A friend gave me some sourdough starter two Thanksgivings ago. And it promptly found a home in the fridge. Having had many baking flops, I was very hesitant to jump into the world of sourdough bread baking. But my social media apps kept bombarding me with sourdough baking videos and my friend kept gently encouraging. So, last winter I took the leap. I watched the video my friend recommended I Bake with Jack’s beginner sourdough and started my journey. My first homemade bread was a success. I was off and running. It gives me great joy to bake bread for my family. Along the way I’ve only had a couple of flops when I forgot the salt or left it for too long on the counter. What I have learned is that baking sourdough bread is in fact very forgiving and so good to eat! I now bake a couple times a week. This Christmas I even baked sourdough cinnamon rolls that were a hit. I’ve also made homemade pizza crusts that are so easy and tasty! I encourage you to give it a try and hope you enjoy the same super satisfaction of sourdough baking that I do. If you live near me, I’m happy to share some starter with you.

Ingredients for one loaf:

100g       Excited sourdough starter (take this from your jar and leave the scrapings for next time)

450g       Strong white bread flour (I use Organic King Arthur Bread Flour)

310g       Room temperature water (the temperature is important)

8g           Salt (preferably pink Himalayan)

Tips:

*Mix starter and water first completely, then add flour. Salt can be added with flour or add it when you start to fold, that is what I do, just don’t forget it! I measure it and leave it in a dish so I don’t forget to add it in a fold.

* Lots of info/opinions can be found online about feeding your sourdough starter. It’s simpler than you think. I’ve found it best to keep it right on the counter, unless going out of town, and just keep an eye on it. If it’s looking runny add some flour and water. The goal is to keep it like a thick pancake batter with holes. I keep mine near my stove/oven in the winter to help keep it warm as our kitchen can be cold. Temperature does affect the rise.

* Thank you Elise for sharing the best starter with me! I recommend trying to find starter from an active baker near you.

Instructions:

1. Combine ingredients, mix together with a spoon, fork, scraper or your hands (if you use your hands make sure they are wet as the dough is sticky) to make a scraggly dough. Let set for 30 minutes covered with a towel.

2. With wet hands pull the dough out and start to form it into a ball by pulling and folding it together. I just stretch and fold the dough into a ball a couple times with an hour or so in between. I try to do this three times. I’n looking for the dough to feel strong. I use flour the last time or two to help with the stickiness. That’s it. (The I Bake with Jack video above does provide a more exact schedule that I started out faithfully following. With time I learned it didn’t really matter that much as I said sourdough is surprisingly forgiving.)

3. Put in the fridge overnight. People use strainers to help hold the shape. I bought sourdough bread baskets and do think they are worth it.

Time to Bake the Bread – I use a Le Creuset Dutch Oven, I’ve seen people use roasting pans too and two bread pans on top of each other and some people bake on a cookie sheet. Lots of ways to bake!

1. Place Le Creuset with top on in the oven. Preheat the oven to 500, take the bread out of the fridge. Turn it over onto a piece of parchment paper. Score the bread. I keep it simple, one long slice along the side, not going into the bread too deep. You can of course get fancy and make a design.

2. Place the bread on the parchment paper in the Dutch oven at 500 for 20 minutes. Place a cooking sheet on the bottom rack to prevent the bottom of bread from burning.

3. Reduce the heat to 450 for an additional 10 minutes, do not open the oven or the lid. The bread is doing its magic.

4.  After 30 minutes take the lid off and continue to cook at 450 for an additional 15-20 minutes.  

5.  Take out and let cool for at least 2 hours. Some say 12 hours. I try to bake in the morning so we can enjoy the best bread ever with dinner! Happy New Year and Happy Baking!!!

So many great resources online! Another favorite of mine is Amybakesbread.com