There are a lot of people out there these days experimenting with sourdough. And I’m one of them. I like to joke that I was a little bit ahead of the curve since I actually got my starter from Sean on March 7th, a full week before any real shut down and grocery store panic started. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say that my enthusiasm for sourdough has been enhanced by the fact that so many of my friends are also learning to work with it at the same time. I’m far from an expert but I have found some thoughts to share on sourdough and today I’ve got 3.
- Get the book Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson, the man who co-owns Tartine Bakery in San Franciso with Elizabeth Prueitt. This book has a ton, as in way more than you need, of information. It’s just a fabulous reference book on sourdough bread. You might also check out Tartine Bakery’s instragram page because Liz Prueitt has some great videos up there on the process of baking sourdough bread from start to finish.
- Get the right tools if you can. You can absolutely make sourdough with things you already have, I bet. But if you can get a well established starter from a friend (mine, as I said, came from Sean and his came from King Arthur Flour [it’s not available at this time, FYI]) that’s going to help. Also helpful? A dough scraper and bench knife, a lame, a kitchen scale, a banneton and a dutch oven. Remember that Le Creuset one I bought a couple of months ago? My timing couldn’t have been better on that. These tools are really well explained on this blog post at Homestead and Chill.
- Figure out things to do with your discarded starter. The recipe for the popovers I made is here. And the cracker recipe can be found here. I added Everything Bagel seasoning to mine and that really enhanced the flavor. I know people also make pancakes and waffles and more. I even made crumpets one day! Using your discarded starter will help you feel like you aren’t wasting it because you do have to throw away (or share with someone else) quite a bit.
- Finally, a bonus tip from Kim. Name your starter! Kim claims this helps her to remember to feed her starter and, while I don’t know if that’s true, I do think it’s a fun idea. My starter is named Mama Cass because (a) starter is often referred to as a mother and (b) San Francisco is the home of sourdough and I associate The Mamas and the Papas with San Francisco culture.
- Actually, I have one more tip to share and it’s probably the most important one. RELAX. It can be really intimidating to read about all of the tools you can use and try to absorb all of the information out there. But you know what? It’s just flour, salt and water. If it doesn’t come out right, try again. Yes, it’s time consuming and frustrating, yes, it can take all freaking day, but it’s always a learning experience and, at the end of the day, it’s just bread. And also, with regards to that all day thing, there are ways to make it fit with your own schedule by slowing down your fermentation in the fridge overnight.
I hope you’ll share your sourdough stories with me whether you have tons of experience or are just starting out.
Please share your post in the link party below, I’d love to have you join in this week!
I am a huge fan of sourdough. I enjoyed reading your tips. I have a starter that I have had for over 10 years. Yes, to the Tartine (have you ever been? – it’s worth standing in line for) cookbook and yes, yes, yes to naming your starter! It’s like having a pet. Actually, it’s like having 10 billion tiny, tiny pets. Starter is much less work than a dog; it’s about the same amount of work as a goldfish. You have to feed it regularly and clean up its environment once in a while.
I LOVE fresh baked bread. Haven’t made any in a while but I’m getting inspired by all the bakers posting their photos. Thanks for sharing what you are learning.
Interesting post. I have been tempted to try making sourdough over the last ten or so years. Trying to keep up with the discard feels daunting since throwing out food is a big no-no since I was little. Oh, and hubby isn’t a big sourdough fan. I mean, there might come a day I have to decide if I discard the sourdough or him. Stay at home hasn’t been long enough to make that an easy decision. Not yet anyway. So keep sharing your adventures.
My starter is about 5 year old now. It really develops and matures over time. My advice is to air it out every once in awhile and give it a good stirring. It helps to pick up more wild yeast in the air when it’s been captive for a long time. I keep mine in the fridge, glass jar, and do this when I wash the container. I let it sit on the counter all day.
Reddit has a very active page that is full of pictures and humor as well as great information.
Address is https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/
What a great list of suggestions, Carole! Your bread is lovelier with every loaf. (I enjoy following your sourdough journey on Instagram.) I wish I could sit down and share a slice of bread and a cup of coffee with you this morning! (I laugh about being so ahead-of-the-curve with the sourdough thing that I was already finished with my fascination by the time the “quarantine” started.) (My years-old starter went bad one day a few years ago, and I decided that was enought.)
