Getting Started with Sourdough

Creative Bread Making

by

Tom Kauffman

Text Copyright © 2014 Tom Kauffman

All Rights Reserved

Foreword

My husband, Tom Kauffman, is a man of many interests – painting, bonsai, photography, cooking. He has even made a violin. Though his interests seem diverse, there is at least one thing they have in common. They each involve a process, and it is in the process that he finds his greatest challenge and joy.  Take cheese, for example. When he wanted to make cheese he started by reading everything he could get his hands on about the process. Then he built a cheese press, and then, with a clear sense of the process, he purchased milk from the farmer up the road and began to create delicious cheese.

Over the years he has nurtured an interest in baking bread. Even before we were married he was grinding his own grains and creating healthy breads, an endeavor he thoroughly enjoyed. More recently his interests have turned to sourdough. He has read piles of books, watched hours of videos and experimented with many kinds of sourdough, perfecting his style and producing amazing breads. Most Friday nights over the past months, as Tom has been writing this book, our kitchen has become his bakery, filling our home with warmth and the promise of a small slice of heaven before retiring for the night.

It is with a deep sense of pride that I offer you Tom’s book of tried and true recipes for sourdough bread, and the simple step-by-step process he articulates. As baking sourdough bread has brought joy to Tom and the many with whom he has shared his loaves, may it do the same for you!

Ginger Kauffman

December, 2014

Table of Contents

Creative Bread Making, One Loaf at a Time - Bread making is an ancient art, for sure, and recipes and techniques abound in printed form and on the internet. It is fascinating to “sift” through …

Equipment - The tools I use and recommend are for making bread by hand, one or two loaves …

Simply Bread, Leaven Creation - Yeast is leaven and is known by many names around the world. You might be familiar …

Sourdough Starter - Yeast is everywhere, floating in the air around us. Capturing it and …

Building a Starter Takes About a Week - This week you will be developing your starter by creating a mix that attracts yeast. When …

Sponge - You have created your own starter and it has all the building blocks you will need …

Basic Bread Recipe

Oatmeal Bread

Cinnamon Raisin Breakfast Loaf

Pumpkin Bread

Scarborough Potato Bread

Basic Whole Wheat Bread

Sprouted Whole Wheat Bread

Ezekiel  Bread

Sourdough Rye Bread

Sourdough Pancakes

Creative Bread Making, One Loaf at a Time

Bread making is an ancient art, for sure, and recipes and techniques abound in printed form and on the internet. It is fascinating to “sift” through them and notice the variety of approaches to the art of bread making. I have two goals in writing this book. First, by compiling and distilling what I have learned from lots of reading and experimenting, I want to take out the mystery and eliminate any confusion concerning the order in which to do things. Second, and more importantly, I want to encourage you to experiment with ingredients. Use what you have at hand fearlessly. Why not use that leftover oatmeal you made for breakfast in your next loaf of bread? Do you want to experiment with spices? Do it!

Variations on the theme of flour, water and salt are nearly infinite. The reward is in the experimentation. My hope is that this book will offer easy-to-follow steps that will make your bread baking enjoyable. Because we will be dealing with sourdough, you will find the overall times to be longer than with yeast breads, but patience is probably already part of your DNA or you wouldn’t even be considering sourdough. My day job necessitates fitting bread making in with my work schedule, and it does. I build up the starter throughout the week so that everything is ready to put together when I return from work at 4:00 p.m. Friday afternoon and by 10:00 p.m. the loaf is on the cooling rack. Whenever you decide to bake, I want this book to give you the tools you need to succeed in creating your own sourdough bread.

Equipment

The tools I use and recommend are for making bread by hand, one or two loaves at a time. I make a single loaf and the recipes in this book are for single loaves. Pictured above are the tools you will need, with their description below in clockwise order, starting with the digital scale.

Digital Scale - This is extremely useful for getting consistent baking results. Measuring digitally allows you to get the exact amount the recipe calls for every time. The flour to water ratio when making sourdough bread is critical and a digital scale will give you the confidence that your measurements are correct. In time you will develop the knack for knowing when the dough looks and feels right.

Bowl Scraper - Use this flexible white plastic scraper for mixing and handling the dough.

Pinch Bowls - Handy for measuring out salt and other spices or herbs.

