How to make authentic sourdough bread

sourdough breadI made my own sourdough bread using wild yeast today and I'm very chuffed. I'm not sure how baking my own bread impacts my carbon footprint (it probably increases it) but the satisfaction is amazing and the experience is a step in the right direction as far as capacity building goes. It has definitely been an eye opener and I can only say I wish I'd done it sooner.

In Edinburgh you can buy good sourdough bread from the many specialist bakeries and shops like Falko's in Tollcross, or any of the many Polish delis. And now with many organic whole-foods specialists, making your own is another option.

Everybody probably has their own starting point for incorporating the Transition Town movement into their own lives. I think I've found mine. :-)

It started off a week ago when I made my sourdough starter. The basic idea turns out to be very simple:

• Take a glass jar from the recycling box (give it a good clean.)
• Add 1/4 cup of white organic flour.
• Add 1/4 cup of water (ideally warm.)
• Optionally lower the ph value by adding a couple of drops of vinegar or substituting the water for organic orange juice.
• Stir/whisk well (optionally, with a non-metallic spoon/chopstick.)
• Cover with cling film and 'feed' every 24 hours.

Feeding the starter:

• Measure 1/4 cup of the starter and pour away the rest (you end up with too much otherwise.)
• Add 1/4 cup of white organic flour.
• Add 1/4 cup of warm water.
• Optionally lower the ph value as above.

Keep doing this for 7 days. The result should be that wild yeasts from the air and the flour start multiplying and start feeding on the starch in the flour, creating bubbles of carbon dioxide. Bacteria (like you get in yoghurt) start breaking down the starch acid which creates a sour smell and also creates a better environment for the yeasts to thrive in. That's why you need to 'feed' the starter, to keep it ticking over. You know when you're on the right track if there are bubbles and it smells good and 'yeasty'.

I didn't know what 'yeasty' was, nor what constituted 'good', so I was unsure for a while. Samantha's initial reaction was 'ugh'. It's a bit vinigary and it smells like there's something going on. I've read that if it smells as if it has definitely gone off, or turned green or pink it needs to be thrown away.

The bubbles should come up by the 4th day. I bypassed the waiting game by substituting the water on the first two days with some elderflower champagne we had made. The wild yeast from the elderflowers seem to adapt to their new food quite quickly.

There are many variations out there of how to kick off a sourdough starter. Normally the advice is to keep trying if it doesn't work the first time. I had 4 glasses on the go at the same time with different variations, some using elderflower champagne, some without. Some with vinegar, some without. In the end they all seemed to have worked, so I threw them together into two glasses for good measure.

One thing I didn't try was to use rye flour instead of wheat flour. That is supposed to work better for most people.

According to what I've read, you should keep your starter outside and feed it daily for two weeks so that it fully develops its flavour. After that it can be kept in the fridge and it only needs to be fed every fortnight. A starter can also be frozen without killing the yeasts. Apparently can also dry the starter by spreading it out thinly on grease proof paper. It can then be stored indefinitely.

Making the bread: Instead of its daily feed, empty the starter into a big bowl, add a cup of flour and a cup of water. Cover with a towel or cling film and put it in a warm place. I just gave my oven a quick heat, then turned it off. (As long as you can still comfortably keep your hand on the inside of the door it's not too hot) Leave it there to bubble away. Wild yeast is slower than commercial yeast, so I did this overnight. Give your container a good clean.

By the next morning you should have a very bubbly goo in the bowl. This is what is called the 'proofed sponge' by baking people. Measure 1/4 cup of it into your starter glass and feed it as you normally do and put it back where it has been living. (By this point you'll have realised why many people refer to it as a 'pet'.)

To your sponge add 2.5 cups of strong bread flour, two tablespoons of olive oil, 1.5 teaspoons of salt, two tablespoons of sugar and1/8 cup of milk. Turn this into a dough. You might have to add more flour or more water, depending on the flour you use and how much water the sponge absorbs from the air. Let it rise in a warm place. I left mine to rise for 3 hours. Once it's risen, knock it back and give it a good kneed. Shape it into a ball and place it on an oiled baking tray. Optionally (and this looks good) give it three slits with a sharp knife. Let it sit until it has doubled in size. Then turn the oven on (without preheating) to 175 degrees centigrade and bake for about 40 minutes. It's done when the outside is brown and the bottom when hit with a wooden spoon sounds hollow.

Let it cool for an hour (I resisted for about 15 minutes) before slicing. I spread mine with butter and nutella and was instantly transported back to my childhood in Germany. I'd get sent out to the village baker first thing on a Saturday morning. The bread was still warm and fragrant when I got back.