Sourdough bread

[Sara]

I make sourdough bread. I have a large wooden cutting board just for my dough. I shape it on the board when making a loaves of bread. When I’m making sourdough cinnamon rolls I use my counter top as I have to roll it out.

I use cutting boards for all my meats, fruits, and veggies. Just like the bread, I use specific ones. It probably wouldn’t matter since I clean them afterwards, obviously, it’s more so peace of mind and I love purchasing the boards. Have too many lol.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by Sara

I make sourdough bread. I have a large wooden cutting board just for my dough. I shape it on the board when making a loaves of bread. When I’m making sourdough cinnamon rolls I use my counter top as I have to roll it out.

I use cutting boards for all my meats, fruits, and veggies. Just like the bread, I use specific ones. It probably wouldn’t matter since I clean them afterwards, obviously, it’s more so peace of mind and I love purchasing the boards. Have too many lol.

If you have a simple recipe, pls share. If it comes w 10 different ingredients and a dozen steps, never mind.

[Sara]

Originally Posted by tranquility

If you have a simple recipe, pls share. If it comes w 10 different ingredients and a dozen steps, never mind.

3 ingredients; bread flour, water, salt. You need a mature, active starter. Very easy to make. I made my own, fed it twice a day and it was ready to bake by day 20. It’s months old now and doing great. Do you have an active sourdough starter?

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by Sara

3 ingredients; bread flour, water, salt. You need a mature, active starter. Very easy to make. I made my own, fed it twice a day and it was ready to bake by day 20. It’s months old now and doing great. Do you have an active sourdough starter?

I don't know what those 3 words mean, but your recipe sounds great and easy to make.

[Sara]

Originally Posted by tranquility

I don't know what those 3 words mean, but your recipe sounds great and easy to make.

A sourdough starter is a live fermented culture of fresh flour and water. Once combined, the culture starts to ferment and cultivate the natural yeasts found in our environment. A portion is added to your bread dough to make it rise. Like I said, I made my own. If you have a glass jar (I prefer Weck jars), a silicone spatula, a digital scale, and bread flour, you can make your own. Feeding and discarding twice a day for about 20 days and it’s ready to use for baking. I’ll DM you my recipe in a bit.

You can also purchase active starters on FB market place.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by Sara

A sourdough starter is a live fermented culture of fresh flour and water. Once combined, the culture starts to ferment and cultivate the natural yeasts found in our environment. A portion is added to your bread dough to make it rise. Like I said, I made my own. If you have a glass jar (I prefer Weck jars), a silicone spatula, a digital scale, and bread flour, you can make your own. Feeding and discarding twice a day for about 20 days and it’s ready to use for baking. I’ll DM you my recipe in a bit.

You can also purchase active starters on FB market place.

Much appreciated, but that sounds too advanced for me. You seem very dedicated and a good baker.

EDIT: actually, you know, what? I'm curious and want to take this challenge. Please DM me. Tx!

[Sara]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Much appreciated, but that sounds too advanced for me. You seem very dedicated and a good baker.

EDIT: actually, you know, what? I'm curious and want to take this challenge. Please DM me. Tx!

I tried to explain it as easy as possible Let me know if you have any questions:

Sara’s Sourdough Recipe

125 grams active starter room temp (peak rise)
500 grams King Arthur bread flour
10 grams Kosher salt
325 grams filtered water room temp

