Hello,
For years I shied away from sourdough bread baking. Every time I felt inspired to try, I no sooner felt discouraged by the complicated recipes, which may as well have been written in a foreign language.
And besides, I love yeasted bread. Why deal with...
- ... a starter? (temperamental)
- ... bakers' percentages? (confusing)
- ... preheated Dutch ovens? (terrifying)
Well because, as I've learned, once you get the hang of it, sourdough-bread baking isn't so different from yeast-bread baking.
And, moreover, there's something very satisfying knowing how to bake a loaf of bread with a starter — a simple mix of flour and water — you stash in your refrigerator and tend to every so often.
Once you become familiar with the sourdough process, you won't worry about:
- keeping a starter alive ... there's really nothing to it.
- using bakers' percentages ... you don't have to use them.
- screaming hot Dutch ovens ... because you'll have an awesome pair of oven mitts, such as these.
The one rub with sourdough baking?
There's no fast route. Unlike yeasted breads, which start to finish can be ready in about 3 hours, with sourdough, you've got to count on at least 24 hours, and for some loaves, at least 48 hours. That said, as with yeast-bread baking, the time required to make a good loaf of sourdough bread is mostly hands off.
And, I'm guessing, if you're reading this, you're likely prepared for a small (hands-off) time commitment.
Let's Do This
Thank you for joining me for Sourdough: Demystified!
In this 5-day email series, I will share the techniques and recipes that have demystified the sourdough bread baking process for me. We'll cover the basics of maintaining a starter, and then we'll get right to the baking, starting with a golden, soft-crumbed focaccia ending with a crackling crusted boule.
Know this: If you can make yeast-leavened breads, you can make naturally leavened breads. It's not rocket science.
One more thing…
You'll receive your first email in your inbox tomorrow.
But first, if you've had any trouble in the past making sourdough bread, please check out this FAQ's post: Why is my sourdough so sticky? Fixes to 4 Common Sourdough Mistakes
Looking forward to helping you on your sourdough journey.
Happy Baking,Alexandra Stafford
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