Everything You Need to Bake Sourdough Bread
AmericanMom Team |
At AmericanMom, we’re trying to start a revolution. Not a violent one, not a loud or demanding one. But a quiet one. A slow and steady, wait-for-it-to-rise revolution. The type that requires moms, dads, brothers, sisters, aunts, and uncles across America to pick up a bread lame instead of a sword. The kind that says “Wait and pray”. This revolution is a bread one, a home-focused effort to rebuild foundations that have been slowly chipped away since the Turn of the Century. In an act of defiance, we’re sharing with you everything you need to bake sourdough bread.
Why Sourdough Bread?
It may seem silly to claim that bread is good for you, but in sourdough’s case, it really is a bit of a health food. Sourdough is a fermented food which means it has gut-healthy probiotic bacteria that can be beneficial for digestion and overall gut health. This doesn’t make it a superfood, nor should bread be a dietary foundation, but it does make sourdough the best alternative to run-of-the-mill bread.
Sourdough also has a lower glycemic index (making it better for blood sugars), higher amounts of lactic acid (making it easier to digest), and fewer to no preservatives. At the end of the day, sourdough ticks all the boxes for a healthier bread option.
However, if you have celiac disease, sourdough is not for you! The basic ingredients–flour, salt, water–have not changed. If you have an intolerance for flour and wheat, then unfortunately sourdough is still not an option.
Everything You Need for Sourdough
Perhaps the three most basic ingredients you need are flour (an organic option or home-milled if possible), water (filtered is best), and a good quality sea salt. For your starter, you will only need the flour and water.
As far as equipment goes, you can certainly use items you already have at home. Mixing bowls, a kitchen scale, spatulas or wooden spoons, mason jars, and kitchen towels are all things you should gather together.
For the Sourdough Starter
We recommend using a jar with a secure lid. A mason jar works beautifully, but any recycled jar will also do the trick (pickle or olive jars are perfect!). You will also need a good, long stirring spoon or thin spatula. These help thoroughly mix the starter which can be thick and sludgy at first.
You will also need a kitchen scale. The best way to ensure your starter is strong and well-fed is to weigh out the starter, flour, and water in equal quantities. Baking is always a little easier when you weigh ingredients, so the scale will more than pay for itself as you bake and cook for your family.
For the Bread
Now the fun bit! Grab your apron, a good mixing bowl, bench scraper, Danish dough whisk, Dutch oven, and salt, and follow a recipe. Be patient and thorough–sourdough is a learning curve!
Any mixing bowl you have on hand will do, we like these pretty Mason Cash bowls. The key is to make sure the bowl is both big enough for a rising dough and able to fit in your fridge for overnight fermenting.
The Non-Essentials for Bread
The other items you might want to consider purchasing for your bread journey are not essential to the bread-making process itself, but are nice to have. The first is some beeswax wraps or bread bags. These will help keep your loaf fresh and protected. You will also probably want a bread lame (though a knife works, too).
Making Sourdough
The ingredients and tools for making sourdough are simple. Nothing too complicated or unusual. But the process itself can be a project to learn and perfect. We hope this list of basics will encourage you to pick up the flour and give sourdough a try.
Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram to see other bread posts and to join us in the Knead November challenge!
Read more AmericanMom articles to learn about sourdough starters and read about turning sourdough into a full-time gig!
