Sourdough has always been on my list of different types of bread to bake, successfully. And do not ask me why, because I tried many, many times through the years, but sourdough eluded me for decades. Until now...
What is actually the easiest thing to master had been a source of frustration, and mess in my kitchen. But why? While I don't have scientific proof, I have fairly good ideas on the different ways I interfered with the process, such as...
1. I wanted a starter to be ready before it could actually be ready. Why? A strong yeast colony takes time to grow and strengthen. You can't lift dough without the yeast needed to make enough gas, to lift it, into risen dough, ready to bake.
2. I did not keep a clean environment. How? While you are waiting for the wild yeasts to take hold and build yeast strength, what might be happening is that wild mold spores are also present. To keep mold from taking over, you must keep a clean environment to grow the yeast colony safely. For me that meant transferring the starter to a clean container after feeding. Every. Single. Time!
3. I did not keep on schedule with the needs of my starter. What? Why? Busy kitchens are just that busy! Having to arrange my day around baking a loaf of sourdough bread, simply did not happen. I would miss the window of opportunity for using the starter at it's peak according to the instructions I was using at the time. (I don't have those instructions, any more...)
4. I did not know what I was looking at. Explain that! In a few weeks, I would find the jar of sourdough starter in the back of the refrigerator, with a layer of black hooch on top. I would smell it (while cold) and not notice a yeasty smell, and think it was dead. And throw it out! But. I. Was. Wrong! A sourdough starter doesn't usually die, it simply goes to sleep. A little food in the form of fresh flour and water along with a bit of warmth will perk it back up and the yeast activity will once again grow and flourish.
And then this mistake happened and my sourdough experience changed for the better!
My daughter had decided to begin baking sourdough bread and rolls. She made a starter and was using is regularly. It was made with the standard instructions of flour and water stirred together. Let sit overnight, discard half, add more flour and water, etc. Her instructions were to work this process for 14 days and the starter would then be ready for use. So she did. One day while we were visiting in her kitchen, she remarked that she had so many jars of discard, she was running out of room! We talked about the various discard recipes out there and that honestly you can simply add some discard to any recipe for muffins etc. to use it up to get that sourdough flavor. She then remarked that the discard jars were just as active as the starter jar that she fed each day.
In reality she had multiple active starters in her refrigerator.
Which only makes sense, because discard is still an active starter, nothing more and nothing less. If you pour off half of your jar of starter so you can add flour and water, the part poured off is not dead, it is just as active as the starter left in the jar, that you are still building on. There really isn't anything dead or inactive about sourdough discard....when she ran out of room, she gave me a jar of what was considered discard, and I started baking bread.
She also remarked that she was surprised at how much flour she had used.
While she working to build the starter as instructed using the discard half and feed each day method. And while I honestly admit that I had been a complete failure with sourdough, as in all of it, the building, using and maintaining of a starter, I also felt that the discard method of starter building was off in some way. Why? I simply could not imagine any pioneer man or woman throwing out half of their starter for two weeks....it seemed that possibly, we were over complicating the whole process. Since both of us enjoy learning about making our own everything, she in particular will watch cooking videos when she has some break time between cooking and cleaning, mothering and wife-ing!
And it turns out this process that I now use, was completely a mistake on our part!
My daughter sent me a video to watch, about sourdough baking and starter maintenance. And I watched it a few days later, while I too was taking a break. But it turns out we both misunderstood the message in the video. What we thought we heard, was not what he actually said, once we went back to view the video for clarification. Ironically our misunderstanding led to this method, which in my opinion is more in line with sourdough basics. Especially pioneer sourdough basics...
What did we think we had heard?
That you don't need to feed your starter before using it, because it has been silently feeding right there in the fridge. And guess what, that part turns out to be true! What we also thought we heard is that you don't need to let it warm up before using, you can use it to start a loaf of bread, straight from the refrigerator. Which is also true! How do I know? Because the first loaf of sourdough bread I baked, was made with cold starter right out of the fridge. Also, the video was made from the perspective of already having a sourdough starter and did not address discarding and feeding to build a strong starter.
What did he say about sourdough, when we returned to the video?
That you should not feed your starter more than once a day. Why? Because it can weaken it, due to overstressing the yeast. But honestly I would have never thought to feed more than once. Also that while you can use the starter cold from the refrigerator, it will take longer to begin working. That only makes sense, but until I heard that in the video I would have never thought to use it right out of the fridge, anyway. That info turned out to be quite helpful, because personally, I don't care if my sourdough does take longer on the counter due to being cold. I usually have lots to do, and a cold dough waits for me. I don't have to wait on it! I stretch and fold as part of my morning tasks, not mandated by a timer.
So, why this no discard method of building a starter?
Because I am frugal. And honestly it did not make sense to me. That you would need to throw out half of your newly grown yeast colony to get more yeast to grow. Which is exactly what you do each time you discard and then add flour and water for the remaining yeast to grow and survive. At this point, I had opinions only, and I needed to put those ideas in place. Which led me to decide to documenting the process and share it...Whew, are we ready? Oh, more question. Why 14 days? Volume and containing possible mold growth. I wanted enough starter that when I used up to half baking bread or even a "discard" recipe I would still retain enough starter to feed for easy growth and a strong yeast colony for the next baking episode. I wanted to make sure mold was a problem with keeping the jar on the counter. Plus one quart jar doesn't take up much space in the refrigerator, on the 15th day.
But what about all those delicious "discard" recipes?
