Have you ever made sourdough bread?

Morning Glory

Morning Glory

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Sourdough culture is something I've never made. I keep intending to do so, but to be frank I'm afraid of the responsibility! Apparently its like having a pet which needs feeding every day. And if you go away you have to find a sourdough hotel to look after it for you (yes there are such places).

Tell us if you have made it before and share your recipes and experiences. If it is a whole recipe please post as a new Recipe thread with a link here (otherwise it won't show up on searches).
 
I keep chickening out, mainly because of finding somewhere "safe" to keep it. My kitchen is cold and even colder overnight, so it would probably be like keeping it in the fridge. From what I've heard, you don't have to feed it so often then, but the whole thing completely mystifies me. What I can't understand is why, when you get so far, you throw half of it away. It is freezable, so why not feed the other half and then freeze it for times when you are unable to look after it (such as when you are on holiday)?
 
Elawin said:
What I can't understand is why, when you get so far, you throw half of it away. It is freezable, so why not feed the other half and then freeze it for times when you are unable to look after it (such as when you are on holiday)?
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I've always wondered that too! Perhaps @Frizz1974 or @The Late Night Gourmet know the answer?
 
It's really easy and unlike a pet when it's not needed you just put it in a sealed container in the fridge and don't feed it. Pull it out a few days ahead of time, warm to room temp and start feeding it again and you are sorted.

Mine has been in the fridge unfed since I got ill back in the winter (last July). So it's gone 5 months without being fed.

I might make some sourdough next week... If i get enough time that is. It would be good the get some practice in before Christmas. Mind you I prefer it as dippy bread for soups and it's hardly soup weather or stew weather here right now. Though next week is due to be 10C cold than this week which could mean a) I'll get some sleep (it's 2am right now and way too warm to sleep) and b) it might just be cold enough to consider a soup!
 
@morning glory: I've only made sourdough the way all the recipes say to do it, so I don't have the nuanced experiences that @SatNavSaysStraightOn mentions. But, you're not far off in your assessment of what it takes to make sourdough. I'm on Day 3 of the prep for a batch that I expect to be able to bake this weekend. First and foremost, you need a sourdough starter, which you should be able to get mail order if no other way. It's possible to make a starter organically, but I've yet to bother with that. I bought a packet of starter, and have made 2 batches (now on batch number 3).
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
's possible to make a starter organically, but I've yet to bother with that.
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Making your own is easy, stunningly so and much more fun.

I've never purchased sourdough starter. I just make my own. Simply add water to flour, add some more each day (so if you start with 25g flour and 25g water, ditch ask but 5g and add another 25g for and same again of water each day. Leave in a sealed container to prevent contamination (I use a kilner jar but one way to big so that the air inside the jar is all that is need to get it going and just open and close it a couple of times a day). Within a few days (or if it is very cold and you don't have many active spores in both your air or flour) you should see some activity in the first few bubbles...

I am pretty sure I actually did a thread about it many years ago... I'll see if I can find it.

Edit :here we go. https://www.cookingbites.com/threads/sourdough-starter.4397/
 
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I don't throw starter away.

I might be doing this all wrong but this is working for me.

I'm using a large jar (2 litre) and I feed the "mother" each day with spring water & unbleached bakers flour.

My mother always ends up quite sloppy by the end of the week.

On Friday I tip the whole thing into the mixing bowl of my kitchen aid, feed it some extra flour only, mix it using the dough hook wash & dry the jar. Add a chunk of the just fed dough back into the jar & start again.

Now I have a bowl of bread dough. Almost. There's a special name for this but I can't remember it.

I add salt & extra flour (& or water & knead) with the KA dough hook. I cover it & put it in the fridge* overnight then pull it out on Saturday morning, shape & leave it to prove before baking.

*if the weather is warm




I made my "mother" organically by mixing spring water & unbleached flour then taking the open container for a walk around my garden as instructed by the lady who taught the sour dough class I attended a few years ago.
 
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Frizz1974 said:
I don't throw starter away.

I might be doing this all wrong but this is working for me.

I'm using a large jar (2 litre) and I feed the "mother" each day with spring water & unbleached bakers flour.

My mother always ends up quite sloppy by the end of the week.

On Friday I tip the whole thing into the mixing bowl of my kitchen aid, feed it some extra flour only, mix it using the dough hook wash & dry the jar. Add a chunk of the just fed dough back into the jar & start again.

Now I have a bowl of bread dough. I add salt & extra flour at this point & knead with the KA dough hook. I cover it & put it in the fridge* overnight then pull it out on Saturday morning, shape & leave it to prove before baking.

*if the weather is warm

I made my "mother" organically by mixing spring water & unbleached flour then taking the open container for a walk around my garden as instructed by the lady who taught the sour dough class I attended a few years ago.
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For some reason I'm not quite following this - would it be possible for you to post this as a new Recipe Thread with quantities and steps? I am now determined to start making sourdough!
 
I'm no expert @morning glory

It's quite possible that someone with more experience is reading my post & thinking I'm a nutter.

The other problem is I don't measure things... I add a spoon of flour (it's a serving spoon) and a splash of water from the bottle. If the mother is getting too runny I might make it a smaller splash of water.

I'm really the most slap dash bread baker around.
 
Here, finally, are the fruits of my labors: sourdough rolls before and after baking late last night.

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morning glory said:
How did they taste?
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Delicious. But, for the first time in the three times I've made it, it wasn't as sour as I expected. Not sure why, though I now recall that I didn't give the culture a stir several times a day (which I did previously). Or maybe my sourdough starter is just getting old?
 
morning glory said:
For some reason I'm not quite following this - would it be possible for you to post this as a new Recipe Thread with quantities and steps? I am now determined to start making sourdough!
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All she is doing is allowing the quantity of mother to build up during the week and using the excess to make bread once the jar is full. Nothing more.

I keep mine in a significantly smaller jar, then when I want to use it, I take a teaspoon or so of the starter and set it brewing in a new container where my required floors have been weighed out and mixed with water. I'll then leave it somewhere warm if I'm not too worried about a sour taste and somewhere cooler for a longer ferment time if I want the really sour taste to come through.
 
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