Making Sourdough Bread

Those who have the misfortune to have me in their Twitter stream know that I am prone to making bread rather often.

 I enjoy making all of the bread we use in our house.  Mostly this is because I enjoy the craft of bread-making, and have for most of my adult years.

But there are ancillary benefits. I like knowing exactly what is in the stuff we are eating and controlling the levels of salt, fat and sugar. As well, reducing preservatives and additives which are great for shelf-life, but perhaps not so great for consumption is a benefit.

It is a very tactile and creative activity.  I like to share what I can with those who are learning,  trade stories with other experienced devotees, and learn from anyone who has ever made some good (or bad) bread.

When it comes to sharing the task is made more difficult as I haven't used recipes for bread making in a very long time.   I know it sounds like I've been memorizing recipes and measurements, but in reality it is a more simple process than that.  Once you learn the textures of the various stages, and learn to pay attention to the hydration level (ratio of flour to liquid) there isn't much complexity left. it's more technique and 'feel.'

The result is that you can use as many or as few ingredients as you wish.  I've often made bread with simply flour, sourdough starter, and water.  Though that's usually just me forgetting to add a bit of salt, which enhances the flavour a lot.

I like to share my sourdough starter around a bit within the community.  I try to do so as much as logistics allow.  This means I get to share the fun, but also, it gives me a path to replace my old friend if I accidentally kill it sometime through neglect or mishap. Sharing the enjoyment is my key goal, which is a fun thing unto itself.

I have a detailed sourdough primer (PDF) (updated 05/2020) I've been tweaking off and on a few years, so I'm happy to share that with anyone who wants to make their own and avoid some of more prescriptive online sources that dictate rigid schedules and regular divide and discard approaches.  It's really not that hard, nor need it be wasteful.  Hoping you can give it a try sometime.