by Dave Watkins, Farmpark Interpreter
During the Covid-19 pandemic, it seemed like everyone picked up a new hobby, and sourdough bread baking was one of the big ones. Since then, sourdough has only increased in popularity. Once you get over some newbie challenges, the bread tastes great, has high nutritional value, is easy to digest and supports gut health.
Sourdough bread is made using a sourdough starter instead of the yeast packets you find at the supermarket. The starter is a mixture of flour and water that you have to let ferment, feeding daily for about a week. It takes some commitment, so approach it as an artist.
The fermentation process (which makes those bubble shaped holes in bread) is initiated by wild yeasts and lactobacilli that are present in the flour and the environment. These microorganisms feed on the carbohydrates in the flour and produce carbon dioxide bubbles, making the bread rise. It also releases lactic acid and acetic acid, which give sourdough bread its distinct sour flavor.
The origins of sourdough can be traced back to ancient Egypt, where they used it as a leavening agent for their bread. Archaeological evidence suggests that sourdough bread was being made in Egypt as early as 1500 BC.
So how do you get started? You begin with the starter. This may be different from the pharaohs, but this worked for me. There are thousands of recipes out there, but here is an easy one for beginners. And remember the commitment warning? Getting the sourdough starter going takes about a week with daily feeding. And those artsy types like to use weights instead of volume, so both are included.
Day 1: In a 1 qt. glass container, combine 1 cup (113g) of whole wheat flour with ½ cup of cool water. Loosely cover the jar and let it sit for about 24 hours at room temperature (70 degrees F). I used a canning jar with some cheese cloth across the top. Sourdough starter made with whole wheat flour ferments much more rapidly than white flour. This is because the wild yeasts respond more vigorously to having all of the parts of the wheat berry present, happily consuming the flour and water much more quickly.
Day 2: You may see some bubbles but may not. Even though it sounds wasteful, throw away about half of the mixture (this is your discard) and stir 1 cup of all-purpose flour and ½ cup of cool water into the remainder. And you guessed it, let it sit for about 24 hours at room temperature.
Day 3: By now you should start seeing bubbles, and you’ve got down the routine, repeat Day 2 for Days 3, 4, 5, and 6.
Day 7: This time, save the discard and let it grow for about 4 to 6 hours at room temperature and you have a starter for your next loaf of bread. The remaining starter can now be fed like before and live in the refrigerator until the next bread baking. But remember, it still needs to be fed like you did on Day 2 at least once a week with one cup of all-purpose flour and ½ cup of cool water to remain viable.
Even though Baker’s Yeast, the supermarket yeast packet, was discovered by Louis Pasteur in the mid-1800s, it was still the jar of wild yeast in sourdough starter that fueled the famished western expansion of this country. So, even though yeast packets are easier to use, they do not produce the unique flavor or purported health benefits.
So now with all that starter stuff complete, it’s time to make the sourdough bread with your own homemade sourdough starter. And remember, you were looking for a challenge. Let’s start with Pain de Champaign, which is French for Country Bread. It’s best we start with the ingredients, and you may use the French terms to impress your neighbors and friends.
Liquid levain starter • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (135g) unbleached all-purpose flour • ¾ cup (170g) water, cool • 1 tablespoon (14g) ripe (fed) sourdough starter
Dough • all of the starter from above • 5 ½ cups (660g) unbleached all-purpose flour • ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (93g) whole wheat flour • scant 2 cups (440g) water • 1 tablespoon (18g) table salt
Instructions 1. To make the liquid levain starter: Mix all of the ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer. Cover and let sit overnight or for about for 12 hours at room temperature. The mixture should bubble and expand.
2. To make the dough: Add all of the dough ingredients (except the salt) to the bowl with the levain. Mix briefly, just to combine. If you’re using a stand mixer, use the dough hook on first speed, mixing just until everything is incorporated.
3. Cover the dough and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes. This resting period is known as the autolyse and gives the flour a chance to absorb the water, making the resulting dough easier to work with.
4. Sprinkle the salt over the dough. Mix it in and continue to mix for several minutes. The dough won’t be smooth and elastic, but it should be cohesive and start to feel a bit springy. Using a stand mixer and dough hook at medium speed, this will take about 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a reusable cover and let it rest and rise for 1 hour.
6. After 1 hour, uncover the bowl and run a bowl scraper or spatula down the inside far wall of the bowl. Bring the dough up from the bottom of the bowl and fold it over on top of itself. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat; repeat twice more (for a total of four times), turning the bowl 90 degrees each time. This process, which helps develop the dough, is called a fold. Re-cover the bowl, and let the dough rise for another 90 minutes, adding another fold after 45 minutes if the dough doesn’t seem elastic and strong enough.
7. Gently deflate the dough and divide it into two pieces; each will weigh about 750g. Shape each piece into a rough ball, cover and let rest for about 20 minutes; this rest will make the loaves easier to shape.
8. After the rest, shape the two pieces of dough into rounds or oblong loaves. Place them on a piece of parchment or a lightly greased baking sheet.
9. Cover the loaves and let them rise for 1½ to 2 hours at room temperature.
10. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 450°F for at least 45 minutes before baking. At the same time, place two lidded oven-safe baking pans (such as a cloche, Dutch oven or long covered baker) into the oven to preheat. I use a Dutch oven.
11. When the oven is fully preheated, carefully transfer the loaves to your chosen bakers. Slash them several times across the top to allow for expansion. Be careful because those bakers are really hot.
12. Cover the bakers and place them in the oven. Bake the bread for 30 minutes. Remove the covers and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the bread is golden brown.
13. Remove the bread from the oven and turn it out of the pans onto a rack to cool completely.
You have just become the hero of the family and envy of the neighborhood. I admit it may not come out perfect the first time. My early attempts could not be classified as total successes, but remember sourdough bread is an art. And you can become an artist. So, try it again, and maybe again. I wonder how long it took the pharaohs to figure it out!