I have just returned from a very relaxing trip to visit some family! Mini vacations are vital to the life of any full-time employee! A breathe of fresh air away from the daily grind is so refreshing!
And with my new found energy, I want to introduce you to a 5 day process of making your very own sour culture. This culture that we create will have the capabilities of producing quality products within two weeks. After that, it is up to you to take care of it and follow the simple steps I will layout for you.
I have been receiving a lot of question about sourdough cultures! We have received multiple requests for some of Wheatfield's sour culture, which the answer is, "Yes, it is possible to get some from us"! With that being said, it is a process to get some from us and it is only possible if we have extra that day and if you come at the right time. And for those aspiring bakers out there, it's not a bad option to get some culture from us (but it can feel like a cop-out)! So, before you come in and get some of our starter, give this a try! I am positive that making your own sour culture will be an amazing experience that you will not regret!
As I have said before this is a 5 day process and on the 5th day you just keep repeating that step to keep it going, but we will discuss that further on day 5!
Now, to start us of we need to get our M.E.P. (technical speak for Mise en Place - which means everything in place). This was a term I had drilled into me at school. Before you start any task, have everything set-up and in its proper place, clean and organized! Trust me -- you will be glad you did!
Day 1 MEP:
1. Scale
2. Flour ( I used All Purpose Unbleached, Unenriched)
3. Water (Tap Water is fine, bottled would be ideal)
4. Container with a lid (Preferably a plastic, resealable container)
The sour culture recipe is all in grams, so a scale would be great but not necessary. I will do my best to use cups as well, but just a disclaimer, it will not be as accurate with cups. If possible, I would suggest going out and buying a cheap scale at Wal-mart, or a store similar to it.
First, scale out 113 grams (1/2 cup) of water and pour it into the container you plan on storing it in. You want this water to be around 90 deg. If you do not have a thermometer just shoot for warm water to the touch. Nothing too hot, I would say stay closer to the cool side. Hot water can be detrimental to the yeast development throughout this whole process.
Second, scale out 113 grams of flour. If you are feeling daring you can scale the flour right on top of the water. I would suggest not doing that until you feel more confident working with a scale. You can just scale it into a separate bowl and then add it to your water.
The type of flour you use for making your sour culture is also important. Organic Bread Flour would be the best option but not the only one. I am using Unbleached, Unenriched All-purpose flour from our flour provider at Wheatfields, Heartland Mills. This is the same type of flour we use for the majority of the products we make. King Arthur Flour is a great option that should be available in most grocery stores. Whatever you choose, make sure there are no additives and it is unbleached.
Third, mix by hand until all the flour is incorporated and you have a homogenous mass of dough with no lumps of flour. This step of the recipe has a ratio of 1 to 1. Meaning there is 1 part of flour to 1 part of water. If you wanted to you could start a larger culture or a smaller one. Just make sure use the ratio! For example, I could do 200 gr of flour and 200 gr water. If you do attempt to make a larger or smaller culture this will throw off the rest of the numbers I give you throughout this process. Just a piece of advice, I would keep it simple, say doubling it or halving the recipe if you do want to change it! It is ultimately up to you! Now, MIX!
Once this is mixed, it will have a paste-like texture. If the mixture is very stiff and makes a mass that holds its shape, add water little by little until gets to the proper consistency. If it is too liquid and runs right off your fingers add flour little by little until it becomes pasty. You want it to fall off your fingers but still have a little but of structure to it.
Final Step, place the lid on your container and let it sit at room temperature. That's all folks! No magic tricks today just let it sit with the lid on until tomorrow! After I take my pictures tomorrow I will post the next step! There will not be as many pictures tomorrow so I will go into a little more detail about sour cultures and a few options we can try with the culture! I hope this will be helpful and fun for everyone reading!
Please post any questions you might have along this adventure! If I didn't describe something well enough, please let me know! This is here for you to learn! No question is too ridiculous! Trust me I did this for a yr and a half with students and we got some crazy questions!
Last important note -you want to do this at the same time everyday! This is crucial to the outcome and life of your culture! So, pick a time that will work for you everyday for the next week or two!
Have a wonderful afternoon and bake like you love it,
Josh
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