It all started with this Pin. Â I saw how easy it was, and just went to town making a starter.
I decided awhile back that my next bit of education was how to make sourdough bread. Â I’ve baked some other breads before. Â You can check out one of my faves here – Â Dutch Oven Bread. Â But, I love sourdough bread. Â I think it’s my favorite bread. Â I love that sourness of the bread. I’ve recently learned it has the lowest gluten and one of the healthier breads to eat. Â
Then cover it with just a cloth. I started out using a paper towel and rubber band, but switched to a scrap of fabric and a rubber band because the paper towel would get a bit messy and stick every time I fed my starter.
That’s all there is to making it. Â You do have to care for your starter and feed the yeast, so twice a day you must stir it. Â AND, once a day you must remove 1 cup of starter. Â Then, mix into what’s left of your starter 1 cup of water and 1 cup of flour.
Usually within a day or two, you can start to smell the yeast in it. Your starter will grow a lot and be full of bubbles – that’s how you know it’s alive and caught the wild yeasts in the air. Â It will smell almost like beer. Â Sometimes you’ll find a watery layer on top. Â That is perfectly normal. Â It’s actually called “hooch” because it’s the alcohol the yeast is producing. Â You can stir it right back into the starter, or you can pour it out. Â I like to stir it in. Â I love that yeasty smell. Â It reminds me of baking bread.
Sourdough starters in different parts of the country, or world, will behave differently. Â If you don’t live in San Francisco, you are not going to get the amazing wild yeasts that create such amazing bread. Â But, your starter will adapt to the local wild yeasts where you live. Â Some might rise less or more, some might taste more sour than others. Â It all just depends where you live. Â I’m in North Texas, near Dallas, and mine rose a lot and came out with that classic sourdough flavor and a very hard crusty outside.
Starters take some work, so if you want to forget your starter for awhile, put it in the fridge. Â You should feed and stir it once a month when it’s in the fridge. Â I’ve heard people do it even once a week. Â I’m lazy, I do it once a month when I’m not in a baking mood, and it’s been fine. When you’re ready to get it out and start baking again, leave it on the counter for a few hours. Â Then, you’ll need to start feeding and stirring it again regularly. Â Within a few days, it’s eating and bubbling and smelling like beer, and then, you’re good to go.
After feeding your starter for about a week straight, you can make a loaf or two of sourdough bread.
3/4 cup lukewarm water
1 cup sourdough starter
3 cups flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons yeast
Sourdough Waffles – these were very similar to a buttermilk type waffle. Â We don’t like sweet waffle, so these were perfect.
Ingredients
1 cup sourdough starter
1/2 cup salted butter, melted and cooled
3 eggs, large
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
Make according to your waffle maker.
Sourdough Biscuits – this recipe I made up on the fly, and they came out delicious. Â I topped them with butter and grape jelly, and then promptly forgot to snap a picture.
Ingredients
1 cup sourdough starter
2 cups of flour (I added more little by little to get the dough so it would rollout)
1/2 cup cold butter cut into chunks
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup of milk
Preheat oven to 450. Â Mix the starter, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and flour together. Â Cut in the butter until it’s crumbly. Â Slowly add the milk, not letting it get too sticky. Â If it got too sticky, I just add a wee bit more flour. Â Knead it just a bit until you can roll it out. Â Roll out to 1/2 inch and cut biscuits. Cook biscuits for about 10-12 minutes until lightly brown on top.
This yielded about a 10-12 biscuits.
PartyingÂ
27 comments
I am so hungry after reading this post! I love sourdough, but have never tried making my own.
I have been meaning to learn how to make sourdough bread for probably 20 years. I even bought a sourdough recipe book from Colorado but have never used it.You have inspired me and I have favorite this blog post so I could finally check this off my bucket list! Your tutorial is very nice. Stopping by from the Best of the Weekend party. Would love for you to share this on our BBQ Block Party. http://www.easylifemealandpartyplanning.blogspot.com
I’m so glad that you shared this. I’ve always wanted a sourdough starter, and now I know how to make it. Thanks!
Heidi’s Wanderings
You have some wonderful baked goods on your site. I can’t wait to show your recipes to my husband who is the baker in the family. Thank you so much for sharing your bread with us on foodie friday.
