Sourdough Bread, take 1. Aaaaaaaaaaction!!!!

You do have to read the title in a movie producer tone of voice.

Today I finally gave sourdough bread a shot.  From scratch.  COMPLETELY from scratch.  In fact, a lot scratchier than  I initially intended!

I wanted to try a recipe for a kefir sourdough bread.  It's easier for your body to digest... and mostly I really like sourdough and I love my kefir.  It's my pet that does tricks! :P  This recipe is somewhat unique because instead of a culture you feed and tend to regularly you make the starter each time.  Basically I used some of my kefir (the cultured milk, not the actual grains) and mixed it with flour to dough consistency and let it rise overnight.  Then today I dumped that lump into the kitchenaid and added the other basic ingredients -- more flour (more on that later), salt, honey, olive oil... the usual.  This recipe also called for some yeast which I was hoping to avoid (bakers yeast can do a real number on some people so I was hoping to avoid as long as I was making sourdough -- more on that later too).  Mix the dough and allow it to double.  The rising process takes a lot longer this way, but the longer rise time is what makes it so much easier on your belly to digest the stuff.  So patience is a virtue, and all that.  The amount of yeast in this recipe (made 3 loaves) was equal to the amount that is called for in 1 standard loaf of bread, so the starter had to have time to work its magic too.  After the dough doubles, divide into thirds, shape, put in pans, let rise and bake.  Not too much different from standard, except that it takes longer for the rising.

This afternoon I went to mix the dough and discovered that I am completely out of flour.  COMPLETELY out of flour!  Yikes!!!  Thank heavens I have my wheat grinder!  Instead of doing about 2/3 wheat or spelt and 1/3 white I had to do all wheat flour.  I wasn't planning to start by grinding my own wheat!  But I do love my grinder and it worked out great.  Since I was using all freshly ground whole wheat flour I did have to increase the water in the recipe by at least double.  Otherwise it was all crumbs instead of a knead-able dough.  Seems to have worked fine.

In reading other recipes I think I can skip the yeast next time.  It looks like if I use more starter and allow a lot longer for the rise time I can skip the yeast.  I don't mind having a stronger sourdough flavor so I'm planning to give that a shot next time.  I just may have to set alarms on my phone so I don't forget to move the bread along!

These 3 loaves of bread came out a little bit flat.  They taste great, but they're probably more compact that they were intended to be.  I think part of this is due to the wheat flour vs. bread flour.  Also I kept forgetting that I was making bread so I probably didn't let it rise properly (either too long or not long enough).  It's a bit dense, but not unpleasantly so.  It smells divine and tastes so good I can't believe I"m eating wheat bread and LIKING it!!!