Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Artisan Sourdough: Wholesome Recipes, Organic Grains by Casper André Lugg and Martin Ivar Hveem Field



I got this book at the Texas Book Festival in 2019, and I've finally given it a read. 


Takeaways from the book:

✱ Sourdough is a practice that is more than 5,000 years old.

✱ Flour, water, and salt---that's all you need. But there's a fourth ingredient that is critical, and that is time. 

✱ There's only one way to become a good sourdough baker, and that is by baking as much as possible.


Let's get started then, shall we?

Before I could do anything I had to order rye flour. I've never bought rye flour, and since I'm not shopping for myself in stores, I ordered it from Amazon. 

And since I'm trying to do everything right this time, I got out, for the first time, my scale. 

The book tells me to use three 1-quart glass jars with lids, so I scrounged around and found those, too.


Baking sourdough bread begins with a sourdough starter. "A sourdough starter can live a long life as long as you take care of it," the book tells me. "When we make a starter from scratch, we simply mix fresh flour and water, and then let it sit in a warm place. After a while, the mixture will begin to ferment by itself. At first, the fermentation process goes slowly. But as you follow the steps...the microorganisms will multiply...In just one week, your glass will be full of life and you'll be ready to get started on your first baking session."

Okay.


DAY 1, MORNING

Mix 1/2 cup (50 g) finely ground whole-grain rye flour with 1/3 cup (80 g) water at 86 degrees F in one of the glass jars. The mixture should be relatively moist. Place the lid on loosely so it is not completely airtight and let it sit for 24 hours in a warm place, preferably at about 77 degrees F until the next morning. 



Repeat for the next two mornings. On the morning of Day 4, add 1/4 cup (50 g) of your sourdough culture to the second jar---this becomes your main starter and you can discard the contents of the first jar. Feed it with 1/2 cup (50 g) rye flour and 1/3 cup (80 g) water at 86 degrees F. Let sit for 24 hours. On the morning of Day 5, put 2 tablespoons (30 g) starter in a new clean jar. Feed it with 1/2 cup (50 g) rye flour, 1/3 cup (50 g) white bread flour, and 1/2 cup (50 g) water at 86 degrees F. Let it sit for 24 hours. You could now bake with this, but to be on the safe side, it is recommended that you feed it twice more before doing so or put it into the refrigerator if you will not be baking immediately.




Done.

Let's see what happens next.

Update: My first sourdough loaf!





Have you ever made sourdough starter?
I'd love to hear about your experiences.
Thoughts? Suggestions?








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22 comments:

  1. My husband has not mastered this yet. He tries and tries and never quite gets there. He loves to bake bread.

    Thank you for joining the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

    Have a fabulous Wordless Wednesday. ♥

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    1. This is not the first time I've tried sourdough. So far it's going well.

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  2. I have made sourdough starter like this. It was a fun process and smelled great. What I didn't like about it was the rye flavor was too strong for my family and the starter was so thick it was hard to combine with the other ingredients. I've thought about trying a different method, but have just never done it. I hope it works well for you!

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    1. I hope the rye flavor is not too strong for us. I noticed the starter is thick, but the book encourages us to thin it, and I hope that will help.

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  3. I have never made sourdough only normal bread in my breadmaker. I find it confusing hwo you make it in the states with using cups, we use grams or pounds& ounce's. But here is how I would do it with the recipe from the flower wholesaler I buy from https://www.wessexmill.co.uk/acatalog/Sour-Dough-Bread.html

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    Replies
    1. I've always used cups, but that's a very inaccurate measure.

      Thanks for sharing your recipe!

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  4. Wow that's cool! I have not .... but I like your tips!

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    1. The tips are another reminder to me that life is all just practice.

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  5. I never have, but I love sourdough bread. Have fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love sourdough, too. It is fun, but the real truth will come when I make the bread.

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  6. I've been meaning to try making it for ages, and you've edged me a step closer!

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  7. Since Covid, my husband has taken over the cooking duties. I wonder if he would be interested in bread making--it would certainly make me happy!

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  8. Looks fabulous! Rick hasn't done sourdough during his breadmaking escapades. I think everything but! This looks like it would be a good one for him to begin with.

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  9. It seems everyone got on the sour dough starter craze when the pandemic first hit. My friend made a starter but then her teenager accidentally threw it out and that was the end of that!

    I can't wait to see how it turns out! Netflix's Atypical had a storyline with a sourdough starter...

    Good luck! and yum!

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  10. I like to see pictures in a cook book but I don't cook anymore. I think I have done my share and as I am only me and my cat who eats her cat food, I have nice restaurants with take away service.

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  11. Thank you for posting that recipe! I have the same scale.

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  12. I love sourdough breads! I no longer have a starter going; instead I bake yeast breads when the mood hits. Your loaf looks awesome!

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  13. We talked about starting a sourdough but the fact that you have to attend to it every day means that it is doomed to fail in our house.

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  14. We've made bread before but not sourdough. Looks delicious!

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  15. that is good bakery :) My mother used to do it.

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