Sourdough

With all the rain we've been having I started sourdough for baking bread. In the picture above the rye flour is beginning to bubble meaning I've captured wild yeast. I started with 2 cups of rye flour and 2 cups of water to begin the process. Each day for a week I added 1 cup more of flour and water until the yeast had established itself and I had 3 quarts of starter.

This is the starter after 7 days, the yeast is bubbling and it smells kind of yeasty and fruity. If mold had formed it means it spoiled and no yeast was captured. With this sourdough starter I was able to make 4 loaves of sourdough bread using no commercial yeast.

As you can see, 4 loaves of delicious sourdough bread using a rye sourdough starter, whole wheat flour a little sea salt and whey from some earlier cheese for a liquid. This was easier than I thought and the bread rose quite nicely. It does take a longer time than conventional yeast to rise but the results are worth it.