Sourdough Bread–Back In the Kitchen, Pandemic Series

I initially wrote this first part several weeks ago:

Words which I never expected to say to my husband were recently said:  “Honey, the next time you go to Sam’s Club, can you pick up another 25 pound bag of flour?  We are almost out.”  When he first bought 25 pounds of flour, we expected it to last forever.  Well, as I had written and posted in the past, we have been taking full advantage of our quantities of flour and our breadmaker! (Our flour “projects” have included homemade pizza and French bread.) After sharing my humorous comment on Facebook, some friends offered me a sourdough starter since I have never tried making sourdough bread.  (Thanks, Lawrence and Rachel!)  I took Rachel up on her offer (she offered first), and I now have a container of starter in my fridge.  Fortunately for me, she also shared with me some links regarding sourdough and provided instructions for me with the container of starter.  

As I glanced at some of the information, I realized that starting to make sourdough bread in the evening was not a good plan.  I need to allow time for rising, and the process is not a “set it and forget it” type of thing.  

I suppose that means that today is my “reading” day, and in a few days, I will have my “baking” day.  I should probably also give myself a reminder for when I need to feed the starter.

The next step in my “sourdough education” will be to read and learn.  Rachel gave me links to use for reference.  I will start with this article.  The title, “Sourdough Bread: A Beginner’s Guide,” suggests that this might be a good place to begin reading.  (This is where you will find the actual recipe.)   The other link shared with me which I will now share with you is this, “How to Make Sourdough Starter from Scratch.”

Jumping ahead:

Since I first wrote the information above, I have made sourdough bread several times!  I also have continued to feed the starter.  Since I have been making bread more frequently than originally expected (since we are all eating a lot more bread now and not buying loaves of it), I have been keeping the starter on my counter in an old glass pasta sauce jar instead of the fridge.   Some days the bread turns out better than others, but I have been making it!  I even made the dough into rolls once (thinking of soup bowls for bread, but they weren’t quite large enough).   One thing I have to plan a little better is timing.  The process is easy, but several of the steps involve waiting for extended periods (ie rising twice, baking, resting).  

I recommend you give it a try!  You really have nothing to lose.  I admit that I may not have followed all of the steps accurately (For example: I used my regular flour, not bread flour; I just used a lined cookie sheet rather than a Dutch oven), but I was still happy with the results.  (The point is, don’t panic.  Do what you can!)  Even if no one gifts you with a starter, start one yourself.  (You just have to be patient and plan in advance.  Instead of thinking about whether or not to try, just start, and by the time you want to bake several days later, the starter will likely be ready!)

Enjoy!

Addendum:  This post has been put together in bits and pieces.  My family is now on our THIRD 25 lb bag of flour!