Sourdough Bread

Output

For 1 loaf of bread and to get started on preparing for more bread.

Making the Sourdough Starter

Pour and mix flour and water in a volume proportion of 1 to 1 in a glass container.

Cover the top opening with a lid (but don't tighten it) or a piece of cloth tightened around the jar (ex. with a rubber band). The point here is to allow yest from the air to seep into the mixture while preventing insects like flies from contaminating the food. Another way to add yeast is by mixing in skins from organic fruit (plums, pears, apples, grapes, peaches, etc). Strain them out after the starter becomes active.

Leave the mixture jar out on a countertop for a 2-4 days. The point here is to allow yeast (microbes, in this case from the air) to enter the mixture and produce acid by digesting the flour's starch. This small amount of acid is what causes the sourdough bread to be sour. The mixture will be thicker and bubbly when the yeast is active.

Every day, mix the starter bowl (to prevent surface mold) and add 1-2 tablespoons of flour.

Dough Bowl

Mix 2 and 1/8 cups of water plus 3 tablespoons of sugar in another bowl.

Mixing Starter and Dough

Mix 1/2 to 1 cup of the starter into the dough bowl.

Salt

Add 2 teaspoons of salt into the dough bowl.

Flour

Add and mix 4 cups of whole wheat flour into the dough bowl. Stir until wet and sticky.

Leaving Dough Bowl

Cover the dough bowl and leave it out for 14 hours.