Lame - This bread slashing tool is traditionally used to add the baker's signature to the loaf, in much the same way as an artist would sign a painting. In the past it was especially useful for bakers sharing a communal oven. If you don't have a lame, you can use a sharp knife, razor blade, or even scissors. (Besides adding the baker’s signature, slashing the top of the loaf allows the pressure that builds up while it is baking to push the bread up rather than out.)

Bread Peel – Seen under the basket and gloves, it is used to transfer the loaf to and from the Dutch oven. You could get away with using a flat cookie sheet for this operation if you don’t have a peel.

Proofing Basket - Traditional basket used for the final rise, it gives your bread that beautiful artisan look. It is made with coiled rattan and also goes by other names such as Banneton or Brotform.

Oven Gloves - Be safe! Remember you are handling things in the oven that are as much as 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

6-Quart Mixing Bowl - All mixing is done in this so that your dough seldom needs to touch the counter, saving cleanup and unnecessary handling.

Bowl Cover - Used to cover the bread while it rises in the mixing bowl. It could be a tea towel or plastic wrap or a store bought bowl cover. I find that a shower cap, which I brought home from a bed and breakfast, works really great. It is reusable and fits neatly over the top of the mixing bowl (shown attached to bowl), wicker basket or bread pan.

Cooling Rack - A must for getting your loaf to cool properly.

Double Dutch Oven - This creates a mini-oven in your home kitchen with conditions similar to those found in professional ovens. It holds in the moisture and gives your loaf that desired oven spring. Lodge makes this pre-seasoned cast-iron combo cooker and I love it. But if you already have a Dutch oven then you are all set.

Parchment Paper - Used to line the Dutch oven, it adds control when you are transferring the loaf from the peel to the hot Dutch oven.

Simply Bread, Leaven Creation

Yeast is leaven and is known by many names around the world. You might be familiar with levain, chef, pate fermentee, sponge, madre bianca, biga, mother, poolish, sourdough or starter. There are subtle differences, but the main distinction is that they all use baker’s yeast except the sourdough and levain, which only use wild yeast that lives in the air. We need yeast to make dough rise and form a beautiful loaf of bread. Furthermore our starter will need to have a lot of strength to do its job well.

Now I will lead you step by step through the process of creating your own starter and bringing it to that point where you can confidently create your own bread from scratch.

Sourdough Starter

Yeast is everywhere, floating in the air around us. Capturing it and bending it to the baker’s will to create a leavening agent that makes our bread rise is where it all begins and where it has always started, ever since the first loaf of bread was baked. As with most technological advances in the twentieth century, we decided faster was better, and baker’s yeast was developed to meet that demand. Indeed it was faster and the results were consistent, but at what expense?

By automating the bread baking process, we turned our backs on sourdough, which has been around forever and knows how to do its job well. It adds valuable nutrients to each loaf as well as taking on the unique flavor of your area, one possibly found only in your kitchen. You can be surprised from time to time when an unpleasant tenant takes up residence in your starter and you have to begin again. You could avoid this by purchasing a commercial starter, which can have its own rewards, but for me the fun comes from capturing the wild yeast myself. The starter I am using now has been happily coexisting with me for nearly a year and every loaf responds beautifully.

You do have at least one more decision to make. That is, what type of bread do you want to make? This choice can affect the flour you use to create your starter. If you are into making white bread, you would want to use white flour in your starter or if whole wheat is your passion, then by all means start with whole wheat. If it's rye bread that you want, you could start with either a white or a whole wheat starter or you could even create a starter with nothing but rye flour. Indeed, some folks swear that if your intent is to make a rye bread the only way is to begin with rye as your basis for the starter.

It has been said that each grain attracts yeast on its surface that is specific and perfect for that grain, and I feel that is quite likely true. I’ve even noticed increased fermentation after adding a little freshly ground wheat. That being said, short of experimenting for the pleasure of experiencing potential new flavors, it is practical to stick with one starter at a time. Personally I have chosen whole wheat as my “all purpose” starter, even for my white breads. It is vigorous when you make the starter from scratch and, for me, it has the extra advantage of adding just that little nutty flavor to any loaf of sourdough. So let’s begin.

