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Best Homemade Sourdough Bread Recipe

 

 

A fresh loaf of sourdough bread comes from a fermentation process

 

 

that involves wild yeast and bacteria, which is lactobacilli.  They give

 

 

that familiar tangy, sour taste (and smell) that I love.

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Sourdough bread acts as a prebiotic, which simply means that the

 

 

fiber contained in the bread feeds the "good bacteria" in you gut. 

 

 

These are necessary to help maintain a healthy digestive system.  FYI,

 

 

it's also much lower in gluten than other breads.

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I make my sourdough from a starter that I created several years ago.

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You can also buy a starter online or in a store.  Unfortunately there are

 

 

no stores where I live that that sell an active starter.

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Why I like this recipe . . .

•  Like most homemade breads, there are no additional ingredients like     like you find it store-bought bread.

•  Because of the fermentation, it's so much easier to digest.

•  Over time, making your own bread is more cost-effective.

•  Learning to bake bread is a skill that will continue to grow as you               widen your baking techniques.

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​Best Homemade Sourdough Bread Recipe

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Ingredients

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•  All-purpose flour, I use organic unbleached or einkorn*

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•  Warm water (free of chlorine and fluoride)

 

 

 

 

 

Instructions

 

 

1.    Day one; in a glass bowl or jar (no metal), add ¾ cup flour and ½ cup

 

 

      water.  Stir thoroughly (wooden spoon or a dough whisk), making

 

 

      sure to incorporate every bit of flour.  Scrape down the sides and

 

 

      stir again.  It will be very thick.  Cover with a clean loosely woven

 

 

      towel and leave it to rest in a warm spot (70-85°F) for 24 hours.

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2.  Day 2; look for bubbles, there should be a few.  If not, don't worry. 

 

 

     Add another ¾ cup flour and ½ water; stir until smooth; scrape down

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     sides; stir again until no flour remains.  Cover and let rest for 24 hours.

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3.  Day 3; remove half of the starter.  There should be bubbles by now. 

 

 

     Add ¾ cup flour and ½ cup water; stir until smooth; cover and let

 

 

     rest for another 24 hours.

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4. Days 4, 5, and 6; repeat day 3.  During this time, the dough will be

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    more bubbly each day as the yeast and bacteria multiply; it will start

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    to smell sour and earthy.  When the starter is foamy looking, and

 

 

    doubles in size within 8 hours, it's ready.  Refrigerate half and use the

 

 

    other half to make bread.

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Tips

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•  Each time you feed the starter, stir vigorously.  It's important not to            have any dry lumps of flour.

 

•  To keep your starter going, it must be fed.  Follow step 3 above if you're

 

 

    going to be using it often.  

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•  If you have a food scale, measure the ¾ cup flour and weigh it.  Add

 

 

   the equal weight of water each time you feed. 

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•  If you refrigerate the starter, you will need to take it out once a week

 

 

   and follow step 3 above.  On the days you feed, leave it on the

 

 

   counter so the bacteria can multiply.

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•  For longer storage, double the amount of flour and water; store in the

 

 

   fridge until ready to use.

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• Take it out of the fridge 2 days before you plan on baking.  Discard

 

 

   half, feed and mix thoroughly; cover.  After 24 hours, it should be

 

 

   bubbly again and ready to use.

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Facts

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•  It make take longer than 6 days for your starter to double, depending

 

 

   on the temperature of the room.  

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•  Always use fresh flour, that is absolutely necessary for a successful

 

 

   sourdough starter.

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