Make them, you will simply use the starter in your jar and feed it again in the usual way, let it sit on the counter, then refrigerate until you want to bake again. Whether it is your favorite loaf of bread or another discard recipe, you are set to go. One jar in the fridge, one jar to bake bread with, one jar to manage. And only the one jar to be able enjoy all those delicious discard recipes.
Some additional thoughts on this process:
If you are building a starter in the heat of summer, you will want to place the starter jar in the refrigerator after a couple of hours on the counter. Pull it out in the morning, feed as needed, then refrigerate if hot in the afternoon. Even in pioneer days, starters were kept in a cool, dry area.
Use nothing but pure water and flour for this process, slow and steady wins the yeast race!
Do not skip transferring to a clean jar each day! This is your guarantee of a mold free starter.
Using this process will result in approximately 3 - 4 cups of starter. Again, just be sure to use equal amounts of water and flour each time you feed the starter.
And since I had bubbly action on day 5, fourteen days might not be necessary, but it will sure guarantee a strong yeast colony and an assertive sourdough flavor in your baked creations!
Ingredients needed for this process:
- whole wheat flour
- water - important, see note below
You will also need the following:
- two - pint jars with lids
- two - quart jars with lids
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- silicone scraper
Now we are ready to begin!
Whole Wheat Sourdough - Building A Starter.
by the seat of my pants!
Day one: in the pint jar combine 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup filtered/chlorine free water. Mix until smooth, and let sit on the counter without the lid for 2 - 3 hours. Cap and leave on the counter until tomorrow.
Day two: add 1 - 2 T whole wheat flour and 1 - 2 T filtered/chlorine free water. Mix until smooth and transfer contents to a clean pint jar. Let sit on the counter without the lid for 2 - 3 hours. Cap and leave on the counter until tomorrow.
Day three: add 1 - 2 T whole wheat flour and 1 - 2 T filtered/chlorine free water. Mix until smooth and transfer contents to a clean pint jar. Let sit on the counter without the lid for 2 - 3 hours. Cap and leave on the counter until tomorrow.
Day four: add 1 - 2 T whole wheat flour and 1 - 2 T filtered/chlorine free water. Mix until smooth and transfer contents to a clean pint jar. Let sit on the counter without the lid for 2 - 3 hours. Cap and leave on the counter until tomorrow.
Surprise! Activity began on day four.
Day five: add 1 - 2 T whole wheat flour and 1 - 2 T filtered/chlorine free water. Mix until smooth and transfer contents to a clean pint jar. Let sit on the counter without the lid for 2 - 3 hours. Cap and leave on the counter until tomorrow.
Day six: add 1 - 2 T whole wheat flour and 1 - 2 T filtered/chlorine free water. Mix until smooth and transfer contents to a clean quart jar. Let sit on the counter without the lid for 2 - 3 hours. Cap and leave on the counter until tomorrow.
Day seven: add 1 - 2 T whole wheat flour and 1 - 2 T filtered/chlorine free water. Mix until smooth and transfer contents to a clean quart jar. Let sit on the counter without the lid for 2 - 3 hours. Cap and leave on the counter until tomorrow.
Day eight: add 1 - 2 T whole wheat flour and 1 - 2 T filtered/chlorine free water. Mix until smooth and transfer contents to a clean quart jar. Let sit on the counter without the lid for 2 - 3 hours. Cap and leave on the counter until tomorrow.
Day nine: add 1 - 2 T whole wheat flour and 1 - 2 T filtered/chlorine free water. Mix until smooth and transfer contents to a clean quart jar. Let sit on the counter without the lid for 2 - 3 hours. Cap and leave on the counter until tomorrow.
Day ten: add 1 - 2 T whole wheat flour and 1 - 2 T filtered/chlorine free water. Mix until smooth and transfer contents to a clean quart jar. Let sit on the counter without the lid for 2 - 3 hours. Cap and leave on the counter until tomorrow.
Day eleven: add 1 - 2 T whole wheat flour and 1 - 2 T filtered/chlorine free water. Mix until smooth and transfer contents to a clean quart jar. Let sit on the counter without the lid for 2 - 3 hours. Cap and leave on the counter until tomorrow.
Day twelve: add 1 - 2 T whole wheat flour and 1 - 2 T filtered/chlorine free water. Mix until smooth and transfer contents to a clean quart jar. Let sit on the counter without the lid for 2 - 3 hours. Cap and leave on the counter until tomorrow.
Day thirteen: add 1 - 2 T whole wheat flour and 1 - 2 T filtered/chlorine free water. Mix until smooth and transfer contents to a clean quart jar. Let sit on the counter without the lid for 2 - 3 hours. Cap and leave on the counter until tomorrow.
Day fourteen: add 1 - 2 T whole wheat flour and 1 - 2 T filtered/chlorine free water. Mix until smooth and transfer contents to a clean quart jar. Let sit on the counter without the lid for 2 - 3 hours. Cap and leave on the counter until tomorrow.
Day fifteen: Refrigerate the starter, if not using right away to bake with.
This starter is just that, a sourdough starter. You are now ready to bake your favorite loaf of sourdough bread!
To keep your starter happy, feed with a 50/50 mix of whole wheat flour and water each time you use it, and transfer to a clean jar. Once fed, allow to sit at room temperature for 2 - 3 hours, then refrigerate. Stay tuned for a cold start Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread recipe....
Note regarding tap water: if you have treated water (chlorinated municipal water) draw water from the tap and allow it to sit overnight for the chlorine to dissipate for chlorine free water to work into the sourdough starter. This is also recommended for replenishing the starter materials as well as adding water to any bread dough.
#WholeWheatThat’sGoodToEat!
#wholefoodingredients
#scratchmadefoodforyourfamily
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