Building a Starter Takes About a Week

This week you will be developing your starter by creating a mix that attracts yeast. When the week is over you will have enough starter to make a loaf of sourdough bread with some left over to begin creating a new batch of starter next week.

Day One - Mix two tablespoons of flour with two tablespoons of pineapple juice. Cover quart jar with a coffee filter, sealed with a rubber band, preventing fruit flies from getting in while, at the same time, allowing wild yeast in. Leave it on the counter for the week.

Day Two - Mix in two more tablespoons of flour and two more of the pineapple juice.

Day Three - Like yesterday, mix in the same amounts and, if you are lucky, you may even notice signs of the yeast working.

Day Four - You should see activity (bubbles rising). On this day and going forward you can use water instead of pineapple juice, so add two tablespoons of flour and two tablespoons of water, mixing completely.

Day Five - You can jump up to one-quarter cup of flour and one-quarter cup of water and again mix until fully hydrated.

Day Six - Increase your amounts to one-third cup flour and one-third cup water and thoroughly mix.

Day Seven - You should be ready to make bread.

From here on out your starter will live mostly in your refrigerator. It is a pretty tough customer and can stand a lot of neglect.

So if you don’t plan on taking a vacation from making bread and want to be sure you have starter on hand when you need it, you will have to feed it regularly. To do this, place about one-half cup of the remaining starter into a clean quart jar, secure an unused coffee filter over the mouth of the jar with a rubber band, and place it in the refrigerator. Then every couple of days feed it by adding a quarter cup each of flour and water, mixing vigorously. (I find a chopstick makes a great tool for this job.) This provides enough active starter for the next baking session with some left over to start the process again.

If, instead, you are an occasional baker and don’t want to make a loaf of bread each week, you can save some starter for later use by freezing it. Pour your extra starter into ice cube trays and store them in a zip lock bag. Then the day before you are ready to make your next loaf of bread, take a cube or two from the freezer and place in a quart jar, covering with a coffee filter. Allow it to thaw on the counter top – do not microwave. Pick up the process of building the starter at day six.

Now you have all the essential ingredients for making bread: flour, water, sea salt (be sure it’s sea salt because iodized salt will inhibit yeast formation) and your own homemade starter. Congratulation! Now let’s get started with a simple, straightforward bread recipe to get familiar and comfortable with the techniques you will use for making your own artisan bread.

Sponge

You have created your own starter and it has all the building blocks you will need to make a loaf of sourdough bread. But to get really great flavor you will want to make a sponge and let it mature in the fridge for at least 12 hours in the refrigerator. This sponge has gone by other names through the years, such as Pre Soak, Preferment or even Poolish. A classic Poolish is made with water, flour and a pinch of yeast. Because I am dealing with sourdough I will not cover this particular sponge only to say that it could be substituted for the sourdough sponge in my recipes if you want to make bread without that wonderful sourdough flavor or if you are in a hurry. I can’t imagine!

Prepare the sponge the night before baking.

130 grams starter

130 grams lukewarm water

130 grams whole wheat flour

Combine the ingredients, mixing vigorously until blended. (A chopstick makes a great stir stick!) Cover with shower cap or plastic wrap and leave it out on the counter for a few hours. When you go to bed place the sponge in the refrigerator where it will mature slowly, developing a more complex flavor. The next morning or after you get home from work place it on the kitchen counter to bring it back up to room temperature.

Basic Bread Recipe

Ingredients

All of the sponge

360 grams lukewarm water*

550 grams all purpose flour

25 grams potato flakes*

12 grams sea salt

*I add potato flakes to contribute moistness to the crumb. If you chose not to use potato flakes you will have to subtract 100 grams of water from your recipe.

Mixing Instructions - Combine all the sponge with the water, mixing vigorously until it is completely combined. Add all the dry ingredients and combine, using the bowl scraper. Turn your bowl with one hand while you’re scraping the dry ingredients from the side of the bowl, until all the wet and dry ingredients form a moist ball. (If it appears too moist, resist the temptation to add more water). This replaces the traditional kneading process, and is the first step in creating the dough ball. It will be slightly sticky, but will soften up during the subsequent rises. You are finished when all the dry ingredients are moist and the resulting ball is firm and smooth. Cover bowl with bowl cover and let it rest.

