sourdough

I'm keen as to start making sourdough, i've found out that it's much better for you than standard bread because it is acidic rather than alkaline, so this makes it alot easier to digest. The sugars are also broken down alot slower so you don't get a rapid rise in blood sugars after eating it.

here's the recipe for the "starter", see below for the sourdough recipe.



Grape sourdough starter

• 1 bunch organic grapes
• 2 cups white bread flour
• 2 cups water

1. Crush the grapes slightly, and measure out about 2 cups into a glass bowl. Add the flour and water.

2. Mix with a wooden spoon until the batter has become thick and gooey

3. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let it sit at room temperature overnight

4. The next day, check the starter for bubbles of gas coming to the surface, a sure sign of fermentation. Be patient: This can take as long as 5 days in some environments

5. Once the starter has begun to ferment, strain out the grapes and “feed” the starter with a bit of flour and water

6. You can use the starter right away, or you can let it sit for another few days. The longer you let the starter ferment, the stronger the flavor of your bread will be; after about 4 days, chances are it will be too sour to eat.

7. If you aren’t ready to make bread right away, or if you’ve made enough starter for several loaves, you can freeze your starter and save it for later. Simply divide it into 1-cup portions, wrap each one in 2 layers of plastic, and put them in the freezer.

8. To bring the starter back to life, let it sit in a glass bowl overnight at room temperature. When the yeasts “wake up,” the fermentation process will start again.



Sourdough recipe

For the starter:
• 1 piece of starter the size of a tangerine (kept out at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours or in the refrigerator for a few days)
• 2 cups warm water
• 2 cups organic, unbleached white or all-purpose flour For the dough:
• 2 1/2 cups organic, unbleached white or all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 cup starter from the previous step
• 3/4 cup cool water
• Cooking oil (to grease the bowl)

1. Break up the starter, dilute it in the water, and mix in the flour. Cover this mixture loosely and set it aside in a warm spot for 18–24 hours or until it is quite bubbly.

2. Mix the flour and salt together in a food processor fitted with the plastic dough blade. Pour the starter in and pulse the machine several times to mix the ingredients. Then, with the machine running, slowly add the water and continue mixing for a few minutes (If you don’t have a food processor, simply mix the dough in a bowl for about 5 minutes, until it forms a ball.

3. Remove the mixture from the bowl and place it on a well-floured work table and round it into a ball.

4. Let the dough rise in a well-oiled bowl, covered, in the refrigerator for 12–15 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and allow it to warm up at room temperature for 2 hours.

5. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, and stretch them into tight baguette shapes. Place each one on a baguette tray or a parchment-lined baking tray.

6. Cover the baguettes and let them rise for 6–7 hours, until they have doubled in size.

7. Preheat the oven to 220°c.

8. Using a sharp razor blade, slash the tops of the loaves diagonally 3 or 4 times (this will allow them to expand more easily while baking) and spray them with a fine mist of water from a spray bottle.

9. Place the loaves in the oven and immediately spray them, along with the walls and floor of the oven, with water. Repeat this step after about 5 minutes of baking.

10. Bake the loaves 25–30 minutes, until they are entirely golden and the crust is crisp and blistered.