Sourdough Bread

With the mercury soaring to 45C, this is the perfect time to try my hands at the temperamental Sourdough !!
The December Challenge for the Daring Bakers was the Sourdough bread which did not work for me. The temperamental starter refused to cooperate and ferment. It felt a little too cold in my December kitchen and I was determined to try it again when the weather changes.
The reward of a summer baker is beautifully risen sour dough starters and yeast fermentations.
I love doing breads in summer. Cakes and rich desserts are more for the winter or the spring !!
So this weekend's baking was the Sourdough bread.

For those of us who are new to sourdough here's what it's all about:
Sourdough bread is essentially bread made without yeast. In comparison with yeast-based breads, it produces a distinctively tangy or sour taste, mainly because of the lactic acid produced by the lactobacilli; the actual medium, known as "starter" or leaven.

Sourdough likely originated in Ancient Egyptian times around 1500 BC and was likely the first form of leavening available to bakers.

Bake along......

Russian Rye Bread

Servings: 1 large loaf or 2 small loaves and excess rye starter to keep for further baking.

Rye Starter - Day 1:

Ingredients

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (50 ml) (25 gm/1 oz) whole (dark) rye flour

1/4 cup (60 ml) water (at 104°F/40°C)

Total scant ½ cup (110 ml) (3 oz/85 gm)

Directions:

1. In a Tupperware or plastic container, mix the flour and water into a paste.

2. Set the lid on top gently, cover with a plastic bag, to prevent messes in case it grows more than expected!

3. Set somewhere warm (around 86°F/30°C if possible). I sometimes put mine on a windowsill near a radiator, but even if it’s not that warm, you’ll still get a starter going – it might just take longer. It should be a very sloppy, runny dough, which will bubble and grow as it ferments.

Rye Starter - Day 2:

Ingredients

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (50 ml) (25 gm/1 oz) whole (dark) rye flour

1/4 cup (60 ml) water (at 104°F/40°C)

scant 1/2 cup (110 ml) (3 oz/85 gm) starter from Day 1

Total scant 1 cup (220 ml) (6 oz/170 gm)

Directions:

1. Stir the flour and water into the mixture from Day 1, cover, and return to its warm place.

Rye Starter - Day 3:

Ingredients

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (50 ml) (25 gm/1 oz) whole (dark) rye flour

1/4 cup (60 ml) water (at 104°F/40°C)

scant 1 cup (220 ml) (6 oz/170 gm) starter from Day 2

Total 1 cup plus 6 tablespoons (330 ml) (9 oz/255 gm)

Directions:

1. Stir the flour and water into the mixture from Day 2, cover, and return to its warm place. If you notice it has a grey liquid on top, just stir this back in and continue as normal.

Rye Starter - Day 4:

Ingredients

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (50 ml) (25 gm/1 oz) whole (dark) rye flour

1/4 cup (60 ml) water (at 104°F/40°C)

1 cup plus 6 tablespoons (330 ml) (255 gm/9 oz) starter from Day 3

Total about 1¾ cups (440 ml) (12 oz/340 gm)

Directions:

1. Stir the flour and water into the mixture from Day 3, cover, and return to its warm place. At this point it should be bubbling and smell yeasty. If not, repeat this process for a further day or so until it is!

Rye Starter, ready for baking.

Russian Rye Bread - Step 1: Production Sourdough

Ingredients

1/4 cup less 2 teaspoons (50 ml) (50 gm/1 ¾ oz) rye leaven (starter)

1 cup plus 2 teaspoons (250 ml) (150 gm/5 ⅓ oz) whole (dark) rye flour

1 1/4 cups (300 ml) (300 gm/10 ½ oz) water

Total 2½ cup (600 ml) (500 gm/17½ oz/1 lb 1½ oz)

Directions:

1. Mix everything into a sloppy dough. Cover and set aside for 12-24 hours, until bubbling. Set aside the remaining starter for further loaves – see the Notes section for tips!

Russian Rye Bread - Step 2: Final Dough

Ingredients

2 cups (480 ml) (440 gm/15 ½ oz) production sourdough (this should leave some (½ cup) to become your next loaf of bread!)

2 1/3 cups (560 ml) (330 gm/11 ⅔ oz) rye flour (light or whole)

1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm/.2 oz) sea salt or ½ teaspoon (2½ ml) (2½ gm/.1 oz) table salt

3/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons (200 ml) (200 gm/7 oz) water (at 104°F/40°C)

Total 5 cups plus 3 tablespoons (1245 ml) (975 gm/2 lb 2⅓ oz)

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together to form a soft dough. With wet hands, scoop the dough up and put it in a well-greased loaf tin.

 2. Put the tin inside a large plastic bag, blow it up, and seal it. This should make a good little dome for your bread to proof inside. Set aside somewhere room temperature to warm.

3. The dough should be ready to bake with in anywhere between 2-8 hours, depending on how warm it is. I proof mine by a sunny window in about 4 hours. If the dough was halfway up the tin when you started, it will be ready when it reaches the top (i.e. almost doubles in size).

4. Preheat the oven to very hot 470°F/240°C/gas mark 9. For a large loaf, bake for 50-60 minutes, reducing the temperature to moderately hot 400°F/200°C/gas mark 6 after about 10-15 minutes. If baking in small loaf tins, bake for 35-45 minutes, reducing the temperature after 10 minutes. If you are unsure about whether it is done, give it a few minutes longer – it is a very wet dough, so the extra time won’t hurt.

5. Leave to cool on a cooling rack, and rest the loaf for a day before eating it.

Happy Baking !!