Sourdough is simply bread leavened with wild yeast, which develops slowly to produce the unique flavours of sourdough bread.
To make the wild yeast that is used for leavening sourdough breads (known as a ‘starter’), mix stone-ground rye flour with water and leave it in a glass jar at room temperature for 24 hours, before repeating the process with different amounts of flour and water, depending on the recipe, for three more days.
The dough will eventually double in size and then you take part of it, mix in water and flour, and leave for six to eight hours before using.
PROS?
All sourdough breads are naturally low GI, and delicious!
CONS?
You need patience. Working with wild yeast is an art, and it takes time to master.
SETTING IT UP: You will need just enough space for a glass or ceramic bowl, but you will need to babysit your culture.
INSIDER TIPS? Graeme Taute from The Wild Bread Co. says, “Start building a culture in spring or autumn. And try to get locally sourced stoneground rye flour from Eureka Mills (eurekamills.co.za), as it’s a high-quality product.”
HOW TO MAKE A SOURDOUGH STARTER: Source a bag of stoneground rye flour (R38 – R50 for 2,5kg). Try our sourdough starter recipe or try The Bread Baker’s Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread by Peter Reinhart (about R220 from amazon.com).
Instructional video:
Written for Food&Home.
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