Simple Honey Sourdough Starter Food

ARTISAN HONEY SOURDOUGH BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Feed Sourdough StarterRemove sourdough starter from fridge, bring to room temperature and feed. I feed a 1:1:1 ratio for my artisan sourdough bread recipe. For example, feed 100 grams sourdough starter, 100 grams water, 100 grams all purpose organic flour. Cover the starter, and allow to double in volume after feeding. A quick tip: every time the starter is fed, place a rubber band around the jar it is in to mark its height. This helps to see when the starter has doubled in volume and is therefore ready to be used. If you are still not sure if the starter is ready to be used, do a float test. Drop a small amount of starter, about 1 tsp, into a glass of water. If it floats to the top it's ready to use. If it sinks, your starter should be fed again, or left a bit longer to activate. Mix Water and FlourUsing a digital scale, measure 475g of flour and 300g of water into a large mixing bowl. Mix dough together with your hands, dough will be sticky. Cover with a damp linen towel and let rest for thirty minutes to one hour. Add Remaining IngredientsMeasure and add 100g sourdough starter, 25g honey and 10g salt. Using your hands, mix the dough together thoroughly and be sure to incorporate the salt into the dough. You should not be able to feel any granules of salt once it has been incorporated into the dough. Cover with a damp linen cloth and leave on the kitchen counter for one hour. Stretch and Fold the DoughAfter one hour, dip your fingers in water (to prevent dough from sticking), and begin the stretch and fold technique. Gently, lift and fold the dough. Grab a portion of the dough from one side of the bowl, lift it up and fold it over the dough to the other side of the bowl. Turn the bowl a one-quarter of the way and repeat the process and until you have come full circle. Do this about 20 times at the most until it is a smooth ball. Cover the bowl and leave on the kitchen counter. Perform the stretch and fold technique another three to four times, over the next three to four hours. Re-cover the bowl each time, leaving on the kitchen counter. Bulk FermentationAfter the last stretch and fold technique, cover the bowl with a damp linen towel and leave on the counter to ferment overnight, for eight to ten hours. At the end of fermentation period, the dough should have bubbles on the surface, and be slightly domed on the edges of the bowl. The dough should be springy, and almost doubled. If in doubt that the sourdough is ready, do the poke test. Carefully poke the dough with flour on your finger, about half an inch deep. Dough that is properly proofed will very slowly spring back, and leave a small indention, meaning that this is a good sign the dough has risen enough. If the dough springs back quickly, it is probably under-proofed and it needs to proof longer. Dough that does not spring back at all, is over proofed. Unfortunately, you can not go back and correct that stage, but it can still be baked. The bread will not rise as much in the oven, but will probably still taste good. Shape the DoughGet a banneton and liberally flour all sides, all the way up to the top. This provides a no stick surface for the dough. With wet hands, loosen the dough from the edges of a bowl. Gently, perform a single stretch and fold with the dough around the bowl. Do this no more than eight to ten times, just until the dough is in a loose ball again. Handling the dough carefully, remove from the bowl and place the dough, smooth side down into the banneton. Final ProofCover the dough and place it in the fridge for a minimum of three hours but no more than 24 hours. Placing the dough into the refrigerator allows for a slow and cold fermentation stage. This stage helps to develop flavor and the final crust texture. Pre-Heat Oven, Score and BakePre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Place a sheet of parchment paper over the top of the banneton, then carefully turn it over so that the dough releases onto the parchment paper. Sprinkle the dough lightly with flour and gently rub the surface with your hands to evenly spread the flour on top of the dough. Score the top of the dough with a lame or a clean razor blade. King Arthur shares some amazing Bread Scoring Techniques on their site. Carefully pick up the sides of the parchment paper and place the dough into a dutch oven. Put the lid on and bake it for 50 minutes. If a dark crust is preferred, remove the lid from dutch oven and bake another five to ten minutes. Remove Bread and CoolAfter 50 minutes, remove the bread from the oven. Carefully take the loaf from the pan and leave the loaf to cool on a rack. Wait at least one hour before slicing into the artisan honey sourdough bread. Then, enjoy slathered with homemade butter and a good dripping of honey!

SOURDOUGH STARTER

Steps:

• In a covered 4-qt. glass or ceramic container, mix flour and yeast. Gradually stir in warm water until smooth. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel; let stand in a warm place 2-4 days or until mixture is bubbly and sour smelling and a clear liquid has formed on top. (Starter may darken, but if starter turns another color or develops an offensive odor or mold, discard it and start over.) , Cover tightly and refrigerate starter until ready to use. Use and replenish starter, or nourish it, once every 1-2 weeks. To use and replenish starter:Stir to blend in any liquid on top. Remove amount of starter needed; bring to room temperature before using. For each 1/2 cup starter removed, add 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup warm water to the remaining starter and stir until smooth. Cover loosely and let stand in a warm place 1-2 days or until light and bubbly. Stir; cover tightly and refrigerate.To nourish starter:Remove half of the starter. Stir in equal parts of flour and warm water; cover loosely and let stand in a warm place 1-2 days or until light and bubbly. Stir; cover tightly and refrigerate.

