I love baking bread. I, however have not yet mastered sourdough...until now, maybe.
Once I got my head around the daily discard I found that I had trouble fermenting the starter. I tried many times but I think I finally got it mostly right. Maurizo Leo, The Perfect Loaf, has a ton of information on his website about the science, theory and trial-and-error. Bonnie O'Hara's Bread Baking for Beginners book has a ton of info about the temperature needed and practice.
I was so thrilled when I opened the jar to see that my starter not only doubled it size but that it was full of bubbles. Yes! I finally did it.
Next came the baking of the bread part. Maurizio, Bonnie, King Arthur, a million and one recipes later I gave it try. I settled on King Arthur Bread Rustic Sourdough Bread. Mine looked nothing like the picture on the recipe, but a little closer to the one on the blog in shape but not color. I shared a loaf with a neighbor who declared that I should keep the recipe and they would be happy to help eat it. I agreed. It. is. yummy!
Recipe: King Arthur Bread Rustic Sourdough Bread
Equipment:
- Weck Jars for the sourdough starter. The jars in the blog are the 0.75 liter Weck Jars. For keeping the starter beyond a bake, there are the 0.5 liter Weck Jars. Mason jars also work.
Update December 27, 2023
I made a single loaf of sourdough bread and this time when it came out I brushed it with a little Kerrygold Salted Butter. Still yummy like the first time, maybe more so because of the butter on the top.
