hot out, so it may be faster now.
after doing this for one week (you can try up to two weeks if necessary), my starter was bubbly and a little bit frothy and smelled strongly sour, but not unpleasant. at this point, i put it in a clean container with a lid (not quite airtight) and into the fridge. i feed it every couple of days with equal amounts of flour and water. (usually 1/2 to 1 cup of each). when i use it, im sure to save out at least a cup.
the trick is to always feed it with less than the total volume already in there. use equal amounts of water and flour, and stir well. i do not feed mine daily.
if you get the hang of it and like the bread, you will want more starter and so will want to feed it larger amounts and/or more frequently. and you dont want to foget it completely. try and fee at least once per week. this will also release pent up gasses which can build up if you leave a container of starter unopened for too long.
thats it, very simple! it did take me several trials to develope a bread we all liked, though. i can share my recipe for that later if you like. but one tip is: dont expecta lovely, light snadwich sourdough like you can buy at a bakery! this is going to be heavier, heartier and healthier.
one other tip is that you want to take out the amount needed, out of the fridge, feed it, and leave it out overnight before using it in the bread. you dont want to use it cold and dormant as it will take too long to wake up.
if you want some starter, let me know. we leave on a creek and so have humid air and that may make it easier to catch a yeast at our house??
i hope this helps. its all just stored in my head…
Gabrielle – it is all SO helpful! Thank you! Here’s a question for which I have not found an answer yet. Perhaps you or Heather or someone else can say. When you keep the starter in the fridge, do you keep it air-tight or loosely covered?
I’d love to see your recipe someday, when you have time to share it. I’m glad you said to feed the starter with less volume than it already has. I made that mistake already, but I don’t think it was fatal. The starter has recovered. I’m relieved!
heather, thanks so much for that great recipe. Could you also please give the recipes for pancakes, waffles and english muffins? Thanks to wardeh for getting my enthusiasm going as well
hi wardeh!
well, i know you dont like to use plastic, but the truth is: i use an old palm oil plastic bucket to keep my starter in the fridge!
you know how those buckets are… so it doesnt usually close up completely. i would say ‘not quite airtight’ rather than ‘loosely covered’. however, sometimes it does get completely closed which isnt a problem because i open it often enough to feed it and that releases trapped gasses.
other times the lid gets pushed too open and the starter can dry out a little on top. no big deal- you can scrape off any really dry bits and just stir it back up.
it really is just easy whatever works and eyeballing it!
i will be making a loaf in the next few days and i will write it all down to have a firm copy of my recipe. depending on when i get to it, i make have a slice for you to try when i see you next week. then you can compare and you may well find your own recipe is best!
As much as I don’t like plastic, I had to use one of those buckets yesterday for my LF pickles – nothing else would work! I can’t wait for your recipe and possibly a slice!
Wardeh,
I keep my starter in a gallon jar (glass) with an air tight lid. It is ideal to pour it out daily and mix in more water and flour, then put it in a clean jar. I don’t want it picking up any off flavors from the other foods in the refridgerator. The large jar allows room for expansion and gasses to build up without a dangerous amount of pressure.
A Side comment on the LF cucumbers: It helps to add a cherry leaf or two to the jar. They turn out nice and crisp! Grape leaves also work.
Pancake/Waffle Recipe
Finally, here’s the recipe.
6 Cups starter
1/3 C maple Syrup
1/2 C oil
1 1/2 teas. salt
1 1/2 teas. baking soda
1 Tablespoon baking powder
You can add a couple egg if you want the protein and add milk if it is too thick.
Add eggs or milk before you put the baking soda and powder in. Also you need an extra large bowl because the action is tremendous due to the acid in the starter and it will double in size with the addition of the leavening.
I don’t usually put in all the baking powder. In fact, recently I haven’t had it and I use only baking soda and it has worked fine. For waffles I find it sometimes works better to leave out all the leavening and just add a few eggs.