Let's Make Some Sourdough! Part 1 - Sourdough Starter Kit!

JUMP TO EQUIPMENT AND INGREDIENTS

Remember that scene in Aladdin where he and Abu are swinging and jumping around the souq (middle eastern street market) with a goal of stealing a loaf of bread?

That's me.

That how I feel about bread.

However, I'm not too interested in being charged with petty theft so we're going to make it instead of stealing it!

Specifically, we are going to make naturally fermented sourdough together. I love homemade, 3 ingredient sourdough! Flour, water, salt - that's it! Studies show that 3 ingredient, naturally fermented sourdough is easier to digest than store bought breads (have you read the ingredient labels? 🥴).

I'm going to walk you through making sourdough bread fully from scratch, starter to loaf.

First things first, we need to prep our kitchens, a sourdough starter kit of sorts... this will be Part 1 of 3!

This is a list of equipment that I used on my sourdough journey:

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• Mason jars: https://amzn.to/3XWHf3z

  • I love Weck jars - the mouths are super wide with no indentation which allows for stirring and discarding your starter with ease.

• Fermentation heating pad: https://amzn.to/4eYLdzo

  • The need for this depends on the temperature of your home. If you keep your home's thermostat set to 80°f, you probably won't need this.

• Popsicle sticks

  • I use these underneath the Weck Jar while on the fermentation pad so that it's not in direct contact with the heating pad.

• Glad Press and Seal

• Food Scale: https://amzn.to/4eUxY2O

  • Big enough that you could put a mixing bowl on.

• Glass/Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl

  • You want to avoid aluminum or copper as the acids and sourdough can cause those metals to leach toxins into your dough.

• Dutch Oven: https://amzn.to/47YTXmO

  • Enamel coated cast irons can crack from the heat if used often for bread baking.

• Turkey Roaster: https://amzn.to/4fxi0w4

  • Turkey roasters work well for sourdough too!! I use my dutch oven for a round loaf (boule) and turkey roaster for my oval loafs (batards).

• Wax Paper: https://amzn.to/3XWHvQ5

  • These sheets make it so much easier!!!

• Spray Bottle

• Clean Razor Blades

• Scrapers

• Banneton Proofing Basket: https://amzn.to/4h0oxRm

  • This set has 2 baskets, scrappers, a lame and razor blades!

• Pie Weights: https://amzn.to/3zHhOLr

  • Put these in your dutch oven to stop the bottom of your loaf from burning.

Ingredients:

• All-Purpose Flour (I prefer organic unbleached but normal will work just as well!): https://amzn.to/4eT3dv4

• Bread Flour: https://amzn.to/484IUsC

• Rye Flour: https://amzn.to/4gRp5ZA

• Salt

You might already have a lot of this equipment in your kitchen and can make a decent loaf without the pie weights and special jars... I will, however, say you NEED a food scale. Baking requires precise measurements and you HAVE to weigh your flour and water. It just will not work otherwise, trust me, I've tried and failed many times. Additionally, the fermentation heating pad is what led to the success of my starter - my husband and I LOVE the cold, we keep our house thermostat set to low 60s during winter. Wild yeast and bacteria love heat and in this case; yeast and bacteria make bread (well ingredients for bread)!

Why rye flour? A sourdough starter that is mixed with whole-grain rye flour will grow quicker due to its increased nutrient and wild yeast levels. Rye has a higher concentration of what is called "amylase" (an enzyme that breaks down starch into sugars) compared to wheat, offering the starter's microflora more sustenance, resulting in quicker growth. Think of the bacteria as Thor, whose mortal form grew weak and needed sustenance (any Marvel fans out there?) - rye is the ticket!

Get your amazon carts loaded and checkout!

Head on over to Parts 2 & 3 for the action!

Let's Make Some Sourdough! Part 2 - Starter Recipe!

Lets Make Some Sourdough! Part 3 - The Recipe!

Check out my YouTube or Instagram for my Sourdough Sunday Series! New loaf every Saturday!