this is my sour dough starter, it has sat in the fridge for about a week. I feed it before I put it in the fridge each time letting it bubble up beforehand. This starter is rye flour and water only, no spices or sugar…. Nothing else
I’ve added some rye, will give it a stir add some water and let it warm up and start to bubble
Alright, still some more housekeeping, water has been added . Perhaps wait an hour or so before I can get started on the bread
In the mean time, I got some whole coriander and caraway and will grind it to a powder, Some also like to add anise as well as fennel.
combine 200 grams water, room temperature with 7 tablespoons of rye (200G). That’s all the rye flour I use, you can vary the ratio as you see fit to suit the company you keep. just white flour gets added after this
a dollup of honey, I’ll mix it under with part of the first cup of water, adds a little sweetness to the bread .
I give the water honey and 7 spoons rye flour a good stir
the sour dough starter has been sitting for an hour or so, and has risen in the jar , time to add some to the other mix .
three to four tablespoons is plenty
I gave it a good stir, added the other 450 grams of water and some white flour, mix, mix, wet makes it easier ( If you cover this loosely and let it sit for 8 to 12 Hrs you will get a better loaf )
remember those spices, it’s a good time to add them along with 2 teaspoons (level) of salt, mix mix. Then set aside for 1/2 hr or so, and let the sourdough feed the rest of the flour you just added
a nice slurry ready to work a little further
later, I add more white flour until I have a good sticky mess. Perhaps the final Ratio is 80 % water, so app. 800 G flour in total. This can set for a couple hrs If you would like, until it’s time to dump from the bowel , form and let rise again
Wicker bread baskets, for the form. I like to use these that way I can ID the sour dough bread later when it’s in the freezer Don’t have these, get some , or just do free form
give them a bit of a clean up with a brush, and then dust with flour. Later you will need to roll the risen dough out onto a sheet and you don’t want any of the dough to stick
It’s been an hour or so since I set the dough aside, now time to dump it onto a floured surface, work it into two parts, stretch and fold a bit add some flour as needed so your hands don’t stick and shape a couple logs
Here we are, plenty of flour , shaped and ready to rise for an hour or so, before they get dumped onto a sheet
an hour or so later, 400 F for the 1/2 Hrto get some color and the last 1/2 hr 325, there’s a tray of water in the oven, and when I drop the temperature I give the bread a good spray of water
sliced, absolutely beautiful rye bread, no Yeast 🙂
