Creating and Caring For Sourdough Bread Starters

Okay, now that we’ve gone over bread basics 101 you will notice in the upcoming weeks that I have a particular love of sourdoughs (If you missed that episode, you can find it here). I love sourdough for a number of reasons. To quote Shakespeare and a cult classic at the same time…

1. They taste delicious- I will never sacrifice flavor if I can avoid it. It is richer, deeper, and smoother than any other bread. 
2. Sourdough starter is a legacy opportunity, and we know I’m all about food traditions. You can inherit it from a family member or start a new tradition. The older the starter, the better the flavor and it will continue to get better with time. My favorite sourdough starter was a birthday gift from my sister, and she got it from a woman whose family has had the same one for 90 years. One of my chef instructors had had his for 45 years since HE was in culinary school. 
3. It has a lower glycemic index than most breads- the fermentation depletes much of the starch which means less of a blood sugar spike.  
4. It is easier on gluten sensitive people. Due to the long fermentation time, much of the gluten protein is broken down into amino acids before you eating.  
5. more good bacteria and acid. Lactobacillus is the bacteria found in sourdough bread in large amounts, this leads to higher amounts of lactic acid, which reduces the amount of phytic acid in your gut.  
6. fewer preservatives- this applies to all sourdoughs, but even more so if you are making it at home. Sourdough bread contains acetic acid, which naturally prevents the growth of mold. It naturally preserves itself, meaning that toxic preservatives are not required to make it last. So, it won’t go bad nearly as quickly.  
7. It’s more nutrient dense than other breads. Sourdough bread has a mix of iron, manganese, calcium, B1-B6, B12, folate, zinc, potassium, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, selenium, iron, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamin E. Compared to other breads, sourdough retains many of the original nutrients that are processed out of other kinds of bread. 
8. Sourdough can be used to make just about any type of bread PLUS some. Yes, there is the traditional “San Francisco style sourdough” but anything can be made with sourdough starter. whole wheat, multigrain, brioche, Pulla, PANCAKES, WAFFLES, crackers, bagels. Fermenting dough is the oldest style of leavening bread in the world. It is so versatile.  
9. It is one of the most cost effective ways to make bread. You don’t even need yeast to do it. You CAN jump start starter with dry yeast if you’re in a hurry, but its technically not necessary. It super easy to care for and even easier to start. 
10. There are so many variations on sourdough. You can start with the old school flour and water method, but I know people that feed them with apple cider, and one lady that feeds hers with a tiny bit of molasses in addition to her flour and water to further increase the flavor. and further than that- I find the process fascinating. The ONLY place in the world that you can get true San Francisco sourdough- is in San Francisco. Why? because yeast is a living organism- its regional. Even if you buy a San Francisco originating sourdough, it will slowly over time grow into something else, changing the flavor in nuanced ways. If you start yours from scratch with no added yeast, it will cultivate from the air with the local variant of yeast. That means that in one way or another your bread will be a little bit different than everybody else’s in the world.  

So, now that I have you hooked on the idea of sourdough, lets go over how to start one, and the basics for caring for them. Its probably the easiest thing I’ll ever teach you.  

All you need is an airtight crock or container, flour, and water. But I’ll put notes in here if you’re in a hurry and want to speed up your colony. Most crocks/ containers can be bought anywhere you just want to make sure it has a good seal. I believe my sister bought mine from WIlliams-Sonoma. The one I gave to my father I found at target. It also another thing that is easy to thrift from goodwill. I prefer stone wear myself, but ceramic will also work just fine. How big it will depend entirely on how much you want. I like to keep 4-5 cups on hand, but you can even do smaller batches like my dad who keeps 2-3. Just bear in mind you either have to store it in your fridge or in a cool dry place, so just make sure you have room for whatever container you choose.  

let’s dive in to the two easiest methods: 

Air cultivation:

This takes the longest, but this is the world’s original method for making bread. Mix equal parts flour and water, pour into your chosen container. Seal. Let’s sit at room temperature for two days. Feed equal parts flour and water every two days for 10 days. Once you reach the 10 day mark you can shift your starter to the fridge if you choose. If you store it in the fridge, you can feed it once a week. If you are storing it at room temperature you will need to feed it roughly every three days.  

