Making Sourdough Bread

A year ago I took a course on making sourdough bread. We learned about natural leaven, flour, water and the magical thing that happens when you mix them together. Initially, I was very enthusiastic about making sourdough bread. I couldn't wait to get home and make my first batch. Unfortunately, I made some mistakes along the way and my bread was ending up dense and flat. Eventually I got frustrated (and pregnant) so I gave up.

My mother and sister, who also took the course, encouraged me to try again and gave me a few tips. I figured out where I was going wrong - too much water and too much rising. I tried to make sourdough bread again and was finally successful. My bread rose and tasted amazing.

Since then making sourdough bread has been the only thing that I have done consistently in the last six months, even in these last few weeks of newborn mayhem I've (somehow) managed to get it done. I make my sourdough bread on Thursdays. The process actually begins Tuesday evening. I take out my chef (mother culture) from the fridge and begin my starter. I feed the starter three times before making the bread dough. Making sourdough bread takes a whole day. The dough rises a total of four times before being baked but the whole process is worth it. Sourdough bread is delicious and healthy.

I'm no expert at making sourdough bread but I want to share with you what I have discovered in the last year. So over the next couple weeks I'll go over the process I use for making sourdough bread and share with you my favourite sourdough bread resources.