Baking bread

Sourdough!

I was recently given a small jar of sourdough starter and was really thankful about that, because baking my own sourdough bread has been something I've wanted to do for quite some time. You can say it has been an item on my to-do list of life. Sourdough is one of those breads that tastes like it has depth to it, like rye or a good whole wheat, with a great texture that, along with the initial crunch upon bite, I find chewier than other breads. Years ago while reading on the subject, I was surprised to know that it's a cultured food. Prior to this, I thought sourdough was sour because of salt and vinegar thrown into the dough. Nope. It's from wild yeast. It's in the air, it's on our hands, it's in the bread... and the sourness comes from lactic acid produced by friendly bacteria called lactobacilli—all which I find fascinating.

So I read up on sourdough for a good couple days while my new jar of starter sat patiently on a shelf in the refrigerator. Resembling nothing at all glamorous, it looks like an off-white paste. It reminds me of the stuff for papier-mâché. When I was ready to revive it, I took it out from its cold environment to let it sit for a few hours at room temperature. I then fed it some water and flour. After several hours, I took about 4 ounces of newly formed starter, fed it more water and flour, and put that in another jar. So I had two containers: Starter to save to make more starter, and starter to use for the bread I was going to make.

It was neat seeing the starter turn from a boring paste into something bubbly and elastic. The little guys were definitely having a fiesta in there, eating the watery flour, as I could see moisture form on the lid of the bowl it's in, like a foggy car window.

Fast forward to today: After several hours of kneading, waiting, separating, kneading, flouring, waiting, and then baking to finally eating, I have made my first sourdough loaf of bread. I actually made two, but I baked and ate one. The other one rests currently in the refrigerator further undergoing a slow ferment so that hopefully it's nice and sour when I decide to bake it this weekend.

Although I do feel the shape of my boule (round loaf) could use some work, the surface is hard and firm as expected and cracks easily to reveal soft and chewy, flavorful bread. I was really smitten with the bread that I ended up eating the whole thing for dinner with a side of lemongrass broth. My goal for baking sourdough is to get my dough-shaping down so that it not only tastes good but looks good, too. I also will invest in some cloche cloths and a couple of proofing baskets. For these loaves, I did not use a food weighing scale, but I will be using one in the future, as it's highly recommended. But I am just so happy that the bread tasted and had the texture of a true sourdough. :)

Jalapeño-Cheddar Round 2--with a Twist

The day before baking the sourdough, I made another jalapeño-cheddar loaf. But this time, I used white flour with a dusting of hemp hearts for Omega-3 added nutrition, mixed in with some bonus pepperjack and dried green onions. My goodness, the difference in taste and texture is like night and day. I had some with unfiltered olive oil from TJ's and I was set. I also shared some with my neighborhood friend Katie; she declared it yummy. To see my original post on this particular bread, click here.