Baking the first loaf of sourdough
It's finally time to get started, and you'll be able to bake your first loaf of bread. Your sourdough starter is ready, and you deserve to start baking your own bread soon.
For a loaf of bread, how much sourdough starter do you need?
That is fully dependent on the recipe. However, roughly 40 to 50 grams of sourdough, or about five to ten percent of the total flour, is commonly required, similar to store baker's yeast.
The recipe for rye sourdough bread
Day 1:
- 110 g rye starter
- 220 ml cold water
- 160 g light rye flour
Day 2:
- 110 g rye starter 220
- ml cold water
- 1 tablespoon salt 300 g light rye flour
- 200 g water (cool)
A round proofing basket is also included.
Preparation
Day 1: First we prepare the pre-dough. Put the rye sourdough with water and rye flour in a bowl and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap or a shower cap and let ferment at room temperature overnight for at least eight hours.
Day 2: Add rye flour, salt, and water to the pre-dough and knead well. Line a round proofing basket with a cloth and dust it generously with light rye flour.
Place the dough in the proofing basket and dust it from the top as well. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for three to five hours, until the dough has increased in size by at least two-thirds.
If available, place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat it to 250°C top/bottom heat. (Otherwise preheat oven without a baking stone).
Once the oven is hot, place the bread on a floured bread slide and use it to slide the bread onto the baking stone. (If baking without a pizza stone, place the loaf on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or in a romaine pot and place in the oven).
For a crispy crust, spray the oven walls with a little water and close the door immediately. Bake the bread for 20 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 220°C top/bottom heat and bake the rye bread for another 30 minutes, until it sounds hollow when tapped on top. Remove bread from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack. Enjoy your meal!
What is the best way to store sourdough?
When room temperature, it's fine to bake every other day. Then you should feed the sourdough at the same time every day.
In the refrigerator: Use once a week or when you leave on vacation to bake. The leaven keeps beautifully in the refrigerator, lightly covered. Every seven to ten days, feed the sourdough with a tablespoon of flour and a tablespoon of water to keep it active.
If you won't be able to feed the sourdough for a long time, put it in the freezer. When you're ready to bake again, simply thaw it and feed it as usual for a few days until it begins to bubble.
Activate the sourdough starter
- Having the ability to bake
- Remove the sourdough from the fridge, add 50 grams of rye flour and 50 grams of lukewarm water, and stir thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
- Allow the dough to rise for about 24 hours in a warm environment.
- The sourdough batch will be ready in two days if you repeat the method.
When did my sourdough fail?
If your sourdough starter is moldy, smells "flipped" or doesn't form bubbles after five days, something has probably gone wrong. Start over with a new, clean jar. This time, make sure that you choose a place for your sourdough that is not disturbed by drafts and that your stirring utensils and the vessel are well cleaned.