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How to make a sourdough for baking: step by step instructions
This is a very useful thing: firstly, with proper care, it is almost eternal, and secondly, it allows you to bake bread and other goodies without yeast.
Sourdough is a substitute for commercial yeast that can be grown at home. All it takes is water, flour, warmth and a little patience. It will take 3-5 days to get a starter (the foreign name also stuck in our kitchen). Those who have tried sourdough bread say that it turns out to be much tastier and more aromatic than from industrial yeast. By the way, recipes for homemade bread can be found here.
Five questions
How does it work?
Sourdough works in the same way as fast yeast: thanks to it, bubbles of carbon dioxide are formed in the dough, the dough rises quickly and ensures the splendor of baked goods.
How much sourdough is needed for baking?
Usually 150 ml of starter culture is enough to replace a teaspoon of dry yeast.
What flour is it better to make it from?
It doesn’t matter: from white, whole grain, rye – whatever. It is not necessary that the flour in the sourdough and the dough be the same: white bread can also be baked with rye sourdough.
Is it true that you can use it forever?
You can, if stored correctly – in the refrigerator, folded in a glass jar and covered with a plastic lid with holes. Once a week, you need to “feed” the starter culture, more on that below.
Do you need any special conditions for the leaven?
Not needed. The humidity is suitable as it is, the temperature is a warm room. The main thing is to make sure that both the starter container and your hands are perfectly clean.
How to make bread sourdough at home
Step 1. First, we select a suitable container, preferably glass. A regular jar will do. Its volume depends on how much starter you want to make. The most suitable is 1 liter.
Step 2. Only two ingredients are needed: flour and water, taken in equal proportions. They need to be mixed well: you should get a homogeneous mass of the consistency of thick sour cream or pancake dough.
Step 3. Cover the jar with plastic wrap or a clean towel and place it in a dark, warm place, such as a kitchen cabinet. And we forget about it until the next day. If desired, you can stir the leaven several times, but not with a metal spoon. The flour will settle, but don’t let that scare you.
Step 4. The next day we feed the sourdough: add flour and water in equal parts. Let’s say for the first batch you took 100 grams of both. This time we take the same amount. Mix well again and send the jar to the closet. On this day, bubbles will appear in the leaven. In addition, it will start to smell, and not very pleasant. This is how it should be.
Step 5. A day later, we feed the leaven again: the same amount of water and flour as the first time. It has already begun to increase in volume, the smell is increasing, the bubbles are becoming more. Stir well again and remove to a warm place to wander further.
Step 6. The fourth day – the third feeding of the sourdough. A foam cap is already forming on it, and the smell is very similar to the smell of ordinary yeast. Some believe that on this day the sourdough is ready, other culinary experts advise feeding it a third time. The portion is the same as on the second day. The jar will be almost full.
Step 7. Now the leaven is definitely ready. We select half in reserve – we put it in the refrigerator, closing the jar with a plastic lid with holes. If you bake regularly, just take the right portion of the starter, add 100 g of flour and water to the jar, stir and refrigerate again. If you rarely bake, feed the sourdough once a week. And before baking, we warm the cold sourdough at room temperature, feed and put the dough on it, as usual.