Your daily bread: Sourdough from starter

After our Doodle Bread adventures last weekend, I went on a bit of a bread making buzz. Normally we make our bread in the machine – it’s quick, efficient, makes decent bread and, secondhand, it only cost me €10 – but I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the kneading side of things so it was time to dig out my Ballymaloe sourdough starter.

This has to have been the most forgiving bread starter ever. Although it’s been sitting in my fridge since 2007 with not so regular outings – although it did get a trip out of the house to Urru when I gave a talk on making sourdough bread – and I don’t feed it that often, it still manages to bounce back. I was doing a few maintenance flour/water feeds last week and, inspired by my Doodle kneading, I set the whole three-day event that is a sourdough bread baking session in motion.

While kneading this bread took a lot more effort than the Doodle dough – my recipe makes two loaves at once so that’s 2kg of dough to punch and pummel around on the worktop – I thoroughly enjoyed the workout! I have to say, though, that I didn’t have high hopes for the end result but the bread was better than ever. A gloriously crunchy crust, with an open crumb, the flavour was sour enough to keep the most ardent sourdough fan happy. No yeast has ever come near this starter, it’s just been flour and water all the way.

Click on the link below to see the notes that I wrote up for my sourdough talk. These are adapted from the recipe that I started working with more than three years ago in Ballymaloe. Have you ever tried making sourdough yourself? If you do decide to try this out – it truly is worth it! – please do let me know how you get on.

Sourdough for Starters

Sourdough, quite simply, is the process of leavening or rising bread by capturing the wild, natural yeasts in your environment, rather than using commercially available yeast. The bread has a distinctive and delicious tangy or sour taste, hence the name. It’s not difficult – anyone who has made a loaf of bread can easily make sourdough bread – and all you need are the basic ingredients of flour, water and salt.First, you make a starter, which is a live, bubbling batter that you keep in your fridge. This is then made into a dough, causing it to rise.

Step 1: Making your Sourdough Starter

What you need:

* Container – a large, wide-mouth container that will hold at least 3½ pints. I use a large kilner jar. Wash well in warm, soapy water before use.
* Flour – use strong white bread flour. Organic is great but not essential.
* Water – use filtered or spring water if at all possible. Avoid chlorinated tap water – this will kill your starter. If you only have access to chlorinated tap water, fill up a jug and leave it to stand overnight before use. Always use water at room temperature.
* Baskets x 2 – because sourdough takes AGES to rise, it is notorious for spreading out rather than up. In Ballymaloe I used, and you can buy online, beautifully shaped cane baskets for bread rising. Here at the cottage I just use a couple of regular wicker ones that I picked up in my local pound shop for not more than a couple of euros. Make sure you line them with a well floured flat weave cotton tea towel. Why two? Because every time you make sourdough bread, you put in so much effort that you will only make two loaves. No point in doing all this for just one.
* A little patience…

Day 1
Put 2fl oz water and 2oz bread flour into the jar. Mix well, cover and leave at room temperature overnight.

Day 2
Add 2fl oz water and 2oz bread flour to the jar. Mix well, cover and leave at room temperature overnight.

Day 3
Add 2fl oz water and 2oz bread flour to the jar. Mix well, cover and leave at room temperature overnight.

Day 4
Add 2fl oz water and 2oz bread flour to the jar. Mix well, cover and leave at room temperature overnight.

Day 5
Add 2fl oz water and 2oz bread flour to the jar. Mix well, cover and leave at room temperature overnight.

Day 6
You will now have approximately 20fl oz of lively, bubbling, slightly beery-smelling sourdough starter to make your bread. It is most active now so can be used straight away or can also be stored in the fridge until you want to make bread.

Do not allow your starter to get too warm. If it is too stiff, add a little more water and mix well. It should always smell pleasant and the flavour will become more complex each time you use it.

Step 2: Making Sourdough Bread – a three-day event!

Day 1: Morning

Begin with your sourdough starter at room temperature, taking it out of the fridge the night before if necessary. Stir in 8fl oz room temperature water (again, avoid chlorinated water) then add 8oz strong white bread flour. Mix well, cover and leave at room temperature.

Day 1: Evening
Your mixture should look bubbly and alive. Add another 8fl oz room temperature water and 8oz strong white bread flour. Mix well, cover and leave at room temperature overnight.

Day 2: Morning
The starter will have expanded in volume and have a frothy layer on top. Transfer 30fl oz into a large mixing bowl. Put the remainder back into the jar and keep in the fridge for the next batch of bread.

To your mixing bowl, add:

Room temperature water – 3-6fl oz
Strong white flour – 1½lbs
Wheatgerm – 1 tablespoon
Rye flour – 1 tablespoon

Mix well and cover the bowl with either clingfilm or a damp tea towel for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle 2½ teaspoons of salt (I have forgotten this in the past and it is ESSENTIAL) over the mixture and knead by hand for 15-20 minutes or by machine for approximately 6 minutes. The dough should be smooth and slightly sticky. Place back into the large bowl, cover again and allow to rise at room temperature until light, which takes about 6 – 8 hours.

Day 2: Evening
Gently knock back the risen dough. Divide in 2 x 2lb loaves and shape. Dust with flour and put into the baskets that have been lined with a well-floured tea towel. Put the baskets into large plastic bags and refridgerate overnight. If it’s cold, you will get away with doing this in the spare room. At the cottage, there’s no room in the fridge so this is how I do it although the Husband does complain about me leaving the spare room window open as a result.

Day 3: Morning – almost there!
Remove the dough from the fridge and allow to come back to room temperature, which will take between 1 and 1½ hours.

Preheat your oven to 230°C/210°C fanbake/450°F/Gas Mark 8 and fix the shelves so the bread has room to expand. Sprinkle the base of a large baking tray with a little flour or polenta. Leaving room for expansion, very gently turn the loaves onto the tray. Quickly slash the tops with a very sharp knife, sprinkle or mist with water and put into the oven straight away.

Check the bread after 35-40 minutes, knocking the base to see if it sounds hollow. It may need a few more minutes back in the oven, turned upside down.

Enjoy!