Sourdough Adventures!
When I came back from overseas, one of my friends gave me an old sourdough starter. Old is good when it comes to sourdough, and this one had been handed around for at least 10 years. I had heard and read about sourdough over the years, but when I started to make the first loaf I did feel a little out of my depth. As I started to knead it I added more flour until the dough began to feel more like a regular dough. I baked that loaf in my cast iron pan with the lid. The taste was good and sour, it had a nice crust, but it was heavy.
Last week I got a book out of the library called "sourdough" by Yoke Mardewi, and now this is a baker who knows her dough! It is an amazing book that goes into great detail on every step of the way, and each recipe is so detailed, leaving nothing to chance. I often make pita bread and have it ready in the freezer for a fast meal, so that was the first recipe I chose. Then I decided to make hot cross buns mainly because I really don't like the idea of throwing away excess starter. I used half of the hot cross bun recipe to make a loaf of fruit bread. - that was cooked in a separate loaf pan, and by the time I took this photo I had shared the rest of the buns with my neighbours.
It was a whole day, starting with the night before to feed my starter! I flipped back and forth from the kitchen to my other chores, continually checking the clock and my recipes. I was really very impressed with both recipes, and have a few more earmarked for next weeks baking day. I see that Yoke has a website wildsourdough So I will be keeping that in my feed for more ideas and help.
Have you tried sourdough?
I've been making sourdough for a couple of months after I was a starter by someone in my "Buy nothing group" and she also taught a couple of us. It tastes great, much better than the normal bread from the supermarket. I now make it twice a week.
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried sourdough ... I have enough trouble with everyday bread. I have never been very successful with bread, my attempts turn out like bricks every time! I really must get someone to teach me.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is looking "all tucked in" under that mulch. Mulch makes such a difference! I use sugar cane mulch and pea straw her + I grow lemongrass and arrowroot as chop and drop mulches. Things here are very dry and we really need rain so I've not planted much at all. I do have a few cucumbers and a volunteer pumpkin that I hand pollinated. Fingers crossed nothing munches on it! Meg:)
Hi Meg,
DeleteThere are some awesome tutorials available about bread making these days. I also do chop and drop, but my gosh this weather is so hot and dry lately. I have a few remaining tomato plants, but they dont look as though they will be giving me any more tomatoes. i planted out lots of ginger,and it is popping up through the mulch! Good luck with the pumpkin.
So exciting baking something new. My friend and I did a Sourdough one day workshop a couple of weeks ago and it was great. I'm a confident baker of bread and rolls but when it came to sourdough starter and the like I wasn't so doing the course was so much fun and now I have a wonderful starter to work with. Well done on your bread making. Kathy
ReplyDeleteI saw your post on that course - how wonderful.
Deleteohhh i so want to try sourdough but for the moment i get mine from IGA, as am not set up to do the bread yet or the starter! yours look good!
ReplyDeletethanx for sharing
I have Yoki's 'Wild Sourdough'. Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial is also an excellent source. I normally use the method Chris from Gully Grove taught us at our simple living group where none of the starter is thrown away. Also Gina from Home Joys makes her bread without throwing any away. When starting I found it confusing to read so many different methods so stuck with Celia's recipes to start with until I was confident and then experimented to find what worked for me. Good luck with it.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an exciting journey and there is so much information around, thank you for those links, I will be following along on their blogs.
ReplyDelete