I am a lover of carbs! Especially homemade bread. I previously decided to try my hand at making my own sourdough starter in order to have the ability to make my own homemade bread at home whenever I wanted. Little did I realize at time that there is so much more I can do with sourdough starter than just bread! Now don’t misunderstand, the beginning of my journey into making my own sourdough starter was not without problems. Instead of buying a dehydrated sourdough starter, I opted to create my own and it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be but there were still several attempts and failures until I had success. So if you decide to embark on this journey, it can be discouraging but attainable.
Before I started, I did quite a bit of research. I bought a few different books, google searched, watched YouTube videos, and Pinterest became one of my best friends. I even spent a few different days sitting in bookstores trying to find the best books for teaching myself. One of the best books that I found is Artisan Sourdough Made Simple and it even has the recipe and process for creating your own sourdough starter. Another book that is a good resource is Bread Illustrated from America’s Test Kitchen. During one of my bookstore sessions, I found both of these while surrounded by piles of discarded options and have used them regularly in my kitchen.
I thought the hard part would be creating my sourdough starter but there’s more to making homemade bread than just the starter. Now there are simpler ways to make homemade bread but I really enjoy sourdough and want to have available starter when I need it. Being honest, my first two starters ended up in the trash. Not because it failed but mainly because I did. I forgot to “feed” it (oops) and then my second attempt, I put it in the fridge (which you can do) but it got pushed to the back and forgotten about. FYI…..it’ll still get icky but takes a lot longer. And then I finally got my “perfect” starter.
So now that I finally got my sourdough starter ready, I now had to make an attempt at creating my first loaf of bread. Of course, there is a list of “tools” that make this an easier task.
Tools
I took a shortcut and bought a kit with most everything I needed and I do recommend it but you may decide you only want certain pieces and can order them separately. I ordered the Trailblaze Bread Banneton Proofing Basket Kit since it includes the basics along with additional tools but the list that you can order separately include:
9 inch round Banneton basket with linen cloth liner
10 inch oval Banneton basket with linen cloth liner
Bread Scoring Lame with extra blades
Metal Scraper (for counter use but the bowl scraper works too)
Stencils (if you choose to have designs on your bread)
I also use a Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven for baking my bread but am looking to purchase a Challenger Cast Iron Bread Pan in the future.
Once you’ve decided on your “tools” and the starter is ready, it’s time to get started! I went simple and began with an Everyday Sourdough recipe. The process can seem long but well worth it especially during the “resting” period.
Once my loaf was ready for the oven, I decided to score my bread before baking but decided not to put any “decorative” stencils on it this time. It was not the prettiest scoring but not too shabby for my first attempt.
Preheat your oven per the directions but I do suggest investing in an oven thermometer. I purchased an oven thermometer since I don’t always trust my oven to be correct. After all the work, my first sourdough loaf was a success!! And I know I should have let it cool off first but I just love a hot piece of bread with butter.
I’ll just be over here planning my next recipe once I’m settled from the move from Florida to Texas…..and I’m still house hunting.
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