Jump start:

The exact same thing as above but add 2 tsps. of active dry yeast to the warm water and let bloom for 5 minutes before you add your flour. This starter can be ready to use within 12 hours, and then fed like normal.  

General sourdough tips: 

• Remember that if you are baking with sourdough and you store yours in the fridge you will need to let it come up to room temperature before you use it. cold yeast is slow yeast. 
• If you are going to make sourdough but need to feed your starter as well, feed your starter the day BEFORE and not right before or you will heavily dilute the sour flavor. best practice is actually to feed after you use it to replenish what you have used.  
• If you ever need to alter the texture of your starter (got too thick, got too runny for your preference) you can easily adjust the texture by going a little heavier on the flour or water at feeding time. If you prefer a spongier starter as opposed to a liquidy one, that’s totally fine- both make great bread. Over time you will find what works for you. 
• Sourdough breads take longer to rise than “active yeasts” all good things take time. go by size, not by time. let your doughs double at their own pace instead of assuming since your timer went off its good to go. again, I stress bread is a relationship. you don’t set a time limit on good sex, so don’t time how long it takes your dough to rise.  
• Name your sourdough starter- this is technically a superstition thing, but it is tradition. And whilst some traditions are stupid and archaic, this one is near and dear to my heart. This is the most basic form of magic: Intention setting. doing something with purpose and care and then allowing that intention to manifest. You are fostering a relationship with a living thing. You care for it, and it gives you sustenance. you want a good, happy, healthy, THRIVING starter. Naming things is one of the oldest human instincts. It gives things purpose, power, personality, and on a psychological level you are more likely to take care of something if you have taken the care to give it a name. Name your starter. Mine is Gus. Gus is cute, Gus is tasty, Gus is growing because I care for Gus. You see where I am going with this?  

I hope this helps you start a new adventure. Once you learn the basics you can start additional starters and begin playing with feeder flavors. Please, share your journey! Feel free to shoot us a message if you have questions or want to share. I will be using sourdough starter in many of our bread recipe’s going forward; but don’t feel like that will exclude you from trying things if you aren’t ready to commit to a sourdough baby. Remember you can always start your sourdough colony per batch the night before and still have the recipe come together even if some of the flavor depth is missing. 

All the best, 

Mikaela 

A Beginners Guide to Baking Bread

5 Does & Don’ts

Bread is one of those things that when I was first learning to bake and cook, sounded terribly daunting. But, as I learned more, I realized it really was not. Bread is one of my absolute favorite things, and it is a staple that I think everyone should know how to make. One of the primary rights of humanity is the right to food. And with the way the world works these days, it is imperative that you know how to feed yourself. Most breads cost pennies to produce, the upcharge on them at grocery stores is abhorrent; not to mention all the modern chemicals, preservatives, etc. that you find in most breads. Sure, you can get into all kinds of rich doughs like brioche and Pulla (and we will)- but some of the classiest, most rustic heartwarming loaves are straight doughs (including OG sourdough)- which means at their core all they have in them is flour, water, salt, and yest.  

On a tight budget, bread can be wholesome, filling, and contrary to the modern “anti-gluten” fad that is sweeping the country, full of important nutrients and calories. Again, there is too much of a good thing, but especially if you are not eating super processed bread- there is a lot of value in it. If nothing else, it is a fun thing you can do to also save yourself money on things you are buying anyway. Plus, if you make it yourself you feel accomplished, you can appreciate it much more, and you know EXACTLY what is in it.  

