Sourdough: Starter and Recipes
This starter is from a bakery in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was given to a family member of mine from the bakery when they asked if they could spare any, as their sourdough bread tasted fantastic. It's about 50-100 years old. I am not sure of the starter history outside out this, but it tastes amazing!
Sourdough bread has more health benefits than other breads, aiding good gut health as well as bringing lots of beneficial vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to the table.
Making your starter (dried)
This process takes 7 days, and you will need to do something each day.
What you need: a very clean glass jar or bowl (I use a large wide-mouth mason jar), parchment paper, rubber band, all purpose flour, and clean, lukewarm water (filtered or bottled).
Instructions
Day 1 - Prepare the starter.
Mix your bag of dried starter with 1/2 cup of lukewarm water for a minute or so.
Add 1/2 cup, plus 2 tbsp of all purpose flour.
Stir in more flour or water 1tsp at a time as needed to get a really thick pancake-batter consistency.
Cover with a small piece of parchment paper and secure with a rubber band.
Place it in a warm place, I recommend putting it in the oven when it is off. If you need to use the oven, take it out beforehand and wait until the oven is cool/very slightly warm. Put a sticker or piece of masking tape on the bake button so you don't turn the oven on accidentally!
Day 2 - Give it a good stir. Cover and back in the oven.
Day 3 - Feed it.
Add another 1/2 cup of flour and up to 1/2 cup of lukewarm water. I recommend starting with 1/4 cup water first and adding more as needed to reach that thick pancake-batter consistency.
Mix well.
Cover it back up with the same parchment and rubber band, and put back in the oven.
Day 4 - Rinse and repeat
Your starter will be doing something by now, bubbles and/or a pleasant sour scent.
Add another 1/2 cup of flour and up to 1/2 cup of lukewarm water. Again looking for that thick pancake-batter consistency.
Mix well.
Cover it back up with the same parchment and rubber band, and put back in the oven.
Note: Do not worry if you overflow a jar, it's a rite of passage! If you're worried, put a plate or baking pan underneath.
Day 5 - Say goodbye to half of your starter
It seems like a tragedy, but it's an important step...toss half of your starter in the compost. It's important to make sure you are feeding the lactobacilli enough to keep a nice and healthy starter, skipping this step will starve them out and your starter will die.
Starter is super hungry at this point, so this time, add 1 cup of flour and up to 1 cup of water (following the same method as previous steps).
Mix well.
Cover it back up with the same parchment and rubber band, and put back in the oven.
Day 6 - Almost done
Add another 1/2 cup of flour and up to 1/2 cup of lukewarm water. Again looking for that thick pancake-batter consistency.
Mix well.
Cover it back up with the same parchment and rubber band, and put back in the oven.
Day 7 - Final step
Congrats! You are officially done the lengthy start-up, now you just have to maintain your starter. Maintenance instructions will be below the end of the start-up instructions.
Discard your starter. This means you will keep only about 1/2 cup, the rest will have the same fate at Day 5, or there are so many recipes online that use sourdough discard for flavor.
Feed your starter. This can be done with a scale or by measurement; you are aiming for 1:1:1 with a similar consistency to your starter. If you use measuring cups, you will need to use less water than you did previously.
You now have two options: use it in your favourite recipe when it doubles in 6-8h, or put it in the fridge for later use.
Keeping your starter healthy/feeding your live starter
If you have just purchased a live starter, you will want to give it a good 'wake-up' before baking with it. For the first feed, give your starter a 1:2:2 ratio; then, continue along with the directions below!
How often you have to discard and feed your starter is completely dependent on how often you intend to bake with it. Either way, cover it with parchment and a rubber band.
Infrequent baker - put it in the fridge. If not used, then simply discard and feed once a week (at the very minimum, every 4-5 days is best). If you see liquid on top of the starter, this starter hooch (alcohol) and is created when the starter is very hungry. Be sure to dump out the alcohol before proceeding. When you're ready to bake, take the starter out of the fridge, discard and feed. Wait 6-8h and it should double, then you're ready to bake!
Frequent baker - keep it on the counter but away from drafts. If you have a warm place in the kitchen put it there. Discard and feed it daily.
Reminders:
Discard your starter. This means you will keep only about 1/2 cup, the rest will be destined for the compost. Don't want to toss it? There are so many recipes online that use sourdough discard for flavor. Keep in mind, if you are making multiple loaves in one day you can save a second 1/2 cup of discard to feed.
Feed your starter. This can be done with a scale, by measurement, or by eye. For all, you are aiming for 1:1:1 with a similar consistency to your starter (thick pancake batter). If you use measuring cups, you will need to use less water as you did previously in preparing the starter.
Starter hooch. Alcohol that is created when your starter is hungry (it will smell like alcohol, but do not consume). Best to scoop it out before feeding your starter.
Recipes for beginners
There are hundreds of recipes for sourdough, ranging from the basic bread loaf to croissants and pastries. I'll put some below that I have tested, some are simple and some are more challenging.
Sourdough recipes
Simple loaf (makes two):
1100-1200g flour
500g water
200g active starter (has been fed and doubled on counter and floats)
2 tsp salt
Mix starter and water until combined. Add 1100g of flour and mix well (hands works best), add up to 100g more to get a very slightly sticky dough. Let it sit for 10 minutes, and then add in your salt. Mix well. Cover with cling wrap and let sit 30mins. After 30 minutes, do a set of stretch and folds. Grab the side of the dough and pull up, wiggling a little to help it stretch. Then fold over on top. Repeat 4-6 times. Split the dough in two bowls. Repeat the process above anywhere from 2-5 times, but instead stretch and fold every 15-25 minutes. On your last stretch, pinch the bottom seam closed. If you have a banneton, use it. If not, the bowl you are using works perfectly (so long as its about double the loaf size for rising). Cover the bowls or bannetons with cling wrap and place in the fridge anywhere from 12-24h. The longer it stays in the fridge, the more 'sour' the sourdough will turn out. When you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 450F. Turn your dough onto a sheet of parchment paper. Cut your sourdough with a very sharp knife or razor blade, do at least one deep cut in your loaf and a few shallow ones. I find the simplest is to do a deep cut down the middle and a slightly shallower one on either side (there are lots of examples online). Bake in a covered cast iron/Dutch oven for 25 minutes, and then for 20 minutes uncovered. Let cool slightly before cutting. Enjoy!
Double chocolate loaf (I recommend using hot coffee instead of water): https://homegrownhappiness.com/chocolate-sourdough-bread/
Sandwich loaf: https://thefeatherednester.com/sourdough-sandwich-bread/
Baguette/French bread: https://homegrownhappiness.com/easy-sourdough-baguette-recipe/
Croissants: https://aberlehome.com/homemade-sourdough-croissants/
Standard round loaf: https://www.feastingathome.com/sourdough-bread/
The loaf recipe above is very in-depth with pictures and thorough explanations. It is very much a 'classic' sourdough recipe with many stages of folding. A great recipe for add-ins like jalapeno/cheddar or cranberry/almond. Note that the times are not mandatory to follow, but rather the time intervals between stages.
Discard recipes
Cheddar crackers: https://heartscontentfarmhouse.com/discard-sourdough-cheddar-crackers/
Pancakes: https://www.pantrymama.com/fluffy-sourdough-discard-pancakes/
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