• Who’s this blabbering maniac?

Anne blabbers

~ a place for me to share

Anne blabbers

Daily Archives: April 16, 2012

Sourdough starter

16 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by Anne in Baking, Bread, Sourdough

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Baking, How-to, Sourdough, sourdough starter

Making a sourdough starter is among the easiest things in the world. The only challenging part is being able to repeat a two minute action regularly throughout a period of ten days. It has been too difficult for me at times, and thus I have tried and failed several times. I have even tried, succeeded, forgot all about it and had to throw it away. The solution has been to make it as easy as possible, the sourdough is consequently used often, often fed, and never stored away for too long.

What you need – Well, to start, what you need is a container, flour, and water. Simple, yes, but let’s make it a little more difficult (or actually easier for you to succeed). You should find a container that holds about a cup, or a wee bit more, and a lid for said contained. I saw fancy glasses and detailed boxes when other people presented their sourdoughs online, screw that! You need something that’s easy to clean and preferably goes in the dishwasher, and to make it even easier, have two. I use some simple boxes from Ikea. Simple boxes with a press-on lid. Then the flour. For white bread you want wheat, for dark bread you want rye, but don’t mix the two. The flour should be organic and wholegrain (I prefer the finely ground). The reason for this is the pesticides and stuff used on most store-bought flour, which could kill the yeast-spores, or at least mess them up.

Hygiene – I’ve seen people using gloves, sterilising their utensils, and making tents for their sourdough containers to avoid bacterias and germs. Trust me, it’s not necessary! The containers must be clean – hot water and soap will do the trick. As for the utensils you use. And, obviously, you must wash your hands (like you always do when working with food. Common sense will also tell you not to sneeze into the flour (or sourdough), don’t use it anymore if you drop it on the floor, and don’t lick you fingers before you touch the dough. I know you know this, but now I’ve said it.

Procedure – First day you take about half a cup of water (I don’t necessarily mean the measurement type of cup, just any normal cup) and enough flour to create a soggy and sticky lump of dough. Leave it on the counter for a day (24+ hours). The next day you remove half the dough (put it in the fridge and use for baking when you need it) and add a fourth of a cup of water and enough dough to get the same icky substance you had the day before. Continue like this until you see the dough coming alive. (If it starts talking you’ve taken it too far) If the texture changes (Wheat becomes very sticky and will, even if made into quite a dry lump of dough, become quite runny. Rye will rise more and be more sponge-like) or it rises, or bubbles appear, you have signs of life. This will take between 2 to 5 days. When it has come alive make it more efficient by feeding it twice a day for 4-5 days.

Now you have an efficient and fully working sourdough. I’ll be back in a few days with more instructions on how to bake with it. Good luck with your starters!

And please do ask if you have any questions!

Want all post to be sent to your e-mail? Sign up here :)

Join 49 other subscribers

Contact me:

Any questions or comments that you'd like to keep private, please contact me at blabberinganne (a) hotmail.com

Search the blog

Looking for?

  • Recipes?
  • Posts on language?
April 2012
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30  
« Mar   Jun »

RSS Margrethe

  • Barstool Sports Defends ‘Can’t Lose Parlays’ with First Amendment
  • BGC Calls for Revamped Social Media Standards
  • PGA Tour and LIV Join Forces in Controversial Merger
  • Churchill Downs Suspends Races to Investigate Horse Deaths
  • SEC Coaches Get Additional Gambling Training
  • College Athletes Trained to Handle Sports Betting Harassment
  • MSU Ices Caesars Partnership as Colleges Shed Sportsbooks
  • Colorado Governor Kills Casino Credit Bill
  • 60 Percent of US College Students Bet on Sports According to NCAA Study
  • California Lawmakers Extend Cardroom Moratorium

RSS Glamourbibliotekaren

  • Her.
  • Glamorøs fredag
  • Maikvelder
  • Glamorøs fredag
  • E lucevan la luna
  • De siste dagene
  • Glamorøs fredag
  • Sommerdrøm
  • Kva las du no?
  • Regn, te og Chopin

RSS Alt Godt

  • Fastelavnkake
  • Haustens grøde – bakt søtpotet
  • Valnøtt- og timianknekkebrød
  • Haustens grøde – bakte grønsaker
  • Fruktknekkebrød
  • Heimelaga frøknekkebrød
  • Høgt heng dei og sure er dei
  • Grovbrød med frø
  • Aspargespai med tomatsalat
  • Baconbakt torsk

RSS Sentence First

  • How Gaia theory got its name
  • Mom vs mam, and Americanisms in Irish English
  • Jack Gladney’s German lessons
  • Book spine poem: Memory
  • Don’t never tell nobody not to use no double negatives
  • Six more videos about language
  • New year’s resolutions for editors and proofreaders

RSS Arkeologi i Nord

  • Flyktningene i Malangen
  • Kjellandsvik-vraket
  • Lurvehuer og hårfagre konger
  • Krosshaugen
  • De første vikingene
  • Johannes Presten
  • Brubyggeren Sakse
  • Da Moss fikk landets første åle-trapp
  • Bakdøra til Karmsundet: Haraldseid
  • Æthelstan

RSS Siljes Lykke

  • Ferietrening
  • Strandliv i Danmark
  • Den store kabalen
  • Hei... igjen!
  • Månedens antrekk...
  • Weekend in Riga
  • Visdomsord en tirsdagsmorgen!!!
  • August er over....
  • Hverdagslykke
  • En lørdagskveld alene...

Visitors

  • 24,870 friendly faces
Free counters!

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Anne blabbers
    • Join 49 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Anne blabbers
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...