Oooh, I love bread — sourdough or any other kind!! I’ve avoided the quarantine baking bug, though. (So far!)
I love sourdough bread and was all over this trend when it first started, but I’ve given up for now. We have a freezer full of sliced sourdough bread from the market (my husband keeps buying it even though it’s not the list), so I figure it’s not a priority right now. I was rather discouraged by my first attempt at baking a loaf, but I think my starter wasn’t active enough. I ended up tossing my starter because it was using up so much flour. Someday I’ll try again!
I do love to bake (and eat) bread, but I do not like sourdough bread at all! I know I’m in the minority, but that’s ok. Just not my thing.
I have been baking sourdough for a couple of years (this time). I recommend youtube videos from Baking with Jack, especially this one, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj6YpNCUYYQ. In this video, Jack explains how you can bake without having a discard. I have not tried it yet, but lots of folks have, and it seem to work well. I will do it next time I discard, just to see. I actually got into baking sourdough again after many years by perusing the Breadtopia site to learn how to bake whole grain sourdough, which is my favorite. I like their products, their forum, and their recipes. I am not a slave to my starter. It is neglected quite a lot, and it has never failed me. I think people often think their starter is bad when it is not. Another use for discard is to dry some starter so that you have a backup if your starter fails. I think your bread looks great, Carole, and I am glad you are enjoying the process!
I was going to post a Bake with Jack link, also. His Blog has the recipes and the videos are fun.
I definitely prefer the “no discard method”. It works even if you’ve been discarding. Only feed enough for your next batch of dough (50g water, 50g flour, or double for two loaves) then use all but the scrapings. Leave that in the fridge until next week, feed, and bake.
I love fresh baked bread but have never attempted to make sourdough. As much trouble as I have with regular bread, I doubt I’ll be trying sourdough. Your’s sure looks good though.
I love the taste of sourdough bread, but my baking experiences with it have not been nearly as satisfying. I still have yeast, so I think I’ll stick to my tried-and-true yeasted breads. But I do love seeing all your sourdough products (and wouldn’t mind eating a popover with you)!
I’m very impressed with all of your sour dough goods! That won’t be happening in my house anytime soon though. I still have to master the whole yeast science…oh if I’d only known…my grandmother was top notch!
Looks yummy. Before the Pandemic, King Arthur must have had a cheap shipping deal as I ordered the crock and the starter and my father used it to make bread. Then the pandemic came and it’s just gone by the wayside and he’s been making his regular bread. Think we will need to start again.
All the awe, Carole – every loaf looks amazing! (I must say, I am totally in love with Romi’s loaves, and Elise’s … it’s nice to have something on The Internet that’s just fun to look at … and feel Zero desire to do!)
Yum! My sourdough story is that from past bread baking (esp sourdough) experience I know it’s waaaaaay too tempting to have in the house with us–I have no self control over fresh bread and butter and would quickly havd a load-a-day habit going. So I satisfy myself by admiring yours!
I’ve been having fun with it. My girl Matilda is a very sturdy girl and it was growing her up myself and sharing her daughter.
I used to make yeast bread a lot when the kids were young, especially Anadama bread, but this sourdough journey is a journey for sure..ha!
I’ve yet to accomplish a loaf that I want to photograph…semi failures, but with each one I have learned something new and even though they were small failures, they taste pretty good judging by how quickly Ken makes them disappear!
Miss you!! We should all do a Zoom session this weekend!
I totally agree with you about naming it! I’m on my third iteration of Constance though, so maybe it doesn’t help as much as I think it does..?
Thank you for the Tartine Bread recommendation – I have eased into it and it is full of so much advice! I am inspired to try again…once the temperature warms up a bit more! 🙂
What a beautiful loaf of bread. I admire all the sourdough bakers these days. It takes me back to graduate school and the brown pot of starter on the kitchen counter in my apartment.
I am baking all our bread these days in my bread machine. And I am thisclose to figuring out the perfect white bread recipe. Smokey and I agreed that the first loaf was too dense, so I increased the water in the next one. It rose too high and fell, although it still tasted marvelous. Reduce the additional water; ditto. Add more salt; ditto, but much better, also, I liked the flavor better. Next up, reduce the sugar; I think this will work. Then I can start switching out white bread flour for whole wheat. Onward! (Oh, and I ordered sourdough flavor from King Arthur about a month ago; it finally shipped a day or two ago.)