1. Feed room temperature starter 2-4 hours prior to the start of creating dough. At peak rise, begin step 2.
2. Pour starter and water into large bowl. Mix together with silicon spatula.
3. Add flour. Mix by hand or with a kitchen aid mixer on setting speed 2 until fully mixed. Cover with shower cap and rest for 30 minutes.
4. Add salt.
5. Stretch and fold dough. Cover with shower cap and rest for 30 minutes.
6. Stretch and fold dough. Cover with shower cap and bulk ferment at warm room temperature for 5-7 hours depending on your kitchen temperature, less time for hotter rooms, longer time for cooler kitchens. The dough is ready when it has doubled in size and is bubbly.
7. Flour a large wooden cutting board, pull dough out of bowl (dough will be very sticky) and shape tightly into a ball on the wooden board. I like to put flour on my hands and sprinkle it on top of the dough so it’s easier to shape.
8. Using parchment paper, pick up dough and center onto parchment paper. Gently place the dough and parchment paper into linen lined shaping bowl (I use a 9 inch banneton.) The parchment paper keeps your bowl cover clean. Cover with tea-towel and rest for 1 hour.
9. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees with dutch oven inside 15 minutes prior to baking.
10. Pull out hot dutch oven, transfer dough with the parchment paper and place inside dutch oven. Cover with lid and bake 20 minutes.
11. Pull out of oven. Take off dutch oven lid. Place dutch oven back into oven and reduce heat to 425. Bake additional 15-20 minutes. Check every few minutes with oven light to make sure the top of your loaf isn’t turning too brown. If you see it getting really dark on top reduce the heat down to 400.
12. Take out of oven. Check internal temperature. Ensure reading is 205-210 degrees. Transfer to cooling rack and wait 2 hours before cutting. The bread will continue to cook inside while on the cooling rack.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by Sara

I tried to explain it as easy as possible Let me know if you have any questions:

Sara’s Sourdough Recipe

Tx in advance. You're in for a lot of questions LOL.

1. Ok, I kinda understand the active starter but don't think I received the instructions on how to make that?

2. I just have reg AP flour and salt, is that ok?

3. In your Step 6, what does "bulk ferment" mean?

4. I don't have a dutch oven, may I just use a reg baking pan instead?

I like how you use metric measurements and F for temp, I do that too as somehow F is still dominate over C.

[Sara]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Tx in advance. You're in for a lot of questions LOL.

1. Ok, I kinda understand the active starter but don't think I received the instructions on how to make that?

2. I just have reg AP flour and salt, is that ok?

3. In your Step 6, what does "bulk ferment" mean?

4. I don't have a dutch oven, may I just use a reg baking pan instead?

I like how you use metric measurements and F for temp, I do that too as somehow F is still dominate over C.

1. I followed Pantry Mama's recipe on making my own starter. Worked great for me. Mine was ready by Day 20. Link here https://www.pantrymama.com/making-a-sourdough-starter/

2. Buy some bread flour. It does make a difference. When making and feeding your starter, you can use AP flour for that. I like the King Arthur brand for both my AP and my bread flour. You want something unbleached AND unenriched for both your AP and your bread flour.

3. Bulk fermenting is the time when it first rises after your stretch and folds but before actually shaping it. Your dough should double in size as it rises during this phase.

4. You can open bake, I don't have luck with it but some of my friends do. I bought a Lodge 6 qt enameled dutch oven off amazon for $47 and I've used it so many times. Well worth it.

5.Oh yeah, sorry I see you're in Canada, yes F is for the American way to measure heat lol. Dang, if you were in America, I'd overnight you some of my starter so you could get straight to it, but I'm sure with customs it would get caught up and be compromised before it arrived.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by Sara

1. I followed Pantry Mama's recipe on making my own starter. Worked great for me. Mine was ready by Day 20. Link here https://www.pantrymama.com/making-a-sourdough-starter/

1. Tx for the link, I'll go study it soon. Hopefully, I don't inadvertently create a new species

2. Noted w thanks.

3. Ok, so in that step I'll just need to watch out for that.

4. I'll check it out if I don't get good results open baking.

5. Don't apologize! I meant to say I go by metric measurements and F temps too. C just somehow isn't very intuitive for baking. You're too nice w that offer, no worries, I'll manage hopefully! I'm going to explore this and see how it goes. Will report back later. Tx again!

[tranquility]

Sara Ok, so I skimmed the starter instructions and wish to know what is the pt of removing 1/2 of the starter most days? I guess I have to trash that or would it be possible to make a second starter (and so on)?

I would imagine just using the same jar is best but is there a reason some ppl use a new jar (and do they keep using new jars each day?)?

