Sourdough bread is one of my all-time favorite breads to eat and to make. If you have never made it before, it takes a little practice before getting the hang of it and having it look like it's fresh from the bakery. Now, to get the tastiest bread out of your own kitchen, it takes some time, practice, and patience. To start of with, I will give you the basic sourdough starter recipe.Grape Sourdough Starter
Ingredients:
1 bunch organic grapes
2 cups white bread flour
2 cups water
Equipment Needed:
glass/plastic bowl
wooden spoon
clean towel or bowl lid
cheesecloth
kitchen twine/string
1. Gather about 2 cups of clean grapes and slightly crush into a glass/plastic bowl. Take the grapes and place them in cheesecloth and tie shut. Add the flour and water.
2. Mix with a wooden spoon until the batter has become thick and sticky.
3. Cover the bowl with a clean towel or a lid and let it sit at room temperature overnight. (NOTE: if you are using a lid, DO NOT seal it completely. The starter will give off gasses and if the container is sealed, it could explode. There is nothing worse than having a sourdough explosion to wipe up! This happened to me once; it was all over the walls, counter top, appliances, and cabinets. I learned my lesson.)
4. The next day, check the starter for bubbles of gas coming to the surface, the sign the fermentation is taking place. This is where patience comes into play. The fermentation process can take as long as 5 days, depending on the temperature and climate. Once the starter has begun to ferment, remove the grapes tied in cheesecloth and “feed” the starter with a bit of flour and water.
5. You can use the starter right away, or you can let it sit for another few days. The longer you let the starter ferment, the stronger the flavor of your bread will be. There are some restaurants that still use starters that they have continually "fed" for years. And for this reason, many of these restaurants are well know for their breads.
6. If you are ready to make bread right away, then there is a recipe that follows. If you are not ready or if you’ve made too much starter, you can freeze your starter and save it for later. Simply divide it into 1-cup portions, wrap each one in 2 layers of plastic, and put them in the freezer.
1 bunch organic grapes
2 cups white bread flour
2 cups water
Equipment Needed:
glass/plastic bowl
wooden spoon
clean towel or bowl lid
cheesecloth
kitchen twine/string
1. Gather about 2 cups of clean grapes and slightly crush into a glass/plastic bowl. Take the grapes and place them in cheesecloth and tie shut. Add the flour and water.
2. Mix with a wooden spoon until the batter has become thick and sticky.
3. Cover the bowl with a clean towel or a lid and let it sit at room temperature overnight. (NOTE: if you are using a lid, DO NOT seal it completely. The starter will give off gasses and if the container is sealed, it could explode. There is nothing worse than having a sourdough explosion to wipe up! This happened to me once; it was all over the walls, counter top, appliances, and cabinets. I learned my lesson.)
4. The next day, check the starter for bubbles of gas coming to the surface, the sign the fermentation is taking place. This is where patience comes into play. The fermentation process can take as long as 5 days, depending on the temperature and climate. Once the starter has begun to ferment, remove the grapes tied in cheesecloth and “feed” the starter with a bit of flour and water.
5. You can use the starter right away, or you can let it sit for another few days. The longer you let the starter ferment, the stronger the flavor of your bread will be. There are some restaurants that still use starters that they have continually "fed" for years. And for this reason, many of these restaurants are well know for their breads.
6. If you are ready to make bread right away, then there is a recipe that follows. If you are not ready or if you’ve made too much starter, you can freeze your starter and save it for later. Simply divide it into 1-cup portions, wrap each one in 2 layers of plastic, and put them in the freezer.
This is a smaller batch of starter that I made. As you can see, the grapes have been wrapped in cheesecloth, which makes the removal easier.
Classic San Francisco Sourdough Bread
2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees F)
7-1/2 cups to 8 cups all-purpose Flour, unsifted
1 cup sourdough starter batter at room temperature
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Bread Wash Recipe:
1 teaspoon cornstarch brought to a boil with 1 cup water,
then cooled to room temperature
hot water for the oven
spray bottle filled with water
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine water, sourdough starter batter and 4 cups of the flour. Mix well and cover with clear plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place (85 degrees F) 8 to 12 hours.
