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How to Make Sourdough Bread

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Sourdough Bread
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The year before last I made a resolution that I would make sourdough bread.  Then last January I made a resolution to make sourdough bread before 2015.  Success!

The wonderful Celia from figjamandlimecordial.com heard I was struggling with failed starters and offered to send me some of her Priscilla starter.  The first thing I did was rename it Esmerelda Pissemeyer.

I’ve shared with you before that when my kids were little and yelled MOM!! all day long for me to get a drink of water or come and watch me act silly while I was doing chores, I would change my name to Esmerelda Pissemeyer. If they didn’t call me that, I didn’t answer. The kids weren’t little and I was a single working mother and every minute mattered.

sourdough first rise

When I received Esmerelda I put it on the kitchen counter and waited for a day when I didn’t have to be gone for part of the day.  It took until Friday morning and I followed Celia’s directions to a T and put the water and flour and sourdough starter in a small bowl.  Four hours later, another feed and another bigger feed before bed.  The directions said  I might be lucky to have the starter ready in the morning but it could take another day, so I wasn’t expecting much.

Well, first thing I went to the kitchen and it was all bubbly.  I fed it again and started my day.  A few hours later and it was REALLY bubbly and I decided it was time to give ‘er a go.

Beginner's sourdough bread

It was so easy to make this bread.  Celia should be a teacher because this bread would make anyone happy.  If you’re considering making a resolution to make sourdough bread, visit Celia’s Sourdough Bread Tutorial. You can’t go wrong if you follow her simple instructions. It’s a perfect loaf for sandwiches we decided.

I’m going to try something else tomorrow.  I told Celia I knew no fear and that’s true.  If I fail, well, I’ll start over.  She urged me to save some starter in the fridge in the off-chance that I fail.  No faith, I tell ya!  I was so pleased with my first sourdough loaf, I submitted it to the YeastSpotting page.


5.0 from 10 reviews
My First Sourdough Bread
 
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This is the easiest bread I've ever made and it has a delightful mild sourdough tang.
Author:
Recipe type: Bread
Cuisine: Traditional
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 150g bouncy, ripe starter
  • 250g filtered water
  • 25g olive oil
  • 500g bakers’ flour
  • 10g fine sea salt
Instructions
  1. Add the ingredients to a bowl and squish them between your fingers until there are no dry bits. Scrape your fingers, cover the bowl and leave for 30 minutes to get acquainted.
  2. Scrape the dough onto a lightly oiled bench and knead for a minute or so until the dough is smooth.
  3. Place in an oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise for several hours until doubled in size.
  4. Once doubled in size, again scrape onto a lightly oiled bench and that should deflate the dough.
  5. Shape into a round ball by folding the edges into the middle. See video
  6. Place a piece of baking paper on a baking tray and place the ball of dough on the paper. Spray a piece of cling film with oil and snugly cover the ball of dough to prevent the dough getting a tough skin.
  7. Leave to rise to nearly double.
  8. Preheat oven to maximum when the dough has risen to nearly double in size.
  9. When oven is hot, remove the cling film and slash the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Just go crazy, slash, slash, slash. It will give your bread personality.
  10. Spray the bread with a little water and place the bread in the oven. Immediately drop the temperature to 220C with fan and bake for 20 minutes.
  11. Reduce the oven temperature to 175C and bake for a further 20-30 minutes or until the bottom of the loaf sounds like a drum when you thump it. Mine took exactly 20 minutes.
  12. The crust will be quite dark brown. If you have any question about doneness, put it back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Don't cut until fully cool (as if)
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Comments

  3. Love this Maureen! I’ve always wanted to bake my own sourdough. Even did a sourdough making class at Brassiere Bread… I think now the weather is warming up it’s perfect timing to start making bread 🙂

    Reply

  6. Ahhh your bread looks perfect, Maureen!! 😀

    I love making my own bread. I can’t wait to bake some loaves for the holiday. Speaking of which, I wish you and Charlie and your beautiful family a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday just in case I don’t make it back here before then! It’s going to a crazy week…Thanksgiving just happens to fall on my brother’s birthday.

    Kisses to you all,
    Tammy<3

    Reply

  11. Your story about your kids yelling made me laugh, Maureen… and I love the name you chose for yourself and the starter. Now I need you and Celia to teach me, please, as I’ve had a packet of starter in my fridge for some time but I’ve felt too afraid to try it!

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  12. As I said my darling friend, you are a STAR! Well done you! Can’t wait to hear how the hamburger buns go! Thanks for all the lovely linkies! xxx

    Reply

  13. I love homemade bread! And we make all of our own bread these days. Haven’t done sourdough yet, though — something we really should. Haven’t been that motivated, I guess, because our usual bread is so good (and easy). Anyway, terrific stuff — thanks.

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  24. Just when I think it’s not possible for me to like you any more than I already do, you go and tell me that you named yourself Esmerelda Pissemeyer. 🙂 You totally made my day with that, Maureen. 🙂 I need to try sourdough again too. I had a lovely starter going and set it out in the granny flat where I faithfully checked on it for 2-3 days and then completely, utterly, totally forgot it was there until it turned into a giant black mold ball. 🙂

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  30. How cool is that? I’ve not had much luck with a sour dough starter, but then again I haven’t had Celia’s! Love the yeast spotting page, may indeed submit some of my own!

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  33. This is one heck of an awesome load of sourdough, Maureen or should I call you by your alias “Esmerelda Pissemeyer”! :)Congrats on keeping your resolution!

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  35. Boy oh boy, you really got this one right on! It’s just beautiful Maureen. I’ve tried many times to make a starter but no luck. I like the name you chose too, it must bring back some lovely memories.

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  40. Now that is what I call a bread! Crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside! Looks delicious. I have also had trouble with starters so glad Celia has gotten you sorted. Have a super week. BAM

    Reply

  43. Oh Maureen, I can so relate to the endless “Mom” calls when my kids were younger! ….wait, they still do that! I swore I was going to change my name!

    I’ve never failed with a starter, due to simply the fear of failing so I just didn’t try! This bread looks so awesome, perfectly made, I really need to add this to my new year’s resolution too!

    Reply

  45. What a gorgeous loaf of bread Maureen! Perfect shape and crumb. I’m sure it taste as good as it looks! A friend gave some starter a couple of years and ago and I was able to keep it going for a year, then just petered out. But when it was still active, the breads were delicious. Wish I still had some to make this one.

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  46. That is the most gorgeous loaf of bread I have ever seen. Hubby is the bread guy in this house and he would love to make a sourdough. We need to find our own Esmeralda!!

    Reply

  49. oh how I love sourdough. I have said I would make a sourdough starter for two years now. I really need to just make the gorgeous bread. Your sourdough looks amazing! Hugs, Terra

    Reply

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