Week 2 [ 23 - 29. 03. 2020 ] Homemade sourdough baking

Baking sourdough breads became my routine as fermentation is a fascinating process and it’s just simply delicious.

The difference between sourdough bread and regular bread is that instead of yeast you use a starter. The sourdough starter is the mix of flour and water which is left to ferment for few days and then it’s used to bake a loaf. Bread made this way tastes so much better, stays fresh for days and fermented gluten is healthier.

During fermentation the starter absorbs wild yeasts from air which together with bacteria, present in the flour, start the fermentation process and feast on the starch. During this process carbon dioxide is produced which lifts the starter, so sometimes it looks as it would like to escape from the container. There is something fascinating in the process of fermentation: you watch how life grows inside of the jar, you need to feed it, keep it warm – just like a pet or a tamagotchi.

Feeding the sourdough starter consist of adding equal amounts of bread and water every day. It’s a nice example of a recursion in the kitchen. Therefore, if you don’t use the starter daily, it will double its quantity after each feeding. This makes the process of making sourdough bread quite engaging: before you know you find yourself with several jars of bubbling starter that takes control over your life and you are just a servant that needs to feed the hungry monster.

The process of making sourdough bread takes about 24 hours. First, you need to activate your starter. Then, mix it with water, add flour and salt. Next step it’s kneading. Each hour you should stretch and fold the dough and repeat it 3 to 5 times to develop strength of gluten which builds the structure of the dough. After that, you leave the dough to prove. Sourdough bread proves in 2 stages: first 12 hours in room temperature and second from 6 to 9 hours in the fridge. After first prove in room temperature you need to shape the bread which is the craftiest part of the process. This video shows how it should be done.

When your loaf is shaped you can put it in the special proofing basket and place it in the fridge for about 6 hours. After this time the dough is ready to bake.

Baking sourdough bread can seem to be overwhelming and complicated, but I recommend trying. Especially now since our outdoor activities are limited due to epidemic prevention measures and lots of people work from home it can keep us busy.

 Thank you for reading, please share if you have any experience with fermentation, baking or if you like cooking at home. What is your recipe to stay home and stay busy? Have you learned something new during this time?