Thank you for joining me for another Sort of a Cooking Show moment. This video has been completely wild and taken me multiple days to shoot and edit. It’s also a little longer but I hope you enjoy the bake-along style.
People ask me a lot about how to bake sourdough and I understand why. There are so many recipes that make baking bread seem mystical and hard to do. But, people have been making bread literally forever. It’s four ingredients! So please, I beg you, if you’re wanting to start a sourdough program of your own, DO IT. It will save you money and it will feed your soul, abundance all around. All it actually requires is a little patience.
My favorite sourdough resources:
For starting your own starter, your first basic loaves and also some incredible recipes, Emilie Raffa’s website The Clever Carrot and also her book Artisan Sourdough Made Simple.
For an excellent sandwich loaf, Alexandra Stafford.
For sourdough bagels and other fun recipes, Jesha.
Here is a time table and ideal schedule:
If your starter is active and healthy, it should take around 4-5 hours to double in size after feeding.
It takes 2 seconds to make the dough.
If doing the stretch and folds, you will need 2 hours.
First Bulk Rise on counter, 8-10 hours.
Shaping takes 5 minutes.
Second Bulk Rise in fridge for further fermentation and an even better loaf, 10-12 hours.
Baking takes 1 hour.
Ideal Schedule:
9am feed starter.
1pm make dough.
1-3pm stretch and fold.
3-10pm bulk rise on counter.
10pm-8am second ferment in fridge.
8:30am Bake!
Shorter Schedule (still works and bakes lovely loaves, usually with larger holes and a flimsier crumb):
3pm feed starter
8pm make dough
8-10pm stretch and fold (or don’t, it’s not necessary, just makes it less hole-y and prettier.)
10pm-7:30/8am bulk rise on counter
9am Bake!
The refrigerator ferment isn’t necessary either, I’ve found I simply prefer it.
Get curious! Fall down a sourdough rabbit hole on any social media platform, there is SO much information. I’ve been wanting to try a new method I’ve seen that eliminates the feeding and waiting for the starter to double step and goes straight into making the dough.
Practice. Have patience. Stay relaxed, you can do this!! See you next month.
Cheers!
P.S. One small announcement, Sort of a Cooking Show, is going on hiatus for the month of August so the production team I can ramp up for all the fall and holiday recipes we I have planned! See you in September!
Yay! Mary Lou came through for Boo...again!