Sourdough

A couple of weeks ago Rose over at Greening The Rose shared her process of making sourdough starter.  As I had never done this, and I'm currently in love with All Things Fermented I joined in the challenge.

As it turned out my hard conversion from metric to english units were wrong, but it didn't matter.  I put a half cup of rye flour and water (boiled and cooled) in a quart jar and whisked it together.  I was delighted to find some fermentation beginning the very NEXT day!

Those little black dots are tiny bubbles! 

I had started a few days later than Rose so I could compare to her experience.  Hers was thicker.  As it turns out the dough gets thinner as it ferments, but it doesn't seem to matter if it is slushy.  Each day I "fed" the starter, or tried to feed in 24 hour intervals.  My starter didn't seem to mind if I waited too long, and it even survived a drowning once (water was standing on top one morning).  Along about the 3rd day I switched to unbleached white flour.

At this point I had an enthusiastic starter so the first chance I got I made a loaf of bread.  It turned out so well I kept feeding the starter which kept smelling more and more sour until yesterday when I made another loaf.  It turned out even better.

Most of the sourdough recipes I found online were metric and the conversions weren't handy amounts so I decided to go with a Betty Crocker recipe.  I figured I couldn't go wrong there.

Into the pan goes 1 cup of starter (mine is pourable like gravy), 1/2 c water (boiled and cooled), 3 cups unbleached white flour, 2 Tbs sugar, 1 1/2 tsp salt and a heaping tsp of yeast.

Set the machine to basic white bread with light crust setting and punched start.  Since the starter's water content varies I have to add some water so I watch as it begins to knead.

A peep a couple hours later shows me the bread is rising beautifully.

That isn't dirt in case you are wondering.  Its flour on the inside that got blown up before I added more water.

3 hours later.

The bread has a nice crust, not too brown.

It is nice and chewy, the perfect accompaniment for soup.

I sliced it up and put it in the freezer.  I don't think I will ever buy another loaf of bread.  This may not be true sourdough since I cheated and added yeast and used the bread machine, but lets face it, I would never have made it otherwise.  Unlike plain white or wheat bread this bread has a slightly sour taste and a nice elasticity.  It will make awesome sandwiches.

Thanks to Rose for getting me started.  Come to think of it, Rose gave me the bread machine jam recipe too!  I can see some buttered toast and blackberry jam in my future......