I never thought that I would have another love affair at my age, but it is possible of course! It is wonderful to wake up in the morning and feel needed. It is even more exciting to experience the progress! Well, it is not what you think, a man I have in mind, it is sourdough!
Humanity has used sourdough for thousands of years before we could just go to the grocery store and buy factory-made bread or yeast in packages.
I have tried many different recipes for sourdough and have read countless recipes, what works perfectly is taken from Maurizio’s site “The Perfect loaf”. Maurizio writes page up and down about sourdough, once I wanted to try his recipe for pizza! It was over 20 pages … He has almost a scientific approach to baking which is appealing but at this time the 20 pages reading for a pizza dough was a bit too much for me and my patience I must admit.
With his permission, I specify his recipe for sourdough considerably simplified. I am also enclosing a chart over the process if you prefer that.
It’s not that hard, it’s about creating routines for the sourdough and yourself. Do the feeding or refreshments before you have breakfast, for example, or whenever it is more suitable for you.
There are a few things that can be helpful to have: digital scale, thermometer, and two glass jars with lids. It’s great fun to see the development of the sourdough! It is advantageous that the water you use for the sourdough is 26 degrees hot (Celsius). The Sourdough needs feeding (water and flour) to thrive, below I will call it for refreshment.
Last but not the least if the water you are using has high chlorine level, then you should use either filtered water or let the water sit out on the counter over the night in a bottle before using.
Day 1
Mix 100 grams of rye flour with 150 grams of 26-degree water.
Day 2
Measure 75 grams of the previous day’s “dough”, discard the rest.
Mix in: 125 grams of 26-degree water, mix very well.
Add 50 grams of finely ground rye flour, Mix well so that all the flour
gets wet. Wait 24 hours.
Day 3
Already here you can see greater activity in the sourdough.
Weigh 75 grams of the mixture and discard the rest. Add 125 grams of water, mix well. Add 50 grams of rye flour and 50 grams of wheat flour.
Mix until all is incorporated. Cover the jar and let it rest for 24 hours.
Day 4
As of day 4, two refreshments are used on the same day. One in the morning and one about 12 hours later.
Weigh 75 grams of the mixture of the fermented “dough”, discard the rest.
Add 125 grams of water, mix thoroughly.
Mix in 50 grams of rye flour and 50 grams of wheat flour, mix thoroughly, cover and let it rest for 12 hours.
After 12 hours of rest, you repeat the refreshment (same measures) and let it rest
Day 5 & 6
Continue as day 4 with two refreshments – the same measure.
Day seven onwards
In the morning: Measure out 50 grams of the sourdough, discard the rest.
Mix in 100 grams of water, then add 50 grams of rye flour and 50 grams of wheat flour mix thoroughly, cover and rest for 12 hours.
In the evening (after about 12 hours)
Measure up to 50 grams of the sourdough, discard the rest. Then mix in 100 grams of water, mix well before adding 50 grams of rye flour and 50 grams of wheat flour. Let rest overnight.sourdough
The sourdough now begins to develop taste and strength every day. Now you can start using the sourdough. Earlier you had to discard (approx.185 grams) of the sourdough when you measured up. Now you can use it instead of baking bread. Read more at https://www.theperfectloaf.com
Store your sourdough when you are gone for vacation or a longer period:
Spread it evenly on a silicon parchment paper – spread it as thin and evenly as possible. Let it dry, it takes two or three days in room temperature. When dry, crack it into smaller pieces and store it in a jar. Keep it in a dark place.
Reviving the sourdough:
measure 30 grams of cracked sourdough and pour warm water to cover it. (150-gram water approx.)
After 1,5-hour mix in 100-gram flour (50 g finely ground rye flour and 50-gram all-purpose flour). Mix well – wait until it looks like it needs new refreshment (takes about 8 – 12 hours) – do as usual – meaning measure up 50 gram of the mixture, discard the rest, then use 100-gram water and 100 gram of flour (50-gram rye flour and 50-gram all-purpose flour). Do not worry that the mixture looks a little watery, it will settle overnight!
If you don´t bake a lot, you might consider making less sourdough. Sometimes I just use 25-gram sourdough mixed with 50-grams water and 50-grams flour (a mixture of 25-grams rye flour and 25-gram all-purpose flour). You can later increase the figures when you are planning to bake more.
Thank you, Maurizio, for sharing!
Enjoy!
