A sourdough tutorial - Part 1

Some of you have asked about the sourdough starter, so I thought I'd do a post (well, 2 actually, I'll finish it off tomorrow) about it.

Firstly, Briony, don't worry, sourdough is a very slow process, from start to finish....it'll be a week or so before you see any action from your starter!

It's nothing to be scared of either, sourdough is not difficult to make.  It's not an exact science though and results aren't 100% predictable, it depends on so many things - atmosphere, temperature, type of flour used....and pure luck!  What I do may not be the 'correct' way to do it (like professional bakers do it, for example), but it's what I do and it's been fairly successful for me.  I can't guarantee it will be successful for everyone else though, so please don't shoot me if it doesn't work for you 😉😁

I used to make sourdough years ago and then stopped, I can't remember why.  This time around I'm doing it slightly differently and the first loaf I've made is really successful.  Years ago I used to take out some of the starter and throw it away every day, before adding more flour and water....I was following directions in a professional baker's book.  Now, I don't do that, I'm doing what a fellow blogger, Julie who used to blog as LovelyGrey but now blogs as https://makesmedotdotdot.com/?cat=6 , does.

So, for the starter - I'm using a Kilner jar....it doesn't have to be, you could just use a bowl or jar or plastic container....whatever you use, it needs to be a few inches deep though.  Start off by putting a couple of tablespoons of flour in, and enough water to make a runny paste, sort of double cream thickness, mix it well, although a few small lumps don't matter.  The flour I use is ordinary bread flour and rye flour - you don't have to use rye, I just like the taste of rye bread and happen to have some rye flour in the cupboard.  Leave the lid off the jar, it needs to capture the natural yeasts that are present in the air for it to start working.  Leave the jar out on the worktop, you don't need to keep it in the fridge....in fact, the fridge will slow it down considerably.  

Every morning, stir in a heaped teaspoon of flour, and a little splash of water.  For the first few days it won't appear to be doing anything much, and will just smell like flour.  After a few days though, you'll look at it one morning and it will be bubbling nicely and will start to smell distinctly 'beery' - it smells really nice actually, sort of fresh and fruity.  You may get a layer of golden brown liquid appearing on the top...don't worry about it, it's fine, just stir it back in with the flour.  Once the bubbles start appearing, then you can put a lid on the jar - if it's a Kilner jar then take the rubber seal off so the jar's not airtight when you close the lid.  If it's a plastic Tupperware-type container, don't put the lid on tightly, if no lid for your container or jar, just cover it with a teatowel or piece of muslin.  

After another day or two (or three or four!), your starter will be a mass of bubbles and quite frothy.....this is when it's ready to start making a loaf.  I'll post about that tomorrow.

Years ago I sometimes added yogurt, sugar or even a few raisins or sultanas to my starter....this time around I'm just using flour and water, and it seems to be working just fine.  My starter is now 2 weeks old, and this is what it looks like this morning, after taking some out the other day to make my first loaf, and adding a teaspoon of rye flour this morning:-

Taking some of the starter out kind of upsets the balance of it a bit, and it'll take a few days of daily feeding for it to get back to a frothy state.  It's a living thing and can be a bit temperamental!