Old School Country Bread from your Sourdough Starter

Making bread from your starter could not be easier. I have put years of time and challenges toward my own bread making and it has taken a long time to get it just right for my family and friends. As you begin to make bread from your starter you will have good and bad results it just goes with the way the season is, your starter and to be honest your patience with regards to bread. It is not in any way a easy rise yeast recipe. It is the old fashion water, flour and fermentation. Like your grandma use to do. You can make all kinds of bread and baking stuff from your starter.
My first starter has made many a fine loaf, pizza, pancakes and many a mistake see pictures at the bottom of this post!  I have decided to take it to the next level.



For now for my beginner's here is the basic recipe for your Leaven

Recipe to make leaven for your dough from your Starter

1/2 cup of active starter
1 cup of water- luke warm
1/4 cup whole wheat
1/2 cup white all purpose flour





1. In a small mixing bowl add the culture from the jar.  Mix with culture with the flour's and mix well.  Add luke warm water so the mixture has the texture of a thick pancake mix. And with in moments become bubbly. 


Cover and let it sit overnight or at least 6 to 8 hours.







Your culture should double in size and be light and bubbly.







The next morning you should be ready to get your loaves ready to bake later in the day. First thing ant is to get all your ingredients and tools together.

Large mixing bowl
2 measuring cups
strong spatula or bench knife

You will need a very large bowl to mix your batter.

Ingredients for Crusty Country Loaf x 2

1 cup culture
2 cups warm water - 80 degrees F
1 cup whole wheat flour
6 to 7 cups white all purpose flour

Put your warm water into the bowl and add you cup of starter. It will float this is a good thing it means your starter is active.

Stir this together and start to add your flour one cup at a time. Add the whole wheat first then the white. Stir between each addition.






Mix this until there are no bit's of flour left. Your dough should Not stick to the side of the bowl and is but not dry. Hard to explain but you will get it once you get the idea. Or come over and I will help you I make baking house call's.

Cover the dough with a towel over it and let it rest for 25 to 40 minutes. All the rest periods are important.

In the same bowl sprinkle the salt approximately 2 tablespoon on top of the dough.  Now pour a half cup of warm water on top.  Incorporate the mixture by squeezing the dough between your fingers until it is incorporated completely.

The plastic container to the right is the one I got one at my local hardware store to use for the final rest! Cheap and it works. 

Now it is time to put the dough into the plastic container.
This stage is called the Bulk Rise/Fermentation.

The dough is going to rest in this container for at least two hours. Each half hour you will dampen your hand and turn it over. Just put your hand in palm side in and take it and turn it over. Be gentle the dough should be getting billowy and lighter. When you start this process the dough is going to be thick and heavy as it goes through the bulk fermentation it will lighten up you will notice it that is when you are being more gentle to the dough.





It should double in about 2-3 hours.  It should double in size and be much lighter. Now you will empty the dough out on to the lightly floured surface.
At this point you want to incorporate as little flour as possible.This batch that you see in the container is a litte dry the more I learned the more moisture and less flour I used. Remember this is a learning curve.



Once your dough is on the cutting board area split in in half and make two loaves of that. Yopu want to strech and pull up and own and shape it into a taunt ball. Smooth side down spribnkle a little four on the top and cover for 20 to 30 minutes. While the loaves are resting you cna prepare your bowl,s. You need two large bowls with smooth cotton kitchen towels liningthe bowl. You will neeed a mixture of 50/50 b;end. That is haldf rice floyur and half wheat floru this is going to line the bowls. On the towels you are gpoing to sprinkle the flour mixture so they dpn't stick to the towels when you roll them on to the pot for baking.

Once the loves have rested for 30 mintues uncover them and do a second strech and pull taunt exercise. Then put them into the towel and flour lined bpowls for the final rise. this will take appriximently and hour or so. They should double in size. Once they have made the final rise they will; be ready to bake. You need your oven hopt so crank it up to 500 degr4ee's. I use a case iron double pan. this keep the heat in for the first 30 mintuies then once that is done I remove the top and let it bake for an aditrional 25 minites at 350 degrees. 














5. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 for 40-45 minutes, or start with a cool oven set at 375 and cook for 50-55 minutes. Look it took a long time to perfect the bread from a natural yeast mixture but worth every mistake. And your starter will last forever. Good luck and I'm here if you have any questions.

