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Sooo About Sourdough... (pt. 1)



Just look at her 😍. My beautiful growing bebe! Who knew you could be so excited about stinky-sweet bacteria growth?! As you can guess I am trying my hand at sourdough starter and so far it’s going pretty well! I am currently on day three and thought it’d be fun to share in “real time” the process!


Firstly, before I go into detail about what to do and what I’ve seen so far, let’s talk about why you would want to have a sourdough starter of your own! Sourdough starter is basically your organically created leavening agent for any and seemingly all bread products. Instead of buying dried yeast in packets at the store and hoping it will produce a hole-y, fluffed up loaf- you can make your own and have it ready to go as you like and need!


The other tremendous health benefit, is the digestibility of sourdough compared to a unfermented bread. Because sourdough is made through the natural process of fermentation, it actually makes your bread easier to digest. This could mean less gut and skin issues for you! If your sensitive to breads this may be an excellent and worthy experiment to try! Also, how fun to make this with your kids as a home school science lesson?!


Okay, I will save some more fun bacterial and YEASTY 😆 info for you on the next blog post! Let’s get into how you begin and grow your sourdough starter! Here is what you are going to need (I did link some things to make shopping easier for you below):


•Organic Unbleached Whole Wheat Flour(I like King Arthur)

•Organic Bread Flour (this produces excellent yeasty starter!)

•Warm Water

•Glass or plastic container with loose fitting lid (or even just a paper towel for the “lid”)

•Digital Baking Scale

•Tablespoon Measure

•Spoon or scoop of sorts


Okay, so just know this is going to take a little time- 7 days to be exact. GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT! The good thing is, it literally just takes a few minutes each day. And I think it’s kind of fun- like a pet 😆. So here is a daily break down (be sure to see the tips at the end!):


Day 1:

•Grab your digital scale, turn it on- make sure it’s set to grams, and place your container on the scale. Hit the “T” button to terra it down to zero. This treats the container as if it weighs nothing. Starting from zero. •Next add 50 grams of whole wheat flour. Terra down to ZERO again. •Then add 50 grams of bread flour. Terra down to ZERO again (you now have 100g of your flour). •Lastly pour in SLOWLY- so you can measure, 100 grams of warm water- not hot 🥵, warm. •Mix this up until all the flour has absorbed the water. •Place in a warm spot in your kitchen and lightly cover (you want the yeast / bacteria in the air to get in). A paper towel would do fine!

•Mark the level of your starter in the container. I use a rubber band. You could do the same, slap a Post It on that bad boy or use a dry erase marker. Whatever. This just shows you how far it has risen. •Now leave it. Don’t touch it. Don’t poke it. Leave it and watch for cute little bubbles to start popping up over the next 24hrs.

24 Hour Old Starter Below 👇🏼

Day 2:

•This is a wash and repeat day…

•Before we “feed” the baby, take a look at her. Does she have any little bubbles? Did she get “taller”? Does she smell slightly stinky and sweet? If not, that’s okay! Keep going. If so, chef’s kiss!

•Step one- using a tbsp measure, scoop out 2 tbsps of your starter and reserve to the side in a separate dish/ramekin. •Toss the rest in the trash. I know- it feels tragic. Just trust me. •Put your reserved starter back into your container. I like to scrape the sides down at this step with a spatula. •Repeat your 100 grams of warm water and 50/50 gram mix of flours. So, 100 grams of warm water, terra down to ZERO, 50 grams of wheat flour, terra down to ZERO, 50 grams of bread flour and MIX into your reserved starter.

•Scrape the sides down, cover lightly, blow it a kiss until the next day…


Can you guess what you do on days 3-6??? 😄 Rinse and repeat baby! Keep the feeding process going for the next several days. This is the process of cultivating your fermented yeast sourdough starter, that will become the base and leavening for breads to come. Future you, thanks you!

❗️Quick tip and note❗️: It is currently December as I am writing this. It’s cold. My house is pretty old and somewhat drafty. Your starter needs a relatively warm environment to grow. I highly recommend keeping it in a warmer area of the kitchen- like near the stove/oven. I started and feed my starter in the evening because- I’m doing the most cooking at that time of day. While I do cook throughout the day, this is the meal that likely uses the most heat/energy! That keeps the area warmer- which helps my sourdough in its fermentation process! So, pro tip- feed your starter and keep it somewhere close to the warmth and energy of your kitchen! While you nourish and serve your family, your starter will be growing in preparation for future blessings of nourishment!


Come back in a few days and read part two of this blog post! Until then, check out some of the pics from the process so far, shop what you need from my Amazon store and get your little baby started!! t wait to hear how yours goes! Have you ever made sourdough starter? Tell me in the comment section below!


Writing to you with stretchy, sourdough dreams,

- Rach


 








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