Did you know it is Sourdough September? Well, now you do!
There are plenty of amazing bakers across Dorset offering their own sourdough recipes, but have you ever wanted to make your own? If so, here is a simple recipe to get you on the right track!
First though, what is sourdough?
Out of all the breads, we’re told that sourdough is the healthiest, though you wouldn’t know that from how good it tastes! If you’ve ever wondered how it differs from other types of bread, it is basically all in the ingredients. Sourdough is made using the naturally occurring yeast and bacteria that is found in flour, it doesn’t need any additional yeast, milk, oils, sugars or anything else that you might think goes into baking bread. That’s what makes it so popular among those who are healthy eating – you can’t get much more natural than a sourdough loaf. Other than the ingredients, sourdough is set apart from other breads because of its taste, it has a unique tang to it that isn’t found in other bread doughs and this flavour is how you know you’ve done it right!
Ready to make your own sourdough loaf? First you need a sourdough starter, this can take several days, so its an idea to do this bit at the beginning of the month and then get started with the baking a few days in.
For your starter:
The easiest way to do this is to combine flour and water and leaving it to sit for a few days.
Add 110g flour (self raising is fine, but feel free to use whatever flour you like!) to 120ml of cold water.
You’ll need to stir it into a smooth batter and then cover it loosely before leaving it at room temperature for 24 hours.
After the first 24 hours, weigh out the same amount of flour and water, check the starter for small bubbles (this is good but don’t panic if they don’t appear straight away), add the next lot of flour and water, stir and cover again for a further 24 hours.
The next day add more flour and water (the same amount again), stir vigorously until combined and smooth, at this point the dough should start to smell a bit but don’t panic, this is normal! Cover again and leave overnight.
Repeat this the following day, at this point the dough should really start to smell quite sour.
Once again, cover and leave overnight. The starter will be ready to use after that.
