I have tried many times to make a sourdough starter using books, blogs, websites etc and have never managed to make it work. The starter would smell off or split into sludge and a layer of liquid on top, and any bread I made out of it would never rise. I used to volunteer in Mary Arden's House (one of the Shakespeare properties) a few years ago, where we would brew ale and use the left over yeast for making bread. I have previously tried to use the yeast from our own home brew ale to make bread by mixing it into a paste with flour and water, leaving it to ferment for 24 hours and going on to mix it into bread dough from there. The result was a flat and hard loaf that did not taste nice at all.
I took a different approach this time in mixing the yeast dregs from the bottom of the bottle with 1/2 tbsp brown sugar and 2 tbsp high quality wholemeal bread flour from Wessex Mill* into a paste. The sugar helped kick start the fermentation process by providing food for the yeast that had been in the fridge for some time. Twenty four hours latter (Day 2) I added another 2 tbsp wholemeal flour and 3 tbsp warm water to the paste and mixed everything together. I repeated this process for 3 more subsequent days. By this time the mixture should have developed bubbles along the top and smell yeasty and sweet. If not, keep feeding the started for another day or two.
Day 1 Mix yeast at the bottom of a beer bottle with 1/2 tbsp brown sugar and 2 tbsp wholemeal flour.
Days 2, 3, 4 and 5- add 2 tbsp wholemeal flour and 3 tbsp warm water, mixing into a paste each time. The paste should form bubbles on the surface and smell slightly sweet and yeasty. There might be a layer of liquid formed at the top where the bubbles form. That's fine so long as it doesn't smell sour or off in any way. Your bread should still rise. There should be about 400- 500 ml starter at the end of the 5 days.
Considering that I have had a number of failed attempts in the past I was surprised that this starter worked. There is definitely something to be gained by using good quality flour, instead of the cheaper supermarket basics ones to make the starter work. When you do go ahead and make your own starter, ensure you use the same flour and measuring spoon to feed it each time to maintain consistency.
Once you have your starter at the end of the 5 days, go ahead and make a loaf as follows:
Ingredients:
115 g sourdough starter
500 g wholemeal bread flour
1 tsp salt
300 ml warm water
Method:
Mix the flour and salt together ensuring everything is incorporated well together. This is important as otherwise the salt with inhibit the yeast starter from rising. Add the sourdough starter and warm water and bring everything together into a dough. Turn out the dough into a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until you've formed a smooth, elastic dough. Place back into an oiled bowl cover with cling film and leave to rise for 24 hours.
The next day, turn the dough out on a semolina covered surface and knock the dough back down. Either cut the dough in two to make 2 small loaves or leave as one larger loaf. Place on a roasting tray and leave to rise for another hour.
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C. Just before you place the dough to bake, boil water and pour enough into a roasting tray to cover the base by an inch. Place this at the bottom shelf of your oven. Place the loaf of a shelf above this and bake for 50 minutes for the two smaller loaves or an hour for one big loaf. The water ensures the bread rises while cooking and helps develop a better texture.
The starter creates enough by the end of the 5 days to create a second recipe alongside the bread- Baked pancake! This is based on a combination of recipes, one by Nadiya Hussain and others for sourdough pancakes. This makes an ideal breakfast or dessert as you don't have to stand over a stove flipping pancakes.
Ingredients:
3 tbsp sourdough starter
215 g self rising flour
35 g wholemeal flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp brown sugar
170 g milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp jam, warmed up for a few seconds in microwave to soften
3 tbsp almond butter OR peanut butter
Mix all of the ingredients together apart from the jam and peanut butter. Pour in a baking tin and spread out evenly. Dot the softened jam all over. Do the same with the almond butter. Swirl around to create a marbled effect. Bake at 180 degrees C for 25-30 minutes. Cut into 6- 8 squares and dust with powdered sugar. Serve as is or with ice cream or dollop of yogurt.
*https://www.wessexmill.co.uk/acatalog/Wholemeal-Bread-Flour-1.5kg-X004S.html#SID=9
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