Rest dough - After 60 minutes scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a counter, which has been lightly dusted with flour. Let the dough rest on the kitchen counter for ten  minutes and gently stretch and fold dough over itself three or four times and let it rest until you have washed, dried and coated the mixing bowl with olive oil. You need to add enough oil (about 35 grams) so that when you place the dough ball in the bowl you can flip it over until all sides are covered with oil. This keeps it moist and prevents the dough from drying out during the subsequent rising time.

Four Rises - Grab the dough and pull a flap up, folding it to the center and pressing down firmly. Do this on all four sides of the ball. When you are done stretching the ball over onto itself like this, flip the ball of dough over in the bowl and let it rise for 30 minutes. You will notice that the dough will change from hard and sticky to soft and billowy by the fourth rise. Repeat this process after a 30 minute rest time, for a total of four rises.

Shaping Into Loaf – Now take the dough out of the mixing bowl and place it on the counter that has been lightly dusted with flour and let it rest for 10 minutes. It should be gently covered with a tea towel to keep the dough from crusting over in the air. Gently stretch out the dough four ways, folding it like a package. Left to center, right to center, top to center and finally bottom over the entire ball. Grab the ball and roll back over itself. Now drag the ball across the countertop with the sides of your hand or use the scraper if the dough is still too sticky. This not only forms the final ball, but creates surface tension which will facilitate a good rise. The earlier folding helped capture air for a fluffy loaf and the surface tension creates a tight package to increase vertical rise.

Preparing Basket – Lightly flour the basket and sprinkle in a small handful of oats or seeds or whatever you would like on top of your finished loaf.

Proofing Loaf – Place your tight ball seam side (bottom side) up in the proofing basket and cover with the bowl cover, letting it rise until filling the basket. It has been my experience that it will only take 45 to 60 minutes to do this in the warm kitchen, but it could take longer. At this point you could decide to slow the rise down to get an even more mature sourdough flavor by putting it in the refrigerator. It has risen sufficiently when it has doubled in size. When I think the loaf has nearly reached its peak I turn on the oven to preheat with the Dutch oven inside.

Preparing Dutch Oven - Place the lid of the Dutch oven onto a piece of parchment paper and mark a circle with a pencil. Now increase the circumference of the circle by another half inch and cut it out with a pair of scissors. This parchment will be used when you transfer the loaf to the Dutch oven for baking. You could sprinkle cornmeal or semolina flour in the Dutch oven instead, but you only have one shot at getting the loaf in the Dutch oven without mishap and the parchment gives you the control you need. Now set the parchment aside and place the Dutch oven into the center of the oven to preheat at 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Baking - Turn the dough out of the proofing basket onto the pre-cut sheet of parchment. Score the top with a lame, sharp knife, razor or even scissors. This directs the initial oven rise upward; otherwise the tendency is for internal pressure to find release out the sides and you don’t want that to happen. Also called oven bounce, this phenomenon will cause the loaf to achieve the last couple inches of rise.

Take the Dutch oven out of the oven, remembering, it is 500 degrees, so use really good oven gloves. The trick is to grab the parchment paper to pick up the dough and place it into the Dutch oven. This maneuver with the parchment provides precision in placing the dough in the Dutch oven, gives a nonstick surface for the dough, and just as important, helps save your fingers from getting burned when dealing with a hot utensil. Put the cover back on the Dutch oven and replace in oven.

Bake at 500 degrees for 15 minutes and then take the lid off the Dutch oven. Let the bread finish baking at 475 degrees for 20 minutes or until the desired crust color is reached. Carefully take the loaf out of the Dutch oven and place on cooling rack. The loaf should sound hollow when you tap it. If you can resist, it is best to wait until the loaf is cool before cutting the first piece. (I generally don’t have that much will power.)

Don’t Fear

You really can have fun as you experiment with sourdough. Literally anything from soup to nuts could be added to the basic bread recipe as long as the water to flour ratio is not changed significantly. This is the key to successful sourdough bread – the water to flour ratio. If you have that, no matter what you add to your dough, your loaves will still end up with a nice consistency and good crumb structure.

The recipes that follow are simply basic instructions for various types of sourdough. You can use the herbs and spices I have included or you can use others of your own choosing. You can even change out the flour combinations or add a flour. Just be sure to respect the flour to water ratio.