SOURDOUGH

Steps:

• First make your starter. In a large jar (a 1litre kilner jar is good) or plastic container, mix 100g of the flour with 125ml slightly warm water. Whisk the batter until smooth and lump free, whisking will help incorporate some airborne yeast particles to get your starter going. Leave the jar or container lid ajar for an hour or so in a warm place (around 25C is ideal), then seal and set aside for 24 hrs.
• For the next 6 days you will need to 'feed' the starter each day. To do this, tip away half the original starter and add an extra 100g of flour and 125ml slightly warm water, whisking well each time, try to do this at roughly the same time everyday. After 3-4 days you should start to see bubbles appearing on the surface, and it will smell yeasty and a little acidic. This is a good indication that the starter is working. The time it takes for fermentation to begin can vary between 1 to 5 days depending on temperature and environment, persevere for up to 6 days, if you still don't see any signs of life, or the starter smells unpleasant, throw it away and start again. On the 8th day the starter should be quite bubbly and smell much sweeter. It is now ready to bake with.
• Now you can make your first loaf. Tip the flour, 225ml warm water, salt, honey and sourdough starter into a large bowl, or a table top mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir with a wooden spoon, or on a slow setting in a machine, until combined, adding a little extra flour if it's too sticky or a little extra warm water if it's too dry. Tip onto a work surface and knead for about 10 mins until soft and elastic, if using a mixer, turn the speed up a little and mix for 5 mins. The dough is ready when it bounces back when gently pressed with a finger.
• Place the dough in a large, well oiled bowl and cover with an oiled sheet of cling film. Leave in a warm place to rise for 3 hrs. You may not see much movement after this time, but don't be disheartened, sourdough takes much longer to rise than a conventional yeasted bread.
• Line a medium-sized bowl with a clean tea towel and flour it well, if you have a proving basket you can use this. Tip the dough back onto your work surface and knead briefly to knock out any air bubbles. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and dust it with flour. Place the dough, seam side up, in the bowl or proving basket, cover with a sheet of oiled cling film and leave for 6-8 hrs, until roughly doubled in size.
• Place a large baking tray in the oven, set to 230C/210C fan/gas 8, to heat up. Fill a small roasting tin with a little water and place this in the bottom of the oven to create some steam. Remove the large tray from the oven, sprinkle with flour then carefully tip the risen dough onto the tray.You can slash the top a few times with a sharp knife if you like. Bake for 35-40 mins until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped. Leave to cool on a wire rack for 20 mins before serving.

RYE SOURDOUGH STARTER

Steps:

• Day 1: To begin your starter, mix 50g flour with 50g tepid water in a jar or, better still, a plastic container. Make sure all the flour is incorporated and leave, covered with a tea towel, at room temperature for 24 hrs.
• Day 2: Mix 25g flour with 25g tepid water and stir into yesterday's mixture. Make sure all the flour is incorporated and leave, covered with a tea towel, at room temperature for 24 hrs.
• Day 3: Today you might see a few small bubbles forming and the mixture should smell grassy and a little acidic. Mix 25g flour with 25g tepid water and stir into yesterday's mixture. Make sure all the flour is incorporated and leave, covered with a tea towel, at room temperature for 24 hrs.
• Day 4: More bubbles should have appeared today and the mixture should smell of yeasty beer. Mix 25g flour with 25g tepid water and stir into yesterday's mixture. Make sure all the flour is incorporated and leave, covered with a tea towel, at room temperature for 24 hrs.
• Day 5: Fermentation should have set in now and the mixture might be ready to use. If a teaspoon of the starter floats in warm water, it's ready. If not, mix 25g flour with 25g tepid water and stir into yesterday's mixture. Make sure all the flour is incorporated and leave covered, with a tea towel, at room temperature for 24 hrs.
• Day 6: The mix should be really bubbly and be giving off a strong smell of alcohol. Test in the same way as yesterday. If it's not ready, continue mixing 25g flour with 25g tepid water into the mixture daily until it becomes active.If your jar is becoming full, spoon half the mix out of the jar and continue.You now have rye starter, which is a malty flavoured base to sourdough bread. Keep it in the fridge (it will stay dormant) and 12 hrs before you want to use it, spoon half of it off and feed it with 100g flour and 100g water. Leave it at room temperature and it should become active again. The longer the starter has been dormant, the more times it will need to be refreshed - the process of pouring off half the starter and replacing it with new flour and water - to reactivate.Use the starter to make rye sourdough bread.

SOURDOUGH STARTER

Steps:

• Day 1:To begin your starter, mix 50g flour with 50g tepid water in a jar or, better still, a plastic container. Make sure all the flour is incorporated and leave, semi-uncovered, at room temperature for 24 hrs.
• Day 2:Mix 50g flour with 50g tepid water and stir into yesterday's mixture. Make sure all the flour is incorporated and leave, semi-uncovered, at room temperature for another 24 hrs.
• Day 3:Mix 50g flour with 50g tepid water and stir into yesterday's mixture. Make sure all the flour is incorporated and leave, semi-uncovered, at room temperature for another 24 hrs.
• Day 4:You should start to see some activity in the mixture now; there should be some bubbles forming and bubbling on top. Mix 50g flour with 50g tepid water and stir into yesterday's mixture. Make sure all the flour is incorporated and leave, semi-uncovered, at room temperature for another 24 hrs.
• Day 5:The mixture should be very active now and ready for making your levain (starter). If it's not bubbling, continue to feed it on a daily basis until it does. When it's ready, it should smell like yogurt.
• You now have a starter, which is the base to the bread. You'll need to look after it, but naming is optional! Keep it in the fridge (it will stay dormant) and 24 hrs before you want to use it, pour half of it off and feed it with 100g flour and 100g water. Leave it at room temperature and it should become active again. The longer the starter has been dormant, the more times it will need to be refreshed - the process of pouring off half the starter and replacing it with new flour and water - to reactivate. If your starter is ready to use, a teaspoonful of the mixture should float in warm water.The starter can now be used to make white sourdough bread.