Making sourdough bread has always been one of those love-to-try-it-but-it-looks-really-complicated kinda things, but this week I’ve decided to give it a go, see how I got on. First, I need to make a starter culture. Then I will bulk this up to make a ‘mother’, from which a loaf of bread can be made. I’m following Peter Reinhart’s method in his book, Wholegrain Breads.
Making the Sourdough Starter
Day 1 – Mixing
Mixed the initial ingredients to make this soup of flour and water. It need mixed three times a day, so I’ll ask Julie to mix it for me while I’m at work. It’s about the consistency of a thin soup and smells of raw bran at the moment.
Day 2
After two days of agitating the mix three times a day it’s got to this stage. It’s still very thin, I guess it won’t gain structure until the hydration ratio is increased, later in the process. Definite apple-vinegar smell coming from the bowl.