I’ve enjoyed cooking since I was eight, and baking sourdough a couple of times a week still gives me something to play with. Change the flour or stir in some oats and you’ve got a different loaf. Even a plain one is worth the wait. I like a crust that crackles under the knife and a chewy slice with just enough tang to come through with a little butter.
Sourdough Process ● Oatmeal Honey ● Whole Wheat ● Caraway Rye ● Pain Noir
A sourdough starter is a living mixture of flour and water. I feed mine fresh flour and water to keep the wild yeasts and bacteria active. As the dough ferments, the yeasts release carbon dioxide that lifts the dough, and the bacteria produce acids that give the bread its tang. When the starter is bubbly, I mix it into the dough. After the dough has risen, I shape it and let it rest once more before baking.
The length and temperature of fermentation help determine how tangy the bread gets. Whole wheat brings a nutty flavor, and caraway gives my rye its familiar fragrance. In my oatmeal honey bread, the oats soften the crumb and the honey adds a mild sweetness. A loaf I tasted in Guadeloupe inspired my pain noir. Black cocoa darkens the crumb, and coffee and caraway give the loaf a roasted, earthy flavor.
Whole-wheat flour and rolled oats add fiber. Sourdough fermentation can break down some phytate, a compound in flour that binds iron. That may make iron in the bread easier to absorb. Studies on sourdough and blood sugar have found mixed results. People with celiac disease need gluten-free bread, since wheat and rye sourdough contain gluten. Whole grains and fiber · Fermentation and iron · Blood sugar research · Gluten and celiac disease
I bake my round loaves in a Dutch oven. I keep the lid on at first to trap steam, then take it off to let the crust brown. My sourdough process guide walks through the steps from feeding the starter to cooling the loaf. Sourdough Process · Oatmeal Honey · Whole Wheat · Caraway Rye · Pain Noir