That being said, I want to see if I can speed up your learning process and take out some of daunting-ness behind it. Below are a few things that I learned in culinary school, from some of my favorite executive chefs I’ve worked with, and my own personal experience at home. I hope this encourages you to give it a go. And remember- your first few loaves aren’t going to be perfect. Honestly, they’re probably not even going to be pretty, but each time you do it you will get better. This picture to the right is from the first French loaf I ever made in school- and it was terrible (the cool Epi shaped wheat one next to them was my Chef’s, not mine!) These are my best tips, and the things that I wish I had known sooner. You CAN do this. 

1. You don’t need anything fancy to make bread.

A sheet pan will work for baking most things, and a single metal bread pan will suffice for everything else.  Standing mixers are AMAZING, but anything that can be made in a mixer can also be made by hand. Over time, you can collect cool loaf pans, stone wear, fancy bread dockers and the like, but don’t let that be what stops you now. People have been making bread for thousands of years, and your hands will work just as well for you as they did for your ancestors.  

2. Follow the instructions.

If a bread recipe says to mix your dough for 10 minutes on medium or 15 minutes by hand, then guess what you’re doing? A lot of people when they are first starting out will cut corners or stop mixing because it looks smooth. Then they get flat, tough bread with no air cell structure. Mixing is what develops those beautiful gluten strands. depending on the moisture content and a slew of other things, different breads NEED to mix for varying amounts of time to truly build that gluten.  

3. Let your yeast sit. 

Again, this is a trial in patience for many people. But if you add your flour before your yeast has a chance to bloom properly, you are going to dilute both the moisture needed to work through the casing, but also, disburse the heat that yeast needs to thrive. If your yeast/ liquid mixture doesn’t look foamy, cloudy, or otherwise bubbly something is wrong. You shouldn’t be able to see little yeast pellets in the water. If you still can, that’s a sign you need to wait another minute or two. 

4. Bread is a relationship.

They say cooking is an art and baking is a science. Bread is a relationship. If something goes wrong when you’re cooking, you have a chance to fix it on the fly almost up until the point it hits the plate in most situations. Baking is precise. If you’ve measured wrong, or over mixed- you’re not going to find out until it’s out of the oven, and most times, that’s too late. Bread follows neither of these rules. Why? Because you’re working with a living organism. Every single time you make your bread, the process is going to be a little different. It’s a bit like working with a toddler. You must be gentle. This doesn’t mean it’s rocket science, it just means you need to pay attention. If the relative humidity is higher one day than another you may need to adjust your liquid measurements. If it’s sticking too much, you may need to adjust your flour a bit. If your kitchen is a bit warmer, you can cut down on your rising and resting time. When I moved from Arizona to Washington, I felt like I had to relearn to make bread all over again because EVERYTHING was different. You just have to listen to your dough. And although bread requires attention- It is also relatively forgiving until the final shaping.   

5. LET YOUR BREAD COOL.

I know. I know its hot, and smells amazing and you are excited and you want to try it with a little bit of butter. Do not. Cooling your bread is probably the single most overlooked, and certainly one of the most important steps of making bread. Don’t get me wrong, you can take a slice when it’s still warm, but you need to let it cool about ninety percent of the way. Cooling your bread does a few things. Primarily, it allows are those freshly baked gluten strands to solidify and set. You would be amazed at the number of foods that carryover cook- bread being one of them. That means when you pull it out of the oven, its technically not done cooking. As bread cools, the hot air filling the air cells escapes through the not-quite-finished crust, allowing the slow escape of moisture to both set the final shape, but also prevent dryness as well. Plus, it also where most of the crust formation happens.  Its really depressing to spend hours making bread and doing everything perfectly to then have it go wrong in the home stretch just because you got a little impatient. 

We will get more into some of the technical parts of bread baking, including the basic types and varieties in upcoming videos. But these little rules of thumb are great to keep in your pocket for the basics.  

Now get baking!  

All the best,  

Mikaela