A Little Obsessed
This year (2021) I’ve been a little obsessed with all things sourdough. It is so interesting to work with and I’ve loved the process of mastering it. My starter even has its own character but it does take a while for it to become strong and reliable. Sourdough is not for the impatient person who wants quick results, you have to slow down and let it teach you. I’m not a naturally patient person, so it has been very good for me. I’ll put down here my tips to working with sourdough and my favourite recipes.
For the equipment needed, see sourdough equipment and if you want to follow my journey to making great sourdough, complete with photos of the process jump over here: my sourdough journey … so if you are ready, let’s go?
Tips to working with sourdough
- Time and Temperature are ingredients. In fact they are vitally important to the success of your finished product.
- Learn the feel and look of the dough, this takes practice and attention.
- Each time you make sourdough can be quite different. Maybe you have a new batch of flour? Maybe it is humid today?
- Your starter is a collection of wild yeasts and bacteria and develops a character of its own. Understand what it likes and what conditions it tolerates.
Favourite sites/blogs
Maurizio from theperfectloaf makes the most amazing sourdough and his recipes are so reliable and tasty. His site has all sorts of tips to help you on your way. One of the key things I learnt from him is that temperature and time are ingredients; just as much as your starter, flour and salt are. I make his 50/50 wholewheat bread regularly and all the family love it.
Ruth Tam of Cooktildelicious has a wonderful site, with many recipes including sourdough. Her every day sourdough loaf is the recipe that helped me start making better, more edible loaves. I also make her sourdough cinnamon rolls regularly and they never fail to delight. She put out a cook book in 2020 (Baked to Order) and it is so good. Her recipes are clear and easy to follow and she provides several variations for most of them.
Amy from littlespoonfarm has many recipes and tips for all things sourdough. Her instructions on making your own starter helped me start my sourdough journey. She also has loads of recipes for using your discard starter and they are yum. I talk more about starters and discard on another page.
Elien from HomeGrownHappiness has a fantastic site full of Sourdough recipes, other baking, preserving, gardening etc.
