12 FEAST AND FIELD • FALL 2021
Ready, set, start — What’s a sourdough starter, anyway? BY SUM M ER WH ITFORD PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN DON N ELL AN D DEBBI E WI DJAJA
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uring the COVID pandemic, the amount of Americans seeking solace by baking sourdough bread resulted in flour shortages and record-breaking baking-ingredient sales in 2020. According to Nielsen data reported by Bloomberg Reports, sales of baking yeast were up 457%, flour increased by 155%, baking powder by 178%, butter by 73%, and eggs sales also went up 48%. Whether you have already taken the plunge, are ready to try sourdough-bread baking for the first time, or want to learn more, here’s what you need to know about sourdough and starters.
What is sourdough, and how is it different from other bread?
Sourdough is a slow-rise bread naturally leavened by a live-fermented culture or “starter.” This is what makes the dough rise rather than dry yeast. The benefit of a starter is that it slows down the proofing time and allows the bread to develop deep flavors. This versatile bread is a favorite with bakers because it produces delicious flavors and textures from a wide range of flours, including white, oat, rye, millet and whole-grain. If you’re a beginner, consider using white bread flour for your first foray into sourdough bread. It’s easy to work with, easy to find, and not as expensive as specialty flours. However, there is one caveat: If you’ve found a sourdough recipe you’d like to try, you should be aware that the bread might only take a few hours to proof and bake. Still, depending on how warm or cold you keep your home, the starter takes a minimum of five days and up to two weeks to ferment before it’s ready to use in your recipe. Plan accordingly.
A short ingredient list
Believe it or not, sourdough bread includes only four ingredients: flour (your choice), water, salt (sea salt or kosher salt) and the starter, unless you want to add flavorings or textures with ingredients such as honey, molasses, herbs, seeds and nuts. So, what actually is a starter, and how is it made? A starter is a culture made from flour and water that relies on ambient yeasts in the air and natural yeasts and bacteria in the flour to start the fermentation process and leaven the bread. The beauty of using a starter is that it, combined with a lengthier proofing time, produces the sour, tangy, earthy flavor and slightly chewy texture people love in sourdough bread.
cup warm water that is 90 to 100°F. Yeast will become inactive if the temperature exceeds 100°F. Place the water and flour into a foodsafe container. A 32-ounce, wide-mouth Mason jar works well. With a small whisk or fork, stir well until the texture is smooth and thick like a heavy batter. Secure the lid and allow the mixture to rest in a warm place that’s around 75°F for 24 hours.
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DAY TWO Look for signs of fermentation bubbles, but don’t worry if there aren’t any; just let the starter rest for another day.
How to prepare and “feed” your starter
As previously mentioned, the starter can take from five days to two weeks to fully develop, and it must be “fed” fresh flour and water almost daily to maintain proper fermentation. Here are the instructions:
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LEARNING HOW TO MAKE A STARTER IS KEY TO BAKING BREAD WITH A SLIGHT TANG AND TENDER CRUMB.
DAY ONE Starter ingredients: 1 cup whole wheat or rye flour (they ferment better than all-purpose flour) and ½
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DAY THREE TO DAY SIX “Feed” ingredients: 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, ½ cup warm water (90 to 100°F). Whether you see bubbles or not, first, discard half of the starter. This prevents too much fermentation; otherwise, each day’s feeding would grow and exceed the container’s capacity. Add the flour and water. Stir with whisk or fork until the consistency resembles a thick pancake batter; cover and allow the mixture to rest in a warm place for 24 hours. Repeat this process for the next three days.
EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE TIPS FOR MAKING HOMEMADE BREAD
BY SUM M ER WH ITFORD PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN DON N ELL
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Baking bread can appear difficult, intimidating or even magical, but anyone can make
Seasoned bakers know that mise en place, which in French means, “everything in its place,” keeps you organized, saves time, and could even help avoid a recipe flop. Proper mise en place ensures all of your ingredients and tools are laid out in order of need and are easily accessible. This kind of organization will prevent accidents, missed ingredients, forgotten steps and failed recipes.
