I'm sure we've all had foods that we didn't like for years and then all of a sudden we did. I can name a bunch of those foods, including sourdough bread. For years, I wouldn't eat the stuff; now I can't get enough of it.
A lot of people don't like to fool with making sourdough because of having to fuss over the starter. For those of you who don't know, the starter replaces the yeast which you would normally put in homemade bread. The starter consists of two parts flour and one part water placed in a container and left to ferment. If you're lucky, in a couple of days your starter will start to puff up and Eureka! You have a starter.
At this point, I should tell you that, if it takes on a green appearance and/or begins to smell rotten, the wrong yeast got to your flour/water mixture. You need to throw it out and start over. The starter with the right yeast will smell tart but not rotten. Most things you read on the internet tell you that you must feed your starter every week to keep it good. Phooey! I've had a starter in the fridge for three months, taken it out and fed it once, and used it.
Let's talk about how to feed your starter. If you started with 1 1/2 cups flour and 3/4 cups water, scoop out one cup of the starter and throw it away (or make waffles out of it!). Add one cup of flour, 1/2 cup of lukewarm water and stir thoroughly. Let it set, covered, on the kitchen counter for six to eight hours while it grows. Then put it in the fridge to be used when you are ready.
When you are ready to make bread, pull the starter out of the fridge, feed it as above, then wait for it to grow. When it doubles in size, its ready to go.
My favorite sourdough recipe is as follows. Mix three cups of flour, 1 1/2 to 1 5/8 cups lukewarm water, and one cup of starter in a mixing bowl for a couple of minutes. Cover the mixture and let it rise on your counter for about four hours. Don't forget to feed your starter and let it grow as well. After the four hour rise, put it in the fridge and let it sit there at least 12 hours (till the next day).
Pull the mixture out of the fridge and let it come up to room temperature. Add 2 more cups of flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 2 teaspoons salt and knead either by hand (yuck!) or with a mixer. After it is kneaded thoroughly, cover it and let it sit for two hours or until it has doubled in size.
Pull the dough out of the bowl (it will be a bit sticky but don't worry about that), gently divide it into two loaves and place each in a 5x9 pan. Let it rise again until it has really puffed up. Spray it with lukewarm water and place in an oven which has been preheated to 425°. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the crust turns a golden brown.
Some other notes: I always use bread flour. It is a bit higher in glutens than all purpose flour and makes a chewier bread. Also, if you have a baking thermometer with a probe use it and remove the bread from the oven when it is 190-195° inside. Yum, I can smell it already!
