Sourdough

I've been on a roll with making breads. I made dutch oven bread, challah, focaccia, baguettes, brioche, and ciabatta. It seemed to me that the time had come. I was ready to make sourdough.

I started off by 7 day long journey by making my sourdough starter, which is the crucial component of sourdough. This is what gives sourdough breads their airy texture and tangy taste.  I began by mixing the ingredients in a tall, wide glass:

1/2 cup cool water

1 cup flour

I mixed these up, wiped down the sides of the glass, covered it loosely with plastic wrap and marked the level of the starter with a rubber band. The first day of waiting, my starter showed no activity. I was beginning to give up hope until I checked on the starter at the beginning of day 2. The starter had bubbled up, growing significantly over its rubber band level.

I measured out 1/2 cup of the starter, put that into a new container, and fed it:

1/2 cup water

1 cup flour

On the third day of maintaining a sourdough starter, many of my friends tagged me in a meme that showed what to name your sourdough starter based off of your birthday. My starter's new name was to be Ryemond Proofman. And he was getting big! On the third day, I started to feed him twice a day, aiming for 11 AM and 11 PM. 

Every time I fed him, I'd take out 1/2 of the starter and add 1/2 cup water and 1 cup flour to it. However, the rest of the starter that had bubbled up so nicely had to be thrown out or else the yeast wouldn't be fed enough with just a cup of flour, and the starter would grow huge. It needed to be discarded...or used! I went online and found multiple recipes including sourdough starters. 

So, on the fourth day, I made sourdough pancakes. On the fifth day I made sourdough bagels. On the sixth I made sourdough English muffins, and on the final day I made sourdough croissants. I compiled them all into one post: Things I've Made With My Sourdough Starter.

Day after day, I fed my starter 1/2 cup water and 1 cup flour. I went through a lot of flour. Finally, on the seventh day, my starter was bubbly, active, and tangy smelling. Ryemond Proofman was ready.

 

After seven long days of feeding the starter, and making countless other sourdough recipes, it was time to make the actual bread. Ever cautious of relying fully on the starter, I used a recipe that incorporated both the natural yeast of the starter, and commercial yeast to help it out. I began by mixing the ingredients:

1 cup of starter

1 1/2 cup lukewarm water

2 tsp yeast

2 1/2 tsp salt

5 cups flour

I mixed until I had to knead. The dough was firm but springy. I put the kneaded dough into a lightly oiled bowl, covered it, and let it rest for 90 minutes.

 

After 90 minutes, I uncovered the dough and cut it in half. I formed each half into a loaf on top of a baking sheet prepped with parchment. I covered the loaves and let rest again for an hour.

 

After the loaves had risen, it was time to preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. I spritzed the loaves with water for extra crispy crusts and then sprinkled the tops with flour and slashed them for the artisanal look. I then baked the loaves for 30 minutes. The loaves looked awesome. Nicely colored, and perfectly shaped. When I tapped the crusts, they made a hollow knocking sound. 

I cut myself a slice off of the end, and enjoyed every last bit of it. It had that classic tang of a sourdough, as well as an awesome crunch to the crust. I may never make a sourdough again because the starter was way too high maintenance, but I am glad I made it this time!