More Fun with Flour

Last week I wrote in “Just Food” that homemade bread would be even less expensive if one used sourdough starter to leaven the dough. Then I got a hankering to try my hand at sourdough. Seems that sourdough bread is more nutritious than other bread because its nutrients have been transformed into more absorbable forms. Michael Pollon wrote about that in his book, Cooked. Other writers have published detailed descriptions of these transformations. I read one on the Internet.

The problem was that I’ve never owned sourdough starter nor have I ever tried to make it. King Arthur Flour will ship a one-ounce container of sourdough starter for $8.95 plus shipping. I could have bought starter from Amazon, but my thrifty gene kicked in. I wanted to make my own starter.

Then another problem cropped up. After reading a gazillion different ways to make starter my head was swimming. Finally I settled on the most simple one, which called for mixing ¾ cup of water and ¾ cup of flour in a glass container, covering it with a non-metal lid, and letting it sit for 24 hours. Next day, stir well and incorporate another dose of flour and water, using the same proportions as on the first day, and do this for a total of five days. Feeling rebellious I decided to just make the starter in the bowl of my mixer with a plastic bonnet to cover it. I used whole wheat flour.

After 24 hours I found my flour and water mixture had done nothing but sit. I was hoping for a bubble or two. Here’s how it looked.

After incorporating more flour and water with a whisk, I decided to cheat just a little. I sprinkled just a pinch of yeast over the top before covering the bowl. Maybe the starter would have taken off without the yeast. Maybe not. Whichever, uncovering the bowl on day three I found plenty of action.

By day five the starter smelled a little sour and was making lots of bubbles. I was ready to bake! A new problem arose. There are as many recipes for sourdough bread as there are for starter. Different ingredients, different proportions, different baking procedures, different temperatures.

I knew I wanted to use only whole wheat flour, although sourdough is traditionally made with white flour. I knew I wanted the loaf to be rectangular so the bread would fit in our toaster. I knew I didn’t want to mess with an elaborate recipe, so I winged it, using starter, whole wheat flour, water, and salt.

The seat-of-the pants dough rose nicely in an oiled bowl, but very slowly. I had time to drive to town and do some errands, When I got back I dumped the dough onto my kneading cloth and was encouraged by the airiness of the dough.

The end result doesn’t make my heart swell with pride, but it ain’t bad. I had hoped for oven spring, but the loaf clearly didn’t spring. The dough should have burst up through the long slit. The loaf should be taller than 4½  inches.

Still, I am not discouraged. The bread had the distinctive tangy smell while it was baking. I’m looking forward to the first bite and I’m looking forward to further experiments. A jar of starter is waiting in the fridge.

Copyright 2013 by Shirley Domer