Sourdough Isn’t Complicated. Here’s What You Need to Know:
It seems as though sourdough is the newest wagon on which we are all eager to jump. Why wouldn’t we be? We have a never-ending supply of fresh-baked bread so long as we have flour. When I first got interested in the craze, I’ll admit, I was very intimidated. I’d heard the same horror stories you have about how the starters need to be babysat, it takes months to establish your starter and days to bake. But since I’m a stay-at-home mom, I figured, “Why not? I have the time to learn a new skill.” Here are the biggest doubts I had in the beginning and the reality of sourdough.
It takes months to establish a sourdough starter. Your starter should take around 5-7 days to establish from start to finish. However, depending on the temperature of your home, it could take up to around two-ish weeks. Warmer kitchens will have a faster fermentation time.
It takes days to bake a loaf. Some recipes do call for longer bulk fermentation time. Bulk fermentation is what gives the bread it’s flavor, volume, and texture. Many recipes can be done in a single day. Don’t give up the dream of having fresh, delicious bread because you’re afraid it might take a little time.
So much starter goes to waste during the discard process. It is essential to discard every day. Discarding makes sure your starter remains a maintainable size, the right amount of acidity, and maintains a healthy microbial balance and the discard doesn’t have to be wasted. There are sourdough geniuses out there who have discovered so many ways to put the discard to use by making it into pizza dough, cinnamon rolls, bagels, chocolate chip cookies, etc. Not only can you bake with the discard but if you can stomach tossing it out, it can be a healthy additive to your composter.
Starters must be babysat and fed everyday. If you don’t plan on using your sourdough everyday or every other day for baking, it can actually live in the fridge for up to two months without being fed. Some bakers would recommend not letting it exceed three weeks. Either way, as long as your starter hasn’t developed any type of mold on top, it’s good to wake up, feed and bake with.
I hope that debunking some of the myths you’ve probably heard kick-starts your curiosity about trying to get a starter of your own going. Establishing my own starter has been such a fun new skill I’ve learned and I would love for you to enjoy it too. I’ve listed some basic tools you’ll need below as well as a link to Amazon to make buying them super easy! Happy baking!
Shopping list:
–food scale (one that measures in grams)
-unbleached AP or bread flour. King Arthur has been my favorite thus far.
-a jar to store your starter in. Here’s a link to a great jar kit complete with a rising band, temperature gauge, and a silicone scraper!
I think I’m supposed to inform you that I do receive a small portion of any sale generated from these links. However, I won’t post a link for a product I wouldn’t recommend personally.