There may be times that your dough seems too dry and you are tempted to add more water. Don’t panic. My recipes start out stiff and soften up as you work with them. It is possible that you may need to adapt a recipe by adding a few extra drops of water because of the humidity of your kitchen, but generally that should not be necessary.

So are you ready to experiment with sourdough? You will add techniques to your repertoire as well as gain confidence as you get the results you are aiming for. As a hobbyist you are not baking hundreds of loaves a day. In fact, one or two a week might be all you will ever need to bake, so don’t despair if it takes some time to learn how to make “your” perfect loaf of bread. Just enjoy the process along the way!

Some Recipes to Get You Started

Oatmeal Bread

Sponge

130 grams starter

130 grams water

130 grams flour

Mature for at least 12 hours by letting mixture stand at room temperature for 4 hours and in the refrigerator for the remainder of the time. Let it come back to room temperature before incorporation.

Oatmeal Porridge

Add 55 grams of rolled oats to 240 grams of water. Stir occasionally, until surface of the water is foamy. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. This way of preparing the oatmeal will account for part of the total water used in this recipe, because not all the water is absorbed by the oat flakes.

Spices

1 gram nutmeg

1 gram cloves

1 gram ginger

5 grams sugar

Wet Ingredients

all of the sponge

all of the porridge

*250 grams lukewarm water

Add all spices and whip until completely combined.

Dry ingredients

100 grams oat flour

450 grams all-purpose flour

25 grams potato flakes

12 grams sea salt

Combine and follow regular mixing and rising instructions in Basic Bread Recipe.

*This is a tricky calculation. Be prepared to add a tiny amount of water if the mixture is too dry. It is better to add a tablespoon or so of water than to have to start adding extra flour, risking a dense breadcrumb. If you are using leftover oatmeal from breakfast, you will likely need the entire 360 grams of water used in the basic bread-making recipe.

Cinnamon Raisin Breakfast Loaf

Sponge

130 grams starter

130 grams water

130 grams flour

Mature for at least 12 hours by letting mixture stand at room temperature for 4 hours and the remainder of the time in the refrigerator. Let come back to room temperature before incorporation.

Spices

3 grams cinnamon

1 gram nutmeg

1 gram cloves

1 gram ginger

1 gram allspice

5 grams brown sugar

Wet Ingredients

all of the sponge

380 grams lukewarm water

zest of one orange

100 grams of raisins

Add all spices and whip until completely combined.

Dry ingredients

550 grams all-purpose flour

25 grams potato flakes

12 grams sea salt

Combine and follow regular mixing and rising instructions in Basic Bread Recipe.

Pumpkin Bread

Sponge

130 grams starter

130 grams water

130 grams flour

Mature for at least 12 hours by letting mixture stand at room temperature for 4 hours and in the refrigerator for the remainder of the time. Let it come back to room temperature before incorporation.

Spices

3 grams cinnamon

1 gram nutmeg

1 gram cloves

1 gram ginger

1 gram allspice

5 grams brown sugar

Wet Ingredients

all of the sponge

30 grams molasses

350 grams lukewarm water

130 grams pureed pumpkin

Add all spices and whip until completely combined.

Dry ingredients

550 grams all-purpose flour

25 grams potato flakes

12 grams sea salt

Combine and follow regular mixing and rising instructions in Basic Bread Recipe.

Scarborough Potato Bread

Sponge

130 grams starter

130 grams water

130 grams flour

10 grams onion flakes

Mature for at least 12 hours by letting mixture stand at room temperature for 4 hours and in the refrigerator for the remainder of the time. Let it come back to room temperature before incorporation.

Potato puree

Add one small diced, peeled potato (about 55 grams) to 240 grams of water. Boil, stirring occasionally, until fork tender. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Pour off water and reserve to add to total water used in recipe. Mash the potatoes before adding to recipe.

Spices

1 gram parsley

1 gram sage

1 gram rosemary

1 gram thyme

10 grams brown sugar

Wet Ingredients

all of the sponge

360 grams lukewarm water (including reserved potato water)

mashed potatoes

Add all spices and whip until completely combined.

Dry ingredients

550 grams all purpose flour

25 grams potato flakes

14 grams sea salt

Combine and follow regular mixing and rising instructions in Basic Bread Recipe.

