Walking the aisles of the grocery store isn’t something I am used to. I admit it. Honestly, I don’t consider myself all that picky about what I eat.
I do, however, like a variety of bread. Having given up the packaged offerings long ago for the more expensive loaves you find outside the in store Bakery. The Bakery department, I will actually put on shoes and drive down to the store for.
Now, I am more of a French bread type of guy. Makes great toast! I like slicing my own bread. Lately I have been having a craving though for good quality Sourdough. You know, mix it up better.
Here is the problem. I don’t know what goes on in the heads of these bakers concerning how much of the sourdough “taste” they infuse in the bread, but its just over the top. Yes, the first bite is good, then…..well, its just too much.
I would akin it to garlic bread. Very little is perfect. Too much, and you can’t get the taste out of your mouth for a day. The concept of less is more is lost on most people.
Sourdough should have a taste to it, but not overwhelming. The crust nice and thick, and the inside soft and well structured.
It should not also cost FOURTEEN DOLLARS A LOAF!
I’m not going to do it, I wont.
And thus begins my story. Or perhaps a quest is more in order. Once again, if you want something done right….you do it yourself.
To make my own Sourdough Bread. After all, how hard could it be? I gave a cat a bath once, this should be easy.
——————
THE INGREDIENTS
I knew the basics. Flour, water, and something called a Sourdough Starter. Some sort of yeast thingy. Should be easy to gather. My wife had flour she keeps for cookies. Check. But how to get this starter, and what was it?
Its a grocery item so It should be in the grocery stores. Wrong. “Na, we don’t have that”. Was repeated to me several times over a week or so. Then I got thinking, “how about from the Bakery”.
Now Im not going to mention the store, but I did walk up to the bakery in the grocery store and cornered the guy. “Hey, buddy, can I get some sourdough starter from you”. I didn’t think about it at the time, but I thought it was a little shady and he might not have authority to dish out a sample of their prized secret sauce, so I was sort of whispering and the whole thing resembled a crack addict outside the gas station asking if people were holding.
He treated the request the same way I was delivering it. Eyes looking left and right, and quickly blew me off. Trying to get away from me. I got the message. Get your sourdough someplace else buddy, I don’t know you.
This had been going on for a couple of weeks. This project wasn’t all that big a priority for me, but it was in the back of my mind. I figured this mysterious starter would fall into my hands sooner or later. The more I couldn’t get it….the more I wanted it.
And it did.
We have a local coffee shop type place here in town that also has fresh baked muffins and the such in the counter, so I took a chance and stopped in. If they can bake muffins, they might be baking other things. Very nice people, A nice young man and two nice young ladies standing by the counter.
The place was empty and I began my story. I want to make Sourdough Bread. My wife doesn’t want anything to do with it. I need starter. I can’t find it anywhere. Can you help me?
All through the story the young man was nodding his head. The girls, polite, but I was just another old guy rambling. The guy got it. We locked eyes and we both knew. I had to make this bread. I needed to make this bread. “Sure buddy, let me hook you up. Wait here”.
He came back with another young lady who was the store Baker holding a dixie cup of brown semi liquid starter. “Its 110 years old, a great starter”. She said. The young man and I then started talking about good Sourdough. The journey had begun in earnest. I had found others.
——————-
This starter, or the heart of the process, is interesting. I guess its basically a sort of yeast. Definitely alive. Come on, you have to feed it constantly. Here is where ingredient two comes in.
I looked up what to feed this mysterious bubbling concoction. Apparently just flour and water daily. Wait four hours, let it feed and double and you are ready to go.
All fine and good right? Except my starter was barely alive after a couple of days. Panicking, I held my breath and asked Google search for help. Now I learned about BREAD FLOUR. More gluten and protein in it that the starter better feeds on. For a moment I understood the angst of Seymore from Little Shop of Horrors trying to keep Audrey ll alive.
A quick trip to the grocery store and ten pounds was mine. It came in a big bag with a Medal on it so it must be pretty good. After fighting the wife for a container and storage space, it was put away and ready to go. Special flour, who would have thought……
Within a day, my little jar was growing, smelly, and bubbly. It likes it!!!! I should note here that I was keeping this batch at room temperature, not in the refrigerator dormant.
The jar was obviously ready. I had the flour, there was nothing to stop me from just trying to make it.
Now, before you start to think I didn’t do my homework, I did. I put out a notice on X to my “ladies” I interact with for help. Surely one of them has a flour stained apron and presents home made Sourdough Bread to their husbands nightly. They will help me.
I heard back from a couple of guys that told me to watch YouTube videos and sent me Sourdough Bread porn. Ya, I get it. I’m on my own. “Good luck buddy”.
A short look around for recipes and I had the basics. Knowing my first attempt will probably fall flat. Its a learning process. I was ready to put in the work. There was no delusion that this first attempt would result in anything actually edible.
—————————
THE PROCESS
It was about 3 PM when I mixed the batch. Three cups of this medal winning flour, water, half cup of bubbly starter…pinch of salt. That was it. Put a cover over it and let the magic happen.
About 7 in the evening I started to panic. It was still mostly flat, not rising like the bread my wife makes. I called my daughter.
She told me not to panic and fired up her CHAT GBT, or something like that. The CHAT started asking me for pictures, telling up what to do. Offering sweet words of encouragement.
There was folding, covering, flipping over, more folding……more pictures. More waiting. It went on for a few hours. Then the CHAT told us everything was looking good and wanted me to put it in the refrigerator over night.
Shaping this semi solid mass into a loaf looking structure was a problem. That dough was the stickiest substance I have ever seen. This isn’t like regular bread.
In the morning, it was much easier to work with. Not perfect, but was able to get it looking somewhat like a round loaf of bread. Then the fun started.
Preheat the oven to 475, including the Dutch Oven. Oh yes, there is a Dutch Oven involved.
I already had one as I went on a kick a few years ago learning to cook things in a wood stove, you know, incase of Zombies and stuff.
After the oven and pot are heated, take the loaf on parchment paper and put it in the pot with the lid on for 20 minutes. Apparently, this traps the steam and is what make it fluffy. I don’t know. CHAT said to do it so I did it.
Then keep baking for another 20 minutes until golden brown. This hardens the crust. So CHAT says.
During this process I learned that there is a button on the stove that turns on a light in the oven so you don’t have to keep opening the door to check on it. Who knew?
When the time came and that door opened, I knew CHAT and I had done it.
Could it have been bigger? Sure, I will work on that. Im pretty sure I know what to do. The sticky problem that caused all the time and delays? Yup, I think I know what to do about that too.
It was a good two hours I had to wait to actually cut into this golden round mound of delight.
I have to say. It was perfect. The crust completely surrounding the loaf. The inside fluffy, full of bubbles, just the right amount of chewy.
There are other fancier recipes. Some call for adding yeast, some other ingredients. I stuck with this basic one to test. I would imagine further attempts will start bringing out some creativity. I still have a bunch of this super award winning flour.
I learned many new terms. “Bread Fermentation”….”Carmelized Blisters” (good thing apparently) and patience.
It was way too much work and worry. That was because I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. Now I do, it will be a snap next time, and better. That jar of starter is living on my counter next to the toaster now and after a short heated altercation and agreeing to make a do dad for the shelf above it.
After I post this, I’m sending my own Sourdough Porn to those X guys. Take a look at this Buckos,
I have made…..Sourdough Bread.