My first eee but tasted good!

Mistake yet delicious loaf

This one looks like a dinosaur foot

Yes next try it looked like a dinosaur foot

And finally got it perfected it took a longggg time !

I just ordered a book to take this to the next level and am very excited....Good luck

Making a Sourdough Bread Starter

Bread/ Sourdough Bread Starter has never been easier! The first job is to make yourself some starter. There are a  ga-zillion starter recipes out there. Go get one. I made mine from a recipe that had me carrying this started around for three weeks feeding it daily. 

And I have made Starter from scratch. 

Both ways are in this post !

It was like they do to the Junior High Kids now when they make teenagers take home a fake baby doll and play parent Truth be told it was pain in the ass not easy.

Let's make this as easy as possible. YOU CAN  buy your starter from a reputable source. I bought a starter (Need to try everything to tell you) and it came with a book and I will give you the 411 on both ways. The bonus is you can use your starter which ever way you choose to do it to make so many other breads as well as baked goods. I made a killer Rye bread , so here is the link to get your power started and get you started by mail !

 Sourdough International

BUT You only need to do 2 things Activation and Prep your own !!!!!

Lets get started with your dried culture starter if you bought it.  Other wise scroll down to the Make my Own Section.

You must activate it by feeding flour and water. You will only activate once Use a one quart wide mouth jar. Mix all the dried culture with 3/4 cup of flour and 1 cup of warm water.(75 degrees to 85) and proof in a warm place (about 85 degrees) for 24 hours.
Put the jar lid on loosely. The temperature is critical when activating. At the end of that time a few bubbles may appear on the surface as the first sign of growth and activity. In the next 24 hours growth will start to accelerate and the culture should be fed every 6 to 12 hours with one cup of flour and 3/4 cup of warm water until there is a layer of foam and bubbles an inch or two thick. This may require several days and several feedings.

There is no visible evidence when the bacteria grow, and they will be using nutrients even though the culture show no bubbles, so you must follow the feeding schedule.

If the culture keep's doubling the size of your starter, in 10 days you'll have enough to fill a swimming pool. And 12 hours later, you'll have enough to fill two swimming pools. So, before you feed the starter, take half of your starter and set it aside.  But you can start smaller batches to gift to your neighbors and friends. You would be amazed how many people love to get starter already stared! 

Make my Own Section

Basic Recipe needs nothing more than some flour and water and a week of babysitting. Let's go to the Pantry and get it started from scratch !

Ingredients and Instructions

1 quart vessel glass or plastic (no metal)

Measuring cup (Many people use a scale but no everyone has that on hand)

Spoon for mixing

Towel to cover vessel

7 days to watch

3/4 of a cup plus 2 tablespoon's of all-purpose flour

1/4 cup of warm water 

Take your jar and add the flour. Next add your warm water and mix. It should have the consistency of pancake batter. It will get thicker as it grows.

Let this sit for 24 hours. When you check it there will be bubbles. You do not need a lot just bubbles. Bubbles lets you know the bacteria is growing. Now your first feeding. Discard a little more than half of your starter. (I use other jars to make starter to give away) Now add 3/4 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of warm water. I think warm water is key to keeping it warm and fuzzy.

The reason you ask. Well the bubbles = wild yeast and that help fight off the bad bacteria. The bubbles will eat the sugars and that in turn makes more bubbles (carbon dioxide) and alcohol. This makes more acidity. Remember new starter has a funky smell until it gets to that time when it smells mild, sweet and yeasty.

Making your sourdough starter will take 5 to 7 days. Every day you do need to feed it. This really varies so much. Once you start to make starter you will better understand this. A normally warm home will do to keep it going and live. The main things to watch for are bubbles and smell. If you do not see bubble's in 3 days or so. Starter over!

This is my starter I had to take it to my Mama's with me. Mama said it was like having a new born baby in the house. We use to laugh so hard about the "Starter Baby" 

We went shopping one day and ran back to the house to feed the baby starter. xoxo
I tired to tell you ..... But the end results are years of homemade sour dough bread.


 Here is a cup of my end result. A beautiful bread starter !

 Here is a website that is all about Sourdough the go to place   for any baker of sourdough breads.

  Now get me a stick of Butter!