Sourdough Baking

written by Oren Yaari @oren.yaari

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When was the last time you spent quality time with flour and water? Creating a product from scratch using less than 4 ingredients? How about watching something grow from start to finish?

For most people, it’s never.

What I love about flour and water is that they have existed for a very, very long time. Without them, humans would be screwed!

They remain vital for our survival - each containing powerful life force energy.

When mixed together with the help of surrounding bacteria cultures that naturally exist in the environment, you end up with fermented dough - and thus the sourdough!

So roll up your sleeves, sprinkle some flour on the counter, and put away your phone…it’s time to get to work!

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Sourdough bread, famous for its tangy flavor and thick texture, has been made for millennia. The bread is a favorite for sandwiches and toasts, but the dough can also be incorporated into recipes for pizza, cookies, pancakes, and more. 

Because of the extended process needed to cultivate sourdough, it is less processed and more natural than most bread you can buy at the store. In the last few years, it has become more and more common for people to make this bread at home after taking the time to cultivate a sourdough starter.

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So what is a sourdough starter? 

It is a mixture of flour and water that, over time, naturally develops yeast and healthy bacteria. While a lot of baked goods use commercial yeast to leaven the bread, this mixture captures the wild yeast in the air and activates it. 

This mixture is referred to as a preferment because it is given time to ferment before being combined with ingredients to make dough that turns into bread. But how much time?

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To successfully create a sourdough starter, you will need to “feed” it for about a week. After creating your initial mixture, you will store it in a room-temperature to warm location. The next day, you will remove about half of the mixture and add some new flour and water. 

After about two days, you should begin to see some bubbling or expansion in your starter, or it will begin to release a fresh aroma. This is a sign that your dough is active and beginning to ferment. You will continue feeding your dough for about five to seven days, until it is ready to be used in a dough. You will know it is ready because, within six to eight hours of feeding it, the dough will consistently bubble and expand.

If you want to bake your own sourdough bread but the starter process sounds like too much, you can look into purchasing sourdough starter at a local bakery. You can also get some starter from another person who has sourdough – ask your friends or post in your local Facebook groups to find someone who might have starter to spare! 

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Once you have your sourdough starter, it’s time to actually bake your bread! To do this, you will use your starter as one ingredient in a larger mixture of dough. Sourdough bread has been made for years, so you can easily find a recipe in a cookbook or online.

It can be quite a process of experimentation to bake the sourdough you want. People can spend years trying to perfect their bread recipe, but imperfection is a natural part of the breadbaking process, especially when it is made at home. 

For more about how to get started baking sourdough, head to The Perfect Loaf for baking guides and recipe inspiration.