Swede Dreams: Adventures in Sourdough

I am currently taking a course titled Chemistry in the Kitchen. For this class we each must choose a recipe and analyze its chemical properties to determine why it works the way it does.

I have been wanting to make sourdough bread for quite a long time so I decided what better way to prefect the art of sourdough then through learning the chemistry behind it. After some research into different dourdough methods, I decided to go with the wild yeast fermentation method which essentially means you do not add any yeast to the starter. Many recipes suggest using organic grapes or pineapple juice in your starter to help activate the yeast growth. I decided to use just water.

Day 1. Mix together 1/4 cup rye flour with 1/8 cup filtered water.

1/4 cup flour

1/8 cup water

Mix it all together

Once the flour and water in combined, place it in a plastic container and cover it with plastic wrap or a plastic bag and rubber band (as I did here).

Store in a dark room temperature place, aka your cupboard.

Sourdough stater hanging out with the wine glasses.

Day 2-5. For the next 4 days you will first dispose of 1/2 of the starter. Then place the other half of the starter in a bowl with 1/4 cup of flour (all purpose or rye- I alternated each day) and 1/8 cup of filtered water. Mix the flour, water and starter until well combined. Wash out the container and then add the mixture, cover it and put it back in the cupboard until the next day.

Around day two or three your starter will start to become very bubbly and have a sour odor. You will also notice that it doubles in size over night. These are all good signs that your starter is active and healthy.

Day 6. (sorry no photo) On day six you will once again dispose of half of your starter and this time you will add 3/4 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of filtered water. Mix well and then return to a clean container, this time one with a lid. Put the starter in the fridge for at least six hours, and then your starter is ready to use!

Sourdough English Muffins

My first experiment with my sourdough starter was a huge sucess!

In a large bowl I combined:

1/4 cup water

1 tbs olive oil

1/2 cup sourdough starter

1 1/2 cups bread flour

1/2 tbs sugar

1 tsp yeast

1/4 tsp salt

I mixed it all together with a wooden spoon. I then dumped the dough onto a wooden cutting board and kneeded it for about 5 mins until I had a smooth, elastic ball. I placed the ball in an oiled bowl, covered it with a cloth and let it rise until it doubled in size (~4 hours).

I then rolled the dough out into a 1/2 inch slab and used a drinking glass to cut out 6 circled.

O placed them on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal, covered them with plastic wrap and allowed them to rise for a second time (only about 30 mins).

I preheated the over to 350 degrees F.

I cooked them on the stove top in a cast iron skillet for about 5-6 minutes per side, the formed a nice golden brown crust with maintained a fluffy interior.

I then finished them off in the oven, cooking them for an additional 5-7 minutes.