Basic Whole Wheat Bread

Sponge

130 grams starter

130 grams water

130 grams whole wheat flour

Mature for at least 12 hours by letting mixture stand at room temperature for 4 hours and in the refrigerator for the remainder of the time. Let it come back to room temperature before incorporation.

Wet Ingredients

all of the sponge

360 grams lukewarm water

40 grams molasses

Mix until completely combined.

Dry ingredients

250 grams whole wheat flour

300 grams all purpose flour

25 grams potato flakes

12 grams sea salt

Combine and follow regular mixing and rising instructions in Basic Bread Recipe.

Sprouted Whole Wheat Bread

Sponge

130 grams starter

130 grams water

130 grams whole wheat flour

Mature for at least 12 hours by letting mixture stand at room temperature for 4 hours and in the refrigerator for the remainder of the time. Let it come back to room temperature before incorporation.

Sprouted Wheat Berry puree

Sprout one-half cup of wheat berries. Start this about 2 days before making bread. Reserve about a quarter cup of sprouted wheat berries to add for texture. Puree the remaining sprouts with the total water used in recipe.

Wet Ingredients

all of the sponge

350 grams lukewarm water with pureed sprouts

40 grams molasses

Mix until completely combined.

Dry ingredients

200 grams whole wheat flour

350 grams all purpose flour

reserved sprouts

25 grams potato flakes

12 grams sea salt

Combine and follow regular mixing and rising instructions in Basic Bread Recipe.

Ezekiel Bread

Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself - Ezekiel 4:9, NIV Bible

Sponge

130 grams starter

130 grams water

130 grams flour

Mature for at least 12 hours by letting mixture stand at room temperature for 4 hours and in the refrigerator for the remainder of the time. Let it come back to room temperature before incorporation.

Spices

4 grams coriander

2 grams caraway

5 grams brown sugar

Wet Ingredients

all of the sponge

260 grams lukewarm water

40 grams molasses

Add all spices and whip until completely combined.

Dry ingredients

425 grams all purpose flour

25 grams navy bean flour*

25 grams lentil flour*

25 grams barley flour*

25 grams millet flour

25 grams spelt flour

15 grams sea salt

*(You will likely not be able to find these flours but you can use the dry beans and grind them into flour in a coffee grinder.)

Combine and follow regular mixing and rising instructions in Basic Bread Recipe. It may take longer to rise because of the density of the flours used.

Because the legumes add heaviness to the loaf it will require extra rising time at the end. It will fill the proofing basket in about two hours.

Sourdough Rye Bread

Sponge

130 grams starter

130 grams water

65 grams whole wheat flour

65 grams rye flour

1 tablespoon dried onion flakes

Mature for at least 12 hours by letting mixture stand at room temperature for 4 hours and in the refrigerator for the remainder of the time. I recommend a total standing time of 24 hours to give a more complex taste. Let it come back to room temperature before incorporation. (The onion flakes adds a nice tang to the sponge.)

Spices

8 grams fennel seed

2 grams anise seed

4 grams caraway seed

1 gram thyme

40 grams molasses

zest of one orange

Wet Ingredients

all of the sponge

360 grams lukewarm water

Add all spices and whip until completely combined.

Dry ingredients

375 grams all purpose flour

175 grams rye flour (for lighter rye replace with all purpose flour)

25 grams potato flakes

14 grams sea salt

Combine and follow regular mixing and rising instructions in Basic Bread Recipe.

Sourdough Pancakes

If you made too much starter, why waste it? Make these delicious pancakes!

Mix together:

1 C sourdough starter

2 T flour

2 t oil

1 beaten egg

1/8 t baking powder

1/8 t sea salt

Cook on an oiled skillet. This will make a couple of small pancakes, just enough for a quick breakfast before you dash off to work.

Table of Contents

Creative Bread Making, One Loaf at a Time

Equipment

Simply Bread, Leaven Creation

Sourdough Starter

Building a Starter Takes About a Week

Sponge

Basic Bread Recipe

Oatmeal Bread

Cinnamon Raisin Breakfast Loaf

Pumpkin Bread

Scarborough Potato Bread

Basic Whole Wheat Bread

Sprouted Whole Wheat Bread

Ezekiel  Bread

Sourdough Rye Bread

Sourdough Pancakes