Monday 7 July 2014

Simple Sour Dough Starter for Sour Dough Bread

One thing I have always enjoyed successfully is baking.
As a teenager when I baked my first loaf it was wonderful, had risen well and was crusty.
When I cooked sour dough bread last week it didn't occur to me that it may not work.
So I am surprised to learn that it can be difficult to achieve a light loaf.

You can see the Sour Dough Starter fermentation.


Here is the Sour Dough Starter that my brother gave me a cup of to take home you can read the original recipe here.

Day 1:  In a glass container mix one dessertspoon of wholegrain flour with one dessertspoon of unsweetened pineapple juice.   Leave out of fridge on bench with lid ajar, so allowing air, but so that no bugs can crawl in.
Day 2:  Repeat Day 1, allow mixture to rest.
Day 3:  Add two dessertspoons of wholegrain flour and two dessertspoons pineapple juice and stir.
Day 4:  Repeat Day 3, allow mixture to rest.
Day 5:  Add four dessertspoons of wholegrain flour and four dessertspoons of pineapple juice.
Day 6:  Repeat Day 5, allow to rest for remainder of the day.
Day 7:  Your Sour Dough Starter is now created.  It will now begin to ferment but it is a young organism.
Day 8:  Store Sough Dough Starter in refrigerator, in a glass jar with the lid slightly open.

Day 10, 2, 14, 16, 18, 20 etc., every second day feed your Sour Dough Starter with 1 dessertspoon plain white flour and 1 dessertspoon bottled water (chlorine free - e.g. rainwater).

Day 22:  Give your sister a cupful and make yourself a loaf of Sour Dough Bread.

N.B.  If your kitchen is cold, you might have to wait an extra day after steps 2 and 4 before proceeding.

I believe the secret to baking light bread is to knead it as little as possible, until the mixture is just combined, then let the proving time for the dough do all of the work for you.


The resulting Sour Dough Loaf.

Buon appetitio, enjoy Merryn.

4 comments:

  1. I didn't realise the process involved with making sour dough until recently and it sounds like an interesting process. Hope you enjoyed your finished product!

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  2. Thank you, it was an enjoyable process and very exciting to have a lovely light, almost good for you loaf as the end product :D

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  3. It's so simple isn't it! I used to think that it was really hard and required special skills or tricks but as you've shown, it's really quite straightforward!

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  4. Yes it is simple, fun and totally delicious. Everyone should make their own bread weekly, the rewards are great :D

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