As with any craft, the right tools make a difference. At the top of most bakers’ list is a properly calibrated oven (this ensures exact temperatures) — preferably a large, 30-inch oven. Bakers love a good, heavy-duty stand mixer and go for a 5-quart-capacity mixer every time with dough hook, paddle and whisk attachments. Its size ensures the bowl and motor are large enough for big recipes, and it can easily mix and knead stiff doughs.
Bread is only as good as its ingredients
Keep it simple
Mise en place
Bigger isn’t better, but it helps
he acclaimed food writer James Beard once said, “Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.” If you agree with this premise, why not make your own? It might seem intimidating, but bread-baking is a delicious chemistry anyone can master, and here are some tips to get you started.
Always insist on nothing but the best, freshest ingredients for your bread, from the water (chlorinated tap water imparts terrible tastes and smells and could kill the live yeast and bacteria in your sourdough starter) to the flour, yeast, etc. Like flour, never rely strictly on the sell-by date on the bag; use your eyes and nose to see if the sack looks clean and smells like flour, and then stick your nose into it. The flour should smell like ripe grain, nothing else. If it smells musty, mildewy or rancid, throw it out. Without yeast, there is no bread, so testing it for freshness is essential for success. To do this, in a small bowl, mix ½ teaspoon sugar, ½ cup warm, not hot, water in the range of 90 to 100°F, and ¼ ounce active dry yeast. Wait 10 minutes, see if the mixture bubbles, and then wait 10 more minutes. By then, you should have a light, frothy dome and the certainty of knowing your yeast is fresh.
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DAY SEVEN AND BEYOND By now, you should have an active starter that is ready to use. How can you tell? The volume will have doubled in quantity, and there should be lots of fluffy, spongy bubbles that smell yeasty and look lively. Feed your starter correctly by keeping it at room temperature, feeding it every day. Or, if you want to feed it less often for future bread baking, store it in the refrigerator and feed it about every five days or when the volume deflates by more than half and the bubbles drop and become less active and visible. To know with certainty your starter is active and ready for baking bread, try the float test: Place a large glass of room-temperature water on the counter. Drop a spoonful of starter into the glass. If it floats, it’s ready to use. If it sinks, let the starter sit longer to develop more bubbles, or feed it again and let it sit for six hours or as long as 12 hours before repeating the float test. For a more “sour” sourdough, consider using rye flour and adding a touch of onions for that distinctive tangy flavor. And, when you’re looking to deliver a gift to “the person who has everything,” consider baking homemade bread to give with some quality butter — along with the bread’s recipe and enough starter for friends or family to prepare bread from scratch at home.
Don’t sweat the small stuff
terrific bread. However, rather than dive into the deep end for your first bread, try a forgiving recipe, such as focaccia. This homey, Italian bread is easy to make, can be easily transformed with toppings, and feeds a hungry crowd.
Read the recipe, and then read it again Even bread with just four ingredients relies on a formula; the ingredient amounts and instructions are there for a reason, so read the recipe carefully from start to finish. Resist the urge to improvise; baking bread involves complex chemical reactions that can create aromatic loaves as easily as disasters.
Scratch that. Go ahead and sweat the small stuff because small wares, such as brushes, various cookie sheets and rimmed baking pans and cooling racks, are essential in every baker’s toolbox. They make specific tasks more manageable. Instant-read thermometers give you accurate water and dough temperatures, and metal bench scrapers or dough cutters cut the dough into sections without tearing and destroying the gluten strands. At the same time, plastic or silicone bowl scrapers let you quickly remove every last bit of sticky dough from inside a mixing bowl, and stainless steel mixing bowls can be used for whisking eggs and to proof dough and hold ingredients. Your recipe won’t be accurate without tools to weigh and measure ingredients, and that’s why an accurate scale, digital or old-school, is required, along with more than one set of measuring spoons and cups.
