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🍽️ Your Own Sourdough: The 5-Day Guide

1190 kcal · 15 min · 4 servings

Your Own Sourdough: The 5-Day Guide Cook this free in the MyFoody app →

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Don't worry about complexity: With a few tips, making your own sourdough is quite simple.
  2. 2. Do not use fine wheat flour Type 405, as it is only suitable for cakes. Instead, use rye flour (Types 815, 997, 1150, 1370, 1740), spelt flour (Types 630, 812, 1050), or wheat flour (Types 550, 812, 1050, 1600). Whole grain flours also work excellently.
  3. 3. Keep in mind: The higher the flour type number, the more water the dough needs. If the dough becomes too stiff, simply add some water until it reaches the consistency of waffle batter.
  4. 4. Store the dough in a warm place during the entire preparation, similar to yeast dough. The ideal temperature is between 30 and 35 degrees Celsius. It must not exceed 40 degrees. 25 degrees are also okay, but the fermentation will take a bit longer.
  5. 5. Wheat sourdough has a mild flavor and pairs well with light breads. Rye sourdough is known for its sour smell and gives the bread a fine, tangy note.
  6. 6. When baking with mature sourdough, you no longer need yeast. Only with very new sourdough might it be helpful to add a little yeast for the first loaves, as it does not have as much leavening power as older sourdough.
  7. 7. You can gradually say goodbye to yeast: Reduce the amount by 5 grams with each baking session (e.g., from 20 g to 15 g, then 10 g, then 5 g) until you go completely without it. You can also start directly without yeast, but do not be disappointed if the bread does not rise as high at first.
  8. 8. The acidification of the dough produces gases that are more than sufficient to allow the bread to rise.
  9. 9. The preparation takes exactly 5 days and proceeds in 5 steps. The dough should always have the consistency of waffle batter. Since the dough ferments vigorously and bubbles, you need a large bowl with a capacity of at least 4 liters.
  10. 10. Day 1: Mix 100 grams of flour with 100 milliliters of lukewarm water in the large bowl. Cover the bowl with a plate. Let the dough rest in a warm place for 12 hours. Stir it briefly with a wooden spoon afterwards and let it rest again.
  11. 11. Day 2: After another 12 hours, add 50 grams of flour and 50 milliliters of lukewarm water to the dough. Stir vigorously. Cover the bowl again and place it back in the warm spot. Let the dough rest for 24 hours this time.
  12. 12. Fermentation should now begin slowly. Depending on the temperature, this may take a while. The smell may be sour and vinegar-like – this is intended and unpleasant, but it will weaken after a few days.
  13. 13. Day 3: After 24 hours, add another 100 grams of flour and 100 milliliters of lukewarm water to the dough. Stir vigorously. Cover the bowl and place it in a warm area. Stir the dough strongly again after another 12 hours and let it rest.
  14. 14. Day 4: After another 12 hours, add another 100 grams of flour and 100 milliliters of lukewarm water to the dough. Stir vigorously. Cover the bowl and place it in a warm spot. Let the dough rest for another 24 hours.
  15. 15. Day 5: Your sourdough is now ready for baking.
  16. 16. You can find out how to specifically incorporate the sourdough into your dough in many other recipes.
  17. 17. If stored correctly, you can keep the sourdough indefinitely. It is sufficient to keep about 50 grams of starter (the remaining dough). Having more is also no problem.
  18. 18. Transfer the starter into a container and seal it with a lid. If you bake infrequently, store the sourdough in the refrigerator. If it remains unused for more than a week, feed it: Add 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of water, stir well, and seal it again.
  19. 19. If you want to bake bread again, it is best to reactivate the sourdough in three stages.
  20. 20. Stage 1: Mix 100 grams of flour with 100 milliliters of lukewarm water to create a soft dough. Add this to the 50 to 100 grams of starter. Stir well with a wooden spoon, lightly cover the bowl, and let the dough rest in a warm place for about 6 hours.
  21. 21. Stage 2: After 6 hours, add 100 grams of flour and this time only 75 milliliters of lukewarm water. Cover the dough and let it rest in a warm place for another 6 hours.
  22. 22. Stage 3: Now add another 100 grams of flour and 100 milliliters of lukewarm water. Stir vigorously. Let the dough rest in a warm place for 12 hours afterwards.
  23. 23. Now your sourdough is active again and can be used.
  24. 24. It may sound complicated, but it is not. The better flavor of your bread, as well as its longer freshness and shelf life, will thank you!

Nutrition per serving