Okay, let’s talk all things sourdough! This is a fun topic because it’s like talking about a close friend… that’s just silly and in a way it is but once you’ve had fresh sourdough bread in your life for so long it does feel like a close family friend!
I started making sourdough in about 2010 while living overseas, and have continued to since then (with varying degrees of consistency). And if you’ve been with Gathered Harvest long enough you may remember us selling the sourdough loaves that I baked. It was a hard thing to stop selling, but don’t worry, we kept baking for our family, friends, and farm potlucks.
Sourdough is the OG of breadmaking and humans have been baking bread this way for about 6,000 years. Why is it so old? Well, because it’s so simple. The only ingredients are water, flour, and salt. And originally salt wouldn’t have been included, but trust me when I say you don’t want to leave out salt as it helps moderate the fermentation and rise and contributes significantly to the flavor. It’s “sour” because the yeast in the fermented dough (or starter) gives it a tang that’s oh so good when baked!
[Loaves fresh out of the oven and tempting everyone in the house]
It’s funny when people talk about sourdough bread like it’s a new thing or a fad, because it’s so so old in comparison to the new conventional/modern bread you commonly find in grocery stores. Families have relied on this consistent staple and simple food source for many generations! Remember it only has three ingredients (not counting microbes – yeast and bacteria), compared to the twenty or so ingredients in common, “classic” store bought bread. Some of these “conventional” ingredients include thiamine mononitrate, soybean oil, ammonium sulfate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, monocalcium phosphate, dextrose, calcium propionate, just to name a few that you may encounter. Compare that to just water, flour, and salt. I just love the beauty of simplicity in the ingredients.
Sourdough is also a much healthier bread, and for many reasons. One we’ve already covered is that the ingredients are so simple and natural, where they can each really show off without being adulterated by all those “food like” substances and “FDA approved” additives and preservatives. If the water, flour, and salt are all high quality you will absolutely be able to taste the difference. And the absence of all those extra ingredients conventional bakeries add also contributes to sourdough being healthier than the vast majority (if not all) of bread you’ll be able to pull off a shelf at the big grocery stores near you.
Sourdough usually ferments for about 1-2 days, sometimes longer for an extra special and flavorful loaf. Modern, conventional (putting those words together is such an oxymoron) don’t really ferment in the same way but rather use fast acting commercially produced yeast that quickly rises the dough in about 2-3 hours. Because sourdough fermentation happens so naturally and slowly it changes the hydrated flour (dough) in such a way that it is more easily digested and even some with a gluten intolerance can handle without the symptoms they may get with bread commonly sold in grocery stores. Other than cleaner ingredients and improved digestion, other benefits include lower glycemic index, supports your gut microbiome, and increased antioxidant levels. If you want to read more about the health benefits here are a few articles written on the topic (first, second, third).
[All the ingredients needed – clean water, natural salt, and high quality wheat flour]
Now that we’ve talked about my fun relationship to sourdough, what it is, it’s history, and the health benefits, let’s talk about how to make it! There are many videos and recipes online, so if this isn’t instructive enough don’t let it stop you. I’ve gathered from people over the years that the biggest hurdle with “getting into sourdough” bread making is the initial fear and intimidation of the process (there’s an important life lesson in there). Just give it a try and don’t be afraid to make a “mistake” and most importantly, don’t give up!
Step one – get some starter from a friend (or from us for free). Starter is just water and flour that already contains all of the life you’ll need for the fermentation (primarily yeast and bacteria – you know, the good stuff). It can keep out on a counter and be fed daily or go in the fridge after you use it so you don’t have to feed it all the time (that’s what I do).
Step two – mix the water, salt, and starter first and then mix in the flour. I use 630g of tepid water, 20g of salt, 200g of starter, and 900g of flour. This is enough to make two good size loaves. Then at this time I feed the starter while everything is already out. It’s just equal parts by weight of flour and water. Good weights to start with are 100g of starter, 200g of water, and 200g of flour (for 500g total).
Step three – knead the dough for at least ten minutes (either by hand or in a mixer with a dough hook). Then it sits covered for about three to six hours until it grows in height and size by about 50%. This is called the bulk fermentation stage. Pro tip – if you can stretch and fold the dough about every 20 minutes for the first couple of hours this will help develop the gluten protein structures resulting in a better finished product.
Step four – divide in half, for the quantities I just gave. Shape loaves and place into proofing basket (also called a banneton) and allow the final proof (I do this step in the fridge over about 12-48 hours).
Step five – preheat Dutch oven and lid to 500°F. Gently dump out the loaf from the basket and score it deeply with a razor. Gently place loaf into preheated Dutch oven and bake covered for 20 minutes at 460°F and then uncover and rotate 180 degrees and allow to bake for another 20 minutes.
Step six – cool baked loaf on cooling rack for at least one hour before slicing (good luck waiting!).
I just realized that sounded very wordy, so here are a few videos that will SHOW how to do it. Short, medium, long.
Before I forget to mention it, we sell AMAZING stone-ground flour from Camas Country Mill in Euguene, Oregon. Check the options out in our shop here.
And now for the most exciting part of this blog… starting this upcoming week we will be offering fresh sourdough loaves from our friend Kendra at Bakehouse Sourdough here in Camas – you’ll be able to add sourdough bread to your weekly order! We are so happy that she is now in her new bakery and we’re now able to offer her incredible baked goods!
[One of the beautiful loaves from Bakehouse Sourdough]
This blog post went a little longer than I anticipated, so I’ll sign off, but before I do I’ll leave you with this:
“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” ~John 6:35
Farewell, until next time!
~Peter Hatfield
P.S. AI was not and will not be used to write these blog posts, although you may wish that I had 😂