Yum! Pinned it! 🙂
All of it looks delicious!
O, that definitely explains my failure at making sourdough, lol. I found a recipe that put yeast in it at the beginning. My firs gloat turned out ok, but the ext one was just awful! I’ll have to give this a try. Anks for sharing in foodie friday
I have always wanted to make a sourdough! This is great – thanks!
Glad you linked up to Super Sunday at Who Needs a Cape! Hope we see you next week!!
This looks wonderful! I hope you will come share at this week’s From the Farm Blog Hop hosted by 6 great blogs! http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.com/2013/06/from-farm-blog-hop-39.html
Lisa
Fresh Eggs Daily
Thank you for the great tutorial and recipes! I have been looking for a good sourdough biscuit recipe! 🙂
Love, Joy
Yesterfood
Your dough looks wonderful. I have been on the lookout for an easier bread recipe. So much you can do with sourdough, too! I’m tweeting and pinning it! Have a lovely day!
Neighbors About Town Blog
Awwwww man, you’re killing me here! It all looks sooooo good and now I’m hungry, lol! I love sourdough bread. We were given a starter by someone and my husband kept it going and would bake yummy sourdough bread, etc., but I don’t really remember what happened to it!
Thanks so much for linking up to the “Making Your Home Sing Monday” linky party! 🙂
I don’t really mind making it myself. 🙂 I would like to try it this week. Goodbye store bought! thanks for the recipe…(i’m new here, I saw your link at one of the ladies comments in my blog. i’m glad I looked at her blog)
I have made breads using a starter, but never sourdough. Thanks for including recipes to use up the leftover starter; I too, would hate to just dump it. Stopping in from Thursday’s Favorite Things – have a great day!
Kim @ https://www.facebook.com/soliloquyoffoodandsuch
You’re a double feature this week. I also featured this project on homework. Thanks so much for linking it up on The Inspiration Board. Have a great weekend!
carolyn
homework &
DETAILS
YUM! We love sourdough bread but I’ve never made any on my own. Definitely going to be making this starter soon!
I cannot tell you just how crazy I am about sourdough bread. I even order it for when we go out for breakfast… I’ve been wanting to try making it for a while now, and this post has definitely inspired me to do so. I’ve bookmarked it and will be trying it very soon. What a great post! I love that you went crazy and made so many other things, too.
oh yum! I love sourdough so much! I always tell myself I’m going to try to make it myself but I’ve been so scared of the starter. I think you’ve inspired me! Thanks for sharing on The Creative Connection 🙂
Wow a starter that is 200 years old amazing. I heard about a bakery in Paris that is supposed to a starter that is a few hundred years old… really wild. Thank you so much for sharing your bread with us on foodie friday.
wow I never knew about starter yeast and how you can make it. So, you feed it by stirring it? Or do you add something to it?
Thanks for sharing on my blog hop!
Where has this post been my whole life? I have had such a hard time with sourdough it always turns funky on me! I am totally using the cloth and rubber band trick! This is being featured @ Great Idea Thursday’s this week 🙂 Krista @ A Handful of Everything
Yum I love sourdough! I need to try the recipe! I’m pinning this!
Great post! I am a sourdough addict too. My grandpa made “doughs” every morning for over 50 years and although I am not quite so devoted, I am trying to carry on the tradition.
Just to let you know, I found you through Dawn’s Blog Hop and will be following.
This is such a great blog!!! Really makes me hungry just reading and looking at the pictures : ) I recently baked my first loaf of bread and it was incredible!!! I used a starter my friend told me about. It’s from Sourdough’s International and now I have to spread the word! I loved it. Definitely going to order more when it comes the time.
It seems very interesting… I’ll definately try this !! recently i found an awesome food online channel, you will like it ‘The Indian Recipes cooking show’, ‘An Indian Cooking Recipe’, ‘Indian Cooking’
Wow what a fantastic little collection of Sour dough recipe! I definitely so glad I dropped by! I am going to place this on my to-do list
Very interesting info. I love bread baking when I get the itch to do it. I’d like to give a try at making this starter from scratch as well. I’ve made starter for Amish Friendship Bread, and it sounds very similar. Huge fan of sourdough too!