The Sourdough Chronicles

09 Jan 2025 By Ray

This has been quite the journey. It took me about 2 weeks to get the sourdough starter to work. I wasn’t keeping it in a very warm environment as I keep our thermostat at 68 in the winter. I was using a glass bowl instead of a tall jar, so it was hard to see the volume go up and down. I was also using way too much flour and water, feeding with a cup of each every day! My first loaf was ok. I used 100% whole wheat flour. It was pretty dense. Since then I’ve done quite a bit of reading and YouTube watching in order to dial in a pretty good recipe.

Tools & Tips:

  • Whole Grain Rye flour is most active. I use Whole Wheat flour. Avoid bleached flour. I’ve been using King Arthur Whole Wheat and Bread Flour as they are easy to get in my area and a premium quality. People recommend All Purpose Flour rather than bread flour because it is versatile for other baking.
  • 1 Qt of water left at room temp, filtered, boiled for 15mins or left out overnight uncovered to remove chlorine/chloramine
  • 12-16oz Tall Jar
  • Digital Scale – Bakers measure in grams which is more accurate and takes into account the density of the flour being used
  • Thermometer
  • Cast iron dutch oven
  • Mixing bowl lined with cheesecloth or a banneton
  • scissors or a scoring lame (the lame has a learning curve and works better on refrigerated dough)

SOURDOUGH STARTER STAGES

  1. Capture
  2. Cultivate
  3. Maintenance

Try to keep starter in a warm place ideally 70-80 degrees. Setting next to my dehydrator while running has been working or on top of my oven set around 200 degrees. People suggest composting or disposing discard in the trash rather than a sink to avoid plumbing issues. Supposedly, Sourdough discard can turn into concrete in your drains. I am going to try a cookie recipe that uses discard. I’ve also used it to make a fried bread just dumping it on a skillet with olive oil. It’s hard to part with that much leftover starter.

Day 1:

  • 150g water – room temp
  • 100g Rye flour (or whatever you’re using, I like whole wheat)

Day 2:

  • Discard 1/2 the starter
  • 150g water
  • 100g flour

Day 3 (Once mix has doubled in size):

  • 75g of starter, discard the rest
  • 75g water
  • 70g flour (can keep 100% of one type or mix 35g rye/wheat & 35g all purpose/bread flour)

Days 4 & 5:

  • 75g starter
  • 75g water
  • 70g flour

Day 6:

  • Starter should be good to go following a 24hr rise and fall. (Wheat flour won’t pass a float test, so this isn’t the end all be all for determining if it’s ready)
  • Move to maintenance for the rest of your life!

Day 7 – Maintenance:

  • 25g starter
  • 50g water
  • 50g flour (100% of one type is ok or 25g wheat/rye & 25g all purpose/bread)
  • Feed 1/day if left out to use often or 1/wk if refrigerated 
  • Feed every 12hrs to reactivate

BREAD MAKING STAGES

  1. Build Stage: starter to leaven (the engine of your dough) 6-24hrs
  2. Mix Stage
  3. Bulk Fermentation
  4. Shape Stage
  5. Proof Stage – grow the loaf
  6. Bake

Wheat Flour Build – Leaven

  • 20g starter
  • 100g water (76 degrees, tap water is fine from here on out)
  • 50g Bread Flour
  • 50g Wheat Flour


Combine ingredients in a tall jar. Cover and let sit out to ripen overnight 12hrs. Should have doubled in height and be bubbly/active looking. 

Wheat Flour Mix

  • 400g Water (86 degrees)
  • 100g Leaven
  • 150g Bread Flour
  • 350g Wheat Flour
  • 10g Salt

Stir, then use a wet hand once it’s gooey. Squeeze and fold 2-3mins until well mixed and stretchy. Let sit in a warm place 30mins covered. Want to maintain a dough temp of 70-80 degrees.

Bulk Firm

  1. Stretch from 1 side & fold over then the opposite side. Rotate 90 degrees. (Repeat to complete about 8 folds.)
  2. Form dough into a ball and let sit 30mins covered.
  3. Repeat same stretch and fold maintaining dough around 78 degrees. I like to sit mine on top of the oven set around 200 degrees. You could warm your oven a few minutes at 170 and keep it in the oven as well.
  4. Let sit for 2hrs.

Shape

  1. Lightly flour surface.
  2. Stretch and fold 4 sides.
  3. Tuck into a bowl shape.

Proofing

Place dough into a bowl lined with cheese cloth or a banneton generously floured. Cover with a tea towel and let sit 90mins (Can do a light fold over around after 45mins).

An alternative is to place the dough in the refrigerator covered overnight or around 10-12hrs. This makes it easier to score with a lame. You might add 5mins to bake time if refrigerated.

Bake

  1. Preheat oven and dutch oven 475 degrees for 30-40mins
  2. Place dough seam side down on parchment paper lightly floured
  3. Sprinkle top with flour
  4. Score with scissors or lame
  5. Bake covered at 475 degrees for 18mins. (Helpful to place Dutch oven in center of oven and place a baking sheet on bottom rack if there’s a heating coil there. This helps keep the bottom of the bread from burning.)
  6. Uncover and bake for 25 more mins (add 5 if refrigerated)
  7. Remove and set out 30-40mins to cool

Sources: