Sourdough For Beginners. Step one: All the basics and a fool-proof recipe.

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Here’s the thing… I read a lot and I mean A LOT of blog posts and watched lots of videos on how to make a starter and a load of sourdough for basically two days straight…. and I even ordered a book. The hyer-fixation was real. The conclusion was:

There’s no one perfect way to make a loaf. Which busts the doors wide open!

Now, for my recipe loving people, don’t worry. There’s some hard and fast rules to live by in the sourdough world. BUT those doors are wide open to play around and figure out what works for you. Lot’s of mistakes, which we’ll take, so we know what NOT to do, and wide open for all the adventuring.

So, first things first, you need a starter. If you live close to me, I’m more than hay to share a blob of Eve (yes, it has a name)… If you don’t live near me, find a friend that does have some starter to share or click this link. That link will take you to a bunch of basic tools for bread making, so even if you have a starter there might be some helpful tools in that list for you.

I’m slowly growing my tools but you will for sure want:

+ A nice size jar to make your new pet a home
+ A kitchen scale
+ Large bowl
+ Parchment paper (Not wax)
+ A few proofing towels if you don’t want to invest in some baskets right away. These are my favorite.
+ Cast Iron Dutch Oven (This is key!)

Besdies those few things you probably have, it’s just flour, salt and water. For flour, I have always used all-purpose and unbleached of any brand. But the King Arthur defs makes the best loafs IMO. You can use bread flour if you want, totes up to you, just keep it the same flour for your feedings.
Water should be as clean as possible. So no tap (unless it’s all you got then go for it. See what happens, those doors are wide open) We have a Berkey but I’ve also just used the filtered fridge water and had zero issues. Room temperature or slightly warm is best. Cold will make those little cultures living in your kitchen sleepy; and we want them up and active!
As for salt, I use my regular iodine free sea salt.

P.S. A scoring knife is definitely helpful but I did just use my sharpest kitchen knife for about a month. Once I knew I was committed I started to figure out what was helpful and necessary.

OKAY! You have your tools and starter (What did you name it? Please tell me because I’m nosy and it’s fun!) It’s time to ‘feed’ it. This is where my recipe lovers will exhale a bit. You want equal parts starter-water-flour. Meaning, if you have 100 grams of starter, you will feed it 100 grams of your unbleached flour and 100 grams of your filtered water. Stir it up good with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula… just not anything metal… leave it on your counter with the lid on top f the jar and within 3 hours (give or take) your little friend should have doubled or more. It will look bubbly and frothy or kinda like melty cheese. This means you have a happy, active starter and it’s ready to bake! If you’re unsure it’s you can test a little spoonful in some water. If it floats, you’re Gucci.

There are a bazillion recipes out there. Lot’s of methods and steps people will swear by, BUT, I have never not once had a loaf fail from this King Arthur No-Knead Sourdough. It’s straight forward and so basic! Still my go-to recipe for an Artisanal loaf. I suggest following the steps exactly a few times to get the hang of it and understand what they mean when it says “shaggy dough” or “stretch and fold” and all the other little lingo words and phrases used that feel like a foreign language. I promise it will all make sense if you follow it blind.

That’s it! Way easier and WAY less intimidating than it seems. Just trust the process and you know where to find me if you have questions.