Making A Wild Yeast Sourdough Starter

Fermented foods are perfect examples of things getting better with age and since we are really living by the idea that old is gold, 2016 marked the birth date of the house sourdough starter. I have experimented with starters before however this attempt is the first time I have sought to capture wild yeast.  I make no promises but the bubbles above do show promise and assuming I can keep it alive, then we are in for a good year for sure!

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup warm water

Directions

1. Combine the flour and water in a bowl and mix thoroughly
2. Cover with a towel or several layers of cheese cloth and leave to rest at room temperature for 24 hours.
3. After 24 hours check for a few bubbles starting to appear. This is a sign that yeast are becoming active and fermentation is starting.
4. Keep checking every 12 to 24 hours to ensure that more bubbles are forming and the process is developing nicely.
5. Once the bowl is full of bubbles it is now time to start "feeding" it daily.

Feeding The Starter

1. Add 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup warm water to a clean bowl.
2. Add 1/4 cup of starter to the bowl and mix to combine.
3. Cover with a towel or cheese cloth and let rest for another 24 hours and discard what is left of the old starter.
4. Do this daily until you notice a predicable rise and fall of the starter sponge which is an indicator that your starter is now mature and can be used as a leavener.
5. Another trick to test maturity is to drop a teaspoon of the starter into a cup of water and if it floats, it's ready! If it sink, then continue feeding it daily allowing more development to occure.

I am not the biggest fan of tossing out the unused starter so for avid bread bakers out there, I encourage you to incorporate these discards into whatever baking adventures you have in the works.  The daily feeding has really thrust me into my own baking challenge where my head is spinning as to how next I will use this goop. It's kinda fun, a bit like a low maintenance pet, and more than anything, it's encouraging me to make something daily.  

If you have experimented with wild yeast or starters or daily makings of any kind, I would love to hear about them!  I am on the hunt for ideas and inspirations both in the baking world but also in the sense of creating a routine or ritual.  It has been exactly one week into 2016 and although I don't want to put too much pressure on the idea of a resolution, I love the concept of a fresh start.  Starting a starter isn't exactly fresh but it still represents a journey into newness.  This starter might be a complete flop but I am trying to focus more on the act of trying and making an effort rather than any success or accomplishment.  Who's with me?

Soaked 9 Grain Bread Recipe

Here is an easy bread recipe utilizing whole grains that does not come out dry.  Whole grains are a commonality for Centenarians (individuals over the age of 100) according to the Blue Zone which you can learn more about here and based on their dietary research it sounds like a good idea to consume more whole grans when possible.  However, breads with whole grains are often disappointing when you substitute them in a standard recipe.  The trick is to soak the course grains first then incorporate them into your dough while maintaining that high hydration level.  It is a bit time consuming, but it is incredibly low maintenance, so you have flexibility in how and when making this loaf might fit into your schedule.

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Soaker:

· ½ cup of 9 Grain Flour (or whatever your coarse grain flour is going to be)*

· ½ cup if water

Combine these in a bowl and let them rest for 6-8 hours or overnight.

*The flour I used here was given to me by a friend and freshly milled with a consistency that looked more like dry oatmeal than flour. It was extremely coarse but soaking it made it magical. Soaking coarse grains (like corn meal) will really make a difference as the grains soften and absorb water. This will keep the grains from drawing out moisture during baking so you don’t end up with a dry dense loaf.

Ingredients:

· ½ cup wet soaker

· 1 cup warm water

· ¼ cup Sorghum Molasses (you could also use honey)

· 1 tsp. salt

· ¼ tsp yeast

· 2 ½ cups flour

Directions:

• In a large bowl combine the soaker, water, molasses, salt and yeast.

• Then add the flour and mix until well combined and the dough starts to pull away from the bowl. The dough will be quite sticky and wet. Use a rubber spatula or bowl scrapper to help combine it. Do not use your hands! I repeat, do not use your hands!

• When all the ingredients are combined and you have what looks like a wet, gloopy blob, just cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter to rise for 6-8 hours or overnight.

• After the dough has rested it should look more like a sponge and have doubled in size.

• With a wet hand reach into the bowl and carefully lift and fold the edges into the center, completely loosening the dough from all sides. The dough is so sticky that it can easily be lifted and folded into the middle; just keep your hand wet to keep the dough from sticking to you.

• Cover and let rest for another hour.

• Preheat your oven along with a deep dutch oven with a lid to 500 degrees.

• Carefully remove the dutch oven, spray it with some non-stick spray and with a wet hand gently assist the dough out of the bowl and into the dutch oven.

• Cover with the lid and place it into the hot oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 450 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.

• Remove the lid and reduce the temperature to 425 degrees and continue cooking for 10-15 more minutes or the internal tempurature reaches 190 degrees.

• Remove the bread from the oven and cool the loaf on a wire rack for 20 minutes if not longer before cutting into it. This is the hardest part!