Experimenting with sourdough

Bread scares me.

Not eating it, that I will happily do with my eyes closed (they often are anyway if its fresh and slathered in butter, mmm). Making it however is another story, the yeast, the kneading, proving… So of course I decided that my first blog post would be about bread. Specifically sourdough, which also brings into play the second thing I find terrifying in cooking, fermenting. Said to be the oldest forms of bread making, I thought it would be a good place to start as I embark upon my blogging adventure. It is also my favourite bread, the fermenting process giving the dough a delectable sour flavour, making taste testing recipes all the more enjoyable.

After much research, it appears that rye flour is the most forgiving grain to work with when making and maintaining a starter. Exactly what I am looking for with my lack of experience and confidence (I’m already anticipating the starter will die). Grabbing my copy of Bourke Street Bakery’s The Bread and Butter project cook book with the tag line ‘how to bake perfect bread’, I begin with a sterile glass container, equal parts rye flour and rain water and four grapes. Mixing it altogether, I cover it and set it aside, thinking huh, that was really easy, what was I so scarred of?

Each day, at relatively the same time I discard half the starter and feed it with more equal parts flour and water, trying to follow the book’s instructions to a tee. Day two and there is very little change in the starter. One thing I can say for sure, it is not pretty cooking. Apologies for the photo but there was just no way to make brown goop attractive.

A starter is also called a chief, chef or head.

By day three I feel like a proud mother hen, bubbles have begun to dot the brownish sludge hinting at the aerated bread that will be forthcoming. A sour smell wafts from the jar, similar to a bitter wine or beer, but fruity enough to know the fermenting process is working. Then comes day four. The sour smell boards on putrid and a white fur sprouts from the surface of the starter. I killed it, good and dead and grew something else altogether mouldy.

The plan was to have an active and strong starter to show off to you today, accompanied by words of wisdom on how, if I can do it, so can you! True to form cockiness usually will get you nowhere in home cooking, but with an unwilling to give up, I am in the middle of nurturing another starter. This time I have switched out the grapes for three organic raisins and a muslin lid to cover the jar. Fingers crossed next time I bring you a blog post about Bob, (that’s what I’m calling the starter in hopes that giving it a name that it will live and not only that, but thrive), there will be no R.I.P. in the heading.

If you have any bread tips or stories, let me know!

Keep a watch out for more to come.