Family Chow Hall

How to Make Sourdough Bread

April 3rd, 2007

Hi folks! Because I am making myself a sourdough starter today, I decided to re-post this recipe from awhile back… Enjoy!

My good friend Heather asked for a few bread recipes, so here they come… In the next few days I will post my recipes for sourdough bread (today), basic white bread, and wheat bread.

Sourdough is a super-delicious bread that has a slightly tangy flavor all its own. It has a higher acidity than other breads and for that reason is recommended by the author of the South Beach diet. (The high acid content reduces the fluctuation in blood sugar levels as compared to other white breads.)

If you cruise the internet looking for sourdough bread recipes, they will all call for sourdough starter, which is a mixture of liquid (water, milk, or beer), flour, and yeast. Some have sugar in them.

The basic idea behind the sourdough starter is that this strange-looking mixture must sit in your kitchen at room temperature for about a week before you can make your first loaf of sourdough bread. Your husband and kids will ask you several times what is sitting in that bowl and it might even get tossed in the trash if you don’t protect it.

Sourdough bread is the best kind of bread to make grilled sandwiches with - such as tuna salad or a simple ham and cheese.

There are a few things you must know and accept about sourdough starter before you begin:

Sourdough Starter

1 c. water
1 c. beer OR milk
2 c. flour
2 t. yeast

Combine these ingredients in a plastic or glass bowl, using a plastic spatula or a wooden spoon. Using beer might give it a stronger smell and more flavor, but I doubt there will be much difference in the end result: your first loaf of bread. Let this concoction sit at room temperature for seven days. It won’t hurt to stir it, neither will it hurt to ignore it completely. If, after a week, you are not ready to make sourdough bread, then it’s okay to put it in the fridge.

Tomorrow I will post my recipe for white bread and tell you how to easily turn it into sourdough bread, too.

Entry Filed under: Bread, Old-Fashioned Foods, Recipes, sandwiches