Sourdough bread has gotten really popular in the baking community. Everyone seems to be trying sourdough baking now and that’s great! Sourdough bread is so fascinating and there is a whole world of sourdough recipes to discover.
Sourdough bread is unique because it is made from a sourdough starter, which contains wild yeast and bacteria. It also undergoes a long fermentation process, which breaks down the the sugars and starches. In the end we get an artisanal, crusty bread that has this nutty, complex flavour.
Making sourdough can seem really intimidating. But, it really is a rewarding process; to make a bakery style bread just from flour, water and salt is pretty cool.
Sourdough isn’t just limited to bread. Any traditionally yeast-leavened dough can be made with sourdough starter. You can even incorporate sourdough starter in non-yeast leavened baked goods like muffins or cookies. Check out some sourdough discard recipes here!
What is a starter?
A starter is a stable culture of flour and water that has fermented and developed yeast and lactic acid bacteria*. It is basically this living blob of water and flour that lives in your kitchen. What’s really cool is every starter is different as they contain different species of this bacteria. The starter is what gives the bread all that rise.
In order for the starter to maintain all this, it needs to be fed and discarded regularly. This allows the yeast and bacteria to reproduce and maintain this stable culture*. This is why you may hear people talk about feeding a their starter, almost like it is a pet. Every week or so, you have to remove a portion of the starter and re-feed with water and flour. This isn’t as tedious as it may sound. You can read more about this in my post on starters.
Benefits of Sourdough
Sourdough undergoes a longer fermentation process compared to normal bread. During normal fermentation, the yeast breaks down sugars and produce carbon dioxide*. The carbon dioxide gas is what gives the dough rise. In the case of sourdough, this process is much longer, allowing more of the sugars and starches (which can be more difficult to digest and absorb) to be broken down. This makes sourdough a low FODMAP food and possibly suitable for people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome or gluten sensitivities (but of course you should consult a doctor first)*.
Making Sourdough Bread
To make a basic sourdough bread, all you need is water, flour and salt. Technically you will also need a starter, but that is just made up of water and flour. Sourdough bread making can be very simple. At least the way I make it, there is no extensive kneading, no mixers, and not a lot of fancy equipment. There are some pieces of equipment that will have a positive effects on the final dough. For example a banneton basket will help the dough hold its shape and dry out the surface, which helps the crust. A bread lame with an ergonomic handle will make scoring easier.
With that being said, you do need these pieces of equipment. I made sourdough for months before I bought many of these things. It’s easy to find something you already have to accomplish the same task. For example, you can use a cheesecloth or dishtowel lined loaf tin instead of a banneton basket which will dry out that outer layer of dough. Check out my post on baking equipment to read more about substitutes you can make.
The one piece of equipment that I think is really important is a kitchen scale. Measuring flour with measuring cups is rather inaccurate due to way the flour packs together. A scale eliminates any of these measuring errors by just telling you exactly how much you’ve got. There are many kitchen scales out there that are relatively inexpensive and they really help with sourdough making process.
Storing Sourdough
After all that hard work, you want to store your sourdough properly so you can enjoy it for longer. The two main ways you can store your sourdough is in the freezer or on the countertop. Storing in the freezer will make you bread last a longer, but will require some sort of reheating. Storing on the countertop means you can just slice and eat, but you will have to be weary of the loaf going stale.
The best time to eat sourdough is the day it was baked. But of course not everyone can or wants to eat a whole loaf of bread in one day, so we have to find ways to store it whilst maintaining its freshness and taste.
Freezer
Storing sourdough bread in the freezer is really simple. Once the loaf is baked and cooled, slice it up, line it in a single layer on a sheet tray and freeze uncovered. Once the slices are frozen solid, transfer into a large freezer bag for up to two months. When you go to get a slice, just pop it in the toaster until heated through.
If you want to use this method, it is preferable to freeze a freshly baked loaf so you are preserving it at its peak. That way, when you re-heat a slice, you know it was frozen at its freshest point.
Be careful not to leave your slices in the freezer for too long. I would not recommend leaving the slices in freezer bag for longer than two months. The slices could get freezer burned and dried out so that even when you toast it, it’s not quite the same.
You can also freeze the loaf whole. When you want to reheat it, spray all over with water and bake at 350°F for 10-20 minutes until heated though.
Countertop
There are a couple ways to store sourdough on the countertop. First is in a bread box. These are designed to house bread and keep them from going stale. They are probably more pricey but are reusable and last a long time.
Another option is to wrap the loaf in plastic wrap or a beeswax wrap (this is the one I use). This method works really well and is ideal if you plan on finishing the loaf within one week (which I usually have no problem doing).
Eating Sourdough
You can really serve your sourdough however you like. Because it already has such a complex and nutty flavour from all that fermentation, it can really stand on its own with just a smear of butter. It also goes really well with some soup, topped with avocado and egg or in a sandwich. This part is really up to you so have fun with it!
There is so much more to sourdough that cannot all be covered in one post. There is never-ending knowledge out there. But, if you are just starting out, these are the basics that will hopefully answer some questions you had. Leave any questions in the comments.
Happy baking!
The smoke salmon with the sourdough was my favourite! Tasted delicious, the crunch of the crust then the softness! YUMM!
I’m glad you liked it! That’s one of my favourites too!