2. Stir in salt, sugar and enough remaining flour (about 4 cups) to form a very stiff dough. Knead until smooth. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (2 to 2-1/2 hours).
3. Punch down and divide in half. Knead gently until smooth. Shape each half into a round ball. Cover the sourdough bread loaves lightly with a damp rag; let them rise in a warm place until puffy and almost doubled in size (1 to 1-1/2 hours).
4. Carefully place a small pan on the shelf, below the oven baking rack, and fill it with hot water. This is what gives the bread its nice, crunchy crust.
5. Place your sourdough bread loaves on the baking rack, close the oven door and bake in a preheated (400 degree F) oven for 10 minutes. Then brush your sourdough bread loaves with the baste mixture and place back in over. Before closing, using a spray bottle with water, spritz the bottom of the oven a few times and then close the oven door and continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes more until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. The spraying of the oven with the water will also aid in giving the bread its crunch.
*See note below*
6. Remove the loaves from the oven and place on a cooling rack until cooled down to room temperature. Allow the loaves to cool completely (about 2 hours) before cutting into it.
7. ENJOY!
*NOTE: To get the pretty slices on top of the bread requires a Lame or bread slashing tool. This allows you to cut clean ridges into your loaf, to facilitate rising of dough. A razor blade may be used as well. This part takes some practice. Before placing the dough in the oven, you take the lame and very quickly slice across the top of the dough. The first few times you may mess up and end up making your bread collapse, or hopefully, you will have no problems at all and will end up with beautiful bread.
Classic San Francisco Sourdough Bread
2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees F)
7-1/2 cups to 8 cups all-purpose Flour, unsifted
1 cup sourdough starter batter at room temperature
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Bread Wash Recipe:
1 teaspoon cornstarch brought to a boil with 1 cup water,
then cooled to room temperature
hot water for the oven
spray bottle filled with water
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine water, sourdough starter batter and 4 cups of the flour. Mix well and cover with clear plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place (85 degrees F) 8 to 12 hours.
2. Stir in salt, sugar and enough remaining flour (about 4 cups) to form a very stiff dough. Knead until smooth. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (2 to 2-1/2 hours).
3. Punch down and divide in half. Knead gently until smooth. Shape each half into a round ball. Cover the sourdough bread loaves lightly with a damp rag; let them rise in a warm place until puffy and almost doubled in size (1 to 1-1/2 hours).
4. Carefully place a small pan on the shelf, below the oven baking rack, and fill it with hot water. This is what gives the bread its nice, crunchy crust.
5. Place your sourdough bread loaves on the baking rack, close the oven door and bake in a preheated (400 degree F) oven for 10 minutes. Then brush your sourdough bread loaves with the baste mixture and place back in over. Before closing, using a spray bottle with water, spritz the bottom of the oven a few times and then close the oven door and continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes more until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. The spraying of the oven with the water will also aid in giving the bread its crunch.
*See note below*
6. Remove the loaves from the oven and place on a cooling rack until cooled down to room temperature. Allow the loaves to cool completely (about 2 hours) before cutting into it.
7. ENJOY!
*NOTE: To get the pretty slices on top of the bread requires a Lame or bread slashing tool. This allows you to cut clean ridges into your loaf, to facilitate rising of dough. A razor blade may be used as well. This part takes some practice. Before placing the dough in the oven, you take the lame and very quickly slice across the top of the dough. The first few times you may mess up and end up making your bread collapse, or hopefully, you will have no problems at all and will end up with beautiful bread.
On the right is part of the Grape Sourdough Starter and on the left is the sourdough resting, covered to double in size.
The finished product. Now, unfortunately, I was too impatient and sliced into the bread early without letting it rest long enough and that's why the bread above looks smashed in the middle. It is very important to let the finished bread sit not only for this reason, but because the flavors will develop more from resting and cooling.
The finished product. Now, unfortunately, I was too impatient and sliced into the bread early without letting it rest long enough and that's why the bread above looks smashed in the middle. It is very important to let the finished bread sit not only for this reason, but because the flavors will develop more from resting and cooling.
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