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sourdough bread, oh yes you can

Nov 14, 2011

I have wanted to learn to make sourdough bread for years. Literally, years. About five years ago, Blythe wanted to start a bread company, so she and I learned to bake bread. Our friends, the Kendell family, taught us how and we became a pretty good little bread-baking team. We sold bread to our neighbors and friends and had a great time doing it. When I became pregnant with Annesley, I cut out a lot of the extras, and baking 16 loaves of bread a week was one of the first things to go. The whole time we were making our delicious whole wheat bread, I yearned to make a whole wheat sourdough, but I had heard it was difficult and always turned out brick-like, so I allowed myself to be overwhelmed by the whole process.

Around that same time, I organized a nutrition class with Kim Simmerman and she came up to our area and wowed us with her amazing ideas about food. This only strengthened my resolve to learn to make sourdough bread. Then, about three years ago, I bought her Granola to Green cookbook and promptly devoured it. Not really, but I did make most of the recipes in the book…except the sourdough. I read and re-read the instructions over and over again and still allowed myself to be intimidated.

And I haven’t baked bread since.

I didn’t want to bake bread that wasn’t sourdough and I just knew I could never figure out how to make sourdough, so I didn’t make anything at all.

Each week I would buy Harper’s Homemade Whole Wheat bread for $2.16 and think to myself, I can make this for cheaper…but this, THIS, is SO convenient and I am not using up my food storage of wheat and olive oil and honey, so it is worth it. See how justification works?

Fast forward to now.

Carol Jensen taught a sourdough class at Make It For Maggie and she graciously gave me a start! ~~Nervously~~ Scared out of my mind, I determined to not let her gift go to waste and I read and re-read her instructions. Then I read and re-read Kim’s instructions. Then I called Kat. Then I called Carol. Then I called Kat again. Then I read everything again.

And then I got to work.

And you know what? It worked.

My bread turned out delicious. By some miracle, it actually was light and fluffy and had just a twang of sour. It was perfect.

I figured it was a miracle and would not be repeated.

But you know what? The next week I made more bread and it turned out pretty good.

And now it is Monday and my third batch of whole wheat sourdough is rising right this minute.

I think it is time to share the recipe with all of you so you can jump in and get to work without all the fear and trepidation that I have been through for the last ump-teen years!

The day before you want to bake bread, take your start out of the fridge (this recipe is using 4 C. of sourdough start) and mix in 5 C. whole wheat flour and 5 C. water. Mix well.

Cover bowl with a cloth and allow it to rest in a warm place (hard to find in my house!) for 12-24 hours.

In the morning, or when ready to make bread, mix the bowl of sourdough again as separation may have occurred.

Take out 1 C. of start and place in a clean glass bowl or jar. Feed this with 2 C. whole wheat flour and 2 C. cool water. This is your new start. Place your container, loosely covered, in a warm place for 8 – 12 hours and ignore it.

Pour your remaining sourdough into your mixing bowl and add 2 1/2 C. cold water, 2 TB. salt (opt.), 1/4 C. honey (opt.), and 5 C. whole wheat flour. Mix to blend.

Slowly add in more flour to a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. You should be able to stick your finger into the dough and pull it out without sticky residue on it.

Continue kneading for a total of 10 minutes, including the time it took to get your dough to the right consistency.

Place the dough on your counter and divide into fourths. Shape each quarter and place in oiled loaf pans. I use these and LOVE them.

Let loaves rest in a warm place until doubled in size. Rising time depends on temperature and humidity, plan about 4-7 hours.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Take out loaves and brush tops with butter, if desired. Place on cooling rack. Then eat them…and be amazed at yourself.

At the end of the day or after 8-12 hours from when you started this whole process, find the start you set aside and ignored, put a tight lid on your container and place it in the refrigerator for up to a week. When you are ready to make bread again, take your start out the day before you want to bake and start back up there at the beginning.

Now, I have to say, if I can do this, ANYONE can do this. I promise. I am NOT a baker and I swear I could win a gazillion bucks if I just kept a video camera in my kitchen at all times to catch the ridiculous things I do.

But this? It is SO not hard. It is easy. It has four measly ingredients…no yeast, no oil, no gluten-enhancer, no citric acid, no potato water, no nothing…and it turns out delicious!

Here is a picture of my first batch:

Last night I had three sunny-side up eggs and two pieces of sourdough toast and I thought to myself, “This is amazing. After all this time of being intimidated, I am now eating my very own scrumptious whole-wheat sourdough bread.”

And then I thought, “What else have I let intimidate me? What else could I be learning and doing and enjoying if only I wouldn’t let myself be intimidated by it?”

For more information, check out this sourdough page and of course, the folks over at The Fresh Loaf are full of knowledge about all things bread-y.

p.s. We are now feasting on our warm, fresh from the oven bread…and I think this third batch is the best yet!

sourdough bread, oh yes you can

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