Stuff We Like #70 - Sourdough Starters

Hi Everyone! Welcome to another week of Stuff We Like with me, Freddy. This week you're getting bombarded with one of my favorite pastimes. Baking bread, which really means sourdough starters.

I know, I know. You guys probably think Angel and Toni  wouldn't let me near a kitchen. If they had their way, they wouldn't. It's not exactly the safest place for me to be. I am not known for my kitchen prowess. At all. Ever. In fact, it's best if I just watch. (Who doesn't enjoy watching ;))

Anyway....

If you don't have someone who can give you some sourdough starter, you can order from King Arthur Flour. They're nice and helpful —you can also get the crock set, which is nice. People won't mistake your starter and throw it out.

One of the things you learn to love — and desire — when you make your own bread is a nice sourdough starter. People have passed these down over decades. No joke. The taste and whatnot can change over time. The air, flour, all sorts of stuff (like time) effect the taste, therefore effecting the taste of your bread.

The long fermentation process is something the modern, store bought breads have lost, and nothing can really make up for it. The old-fashioned way to make bread gives us what we need. If you're too poor for meat, and too poor for vegetables, bread is there — if you're making it yourself. It gives you the protein and energy you need. The gluten is different in sourdoughs made by the long fermentation process.

And one thing that can help with making a good sourdough, is the sourdough starter.

King Arthur also has a nice, easy guideline up on their site for making a starter.

This is what my starter looked like when I was just getting it going. It is water and flour. That's it. The air has yeast in it, and that yeast gets in the mixture when you're starting it. Bubbles are a good thing. That means the fermentation process is happening. Once your starter is healthy, the possibilities are endless.

I store mine in a small crock pot. People can mistake it and throw it away if it doesn't scream—I am here on purpose! They *might* think it's something gone bad.

It's not. It's just fermented flour and water. ;)

Starters do need care. They can die, or go bad. But they're not something you have to slave over either.

I use mine frequently enough that it sits out on the counter. Some people store theirs in the fridge — because of climate or because they don't use it as frequently.

But the end result of having a starter is nice, crunchy sourdough bread that is yummy and is much better for you than the usual suspects.