I think your recipe calls for all the starter to be used, but what if I have leftover starter...do ppl keep that for later, keep growing it, how to store it? Any other concerns that I missed? I have no idea what's going on haha.

Tx again!

[Sara]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Sara Ok, so I skimmed the starter instructions and wish to know what is the pt of removing 1/2 of the starter most days? I guess I have to trash that or would it be possible to make a second starter (and so on)?

I would imagine just using the same jar is best but is there a reason some ppl use a new jar (and do they keep using new jars each day?)?

I think your recipe calls for all the starter to be used, but what if I have leftover starter...do ppl keep that for later, keep growing it, how to store it? Any other concerns that I missed? I have no idea what's going on haha.

Tx again!

If you don’t remove, “discard”, you’ll end up with sooooooo much starter it won’t fit in your jar and you’ll have no use for it. You can’t use discard that’s younger than 2 weeks anyway. You’ll be sick and it won’t work well. I don’t bake that often (only on weekends) so I toss my discard in the trash every time. Some people keep it if it’s a mature discard. Also, don’t discard down the drain it could damage pipes. Put as much in the trash as you can then dilute the rest before rinsing down the drain. You could use it to make a second starter but again remember it’s not mature until it’s at least two weeks. I actually keep two starters. One is a back up. Keep your jar covered with a lid, not a cloth filter or it will mold. If you see any pink or orange that’s bad bacteria and the whole thing needs to be tossed.


I use a different jar with every feeding. Mine is established. I keep it in the fridge and only take it out to bake every weekend. I give it a new jar when I wake it up and feed it. Some people keep the same jar, but I prefer the clean look and the sides on the jar get messy after stirring and what not.


Some people keep the discard portions of stater to make other treats like crackers, pizza crust, etc. Once your discard is over 2 weeks old, you can keep it do that as well. As a mom with an infant, I don’t have time for discard recipes so mine gets tossed.

Do you have Facebook? This sounds silly but there is a wonderful “sourdough starter support group” with nearly 700k members from around the world! It’s where I learned everything but I am happy to continue to answer any questions

[Sara]

Forgot to say once your starter is active and you feed it, it will grow and quintuple in size within a few hours inside your jar so that’s another reason for discarding. You need to leave room in your jar for the gases and growth that this science project creates

[tranquility]

“sourdough starter support group” haha I love it. I may take you up on it if my kitchen gets taken over by some strange new alien LOL.

Tx again, I will definitely need to prep more before actually starting this sourdough adventure.

[spazzyfry123]

Homemade sourdough is about the only bread we’ve eaten at home for several years. Make our own cinnamon rolls, pizza dough, sandwich loafs, artisan loafs… yum.

[TanzM4]

Homemade sourdough is sooo good! The problem is I was eating to much of it 😂.

[SW111]

People make sourdough more complicated than it needs to be. Water, flour, salt, and starter.
Starter is easy too. Water and flour in even portions. Let it sit on your counter and it will ferment in about two weeks.

There’s nothing like having fresh homemade bread. If it lasts long enough to go stale cut it into cubes and fry it in olive oil for croutons.

[UncleWede]

Sara the sourdough spammer

I've always wanted to do this, but much like TanzM4 I'd be 50 instead of 30 lbs overweight.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by SW111

People make sourdough more complicated than it needs to be. Water, flour, salt, and starter.
Starter is easy too. Water and flour in even portions. Let it sit on your counter and it will ferment in about two weeks.

There’s nothing like having fresh homemade bread. If it lasts long enough to go stale cut it into cubes and fry it in olive oil for croutons.

Are you saying you have another recipe?

[bagekko]

Neighbor makes a lot of sourdough, and one thing I learned is it's ok for people with gluten allergy if done right. They made us sourdough pizza last time over.

[SW111]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Are you saying you have another recipe?

Sure do. Just to add to the chatter

900 grams white flour
100 grams whole wheat flour
750 grams water about 85 degrees Fahrenheit
200 grams starter
20 grams salt.

[SW111]

I thought the group might like these articles about sourdough.

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blo...ourdough-myths

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blo...ourdough-guide

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/sourdough