More and more French people are becoming apprentice bakers and making their own bread. Moreover, we had given you all the secrets of Grandmother to succeed. Indeed, this economical solution makes it possible to make bread adapted to our needs and with the ingredients that we want. In addition, the survey of 60 million consumers pinpointed a certain number of breads purchased (even artisanal) for their high salt content, various additives, pesticides, endocrine disruptors, etc. And more simply what happiness and pride to make good homemade bread! But you can’t do it without a good sourdough…
The latter can be added to all recipes that contain yeast: pizzas, focaccia… And homemade, it only has advantages! Here’s why and how to do it.
The benefits of homemade sourdough
First of all, it will allow you to make delicious bread that keeps much better. Indeed, a bread made with simple yeast will keep for a day or two. Here, the bread will keep for up to a week! Thus, you can prepare it on the weekend to make your reserve and be quiet the days that follow. It is also a matter of taste, because you can vary the flours, but also the recipes where it is used and the methods of preparation/cooking. So we never get tired of using it. And in addition, the longer you keep it, the more its taste evolves. After a month it has its final taste and that adds another interesting variation.
A note on the ingredients: water and flour
Advantage not mentioned earlier, homemade sourdough only requires two ingredients. Nevertheless, we advise you to choose them carefully. If you choose GMO flour of poor quality, it is the same as buying bread stuffed with questionable substances… So, prefer organic flour. And if rye ferments better, know that all types will do! The T65 will also remain a safe bet thanks to its neutral taste. In any case, nothing prevents you from varying and experimenting.
As for the water, we will prefer it with little chlorine. If in doubt, let the water sit for two or three hours in a carafe. This will allow the chlorine to evaporate.
Make way for the preparation of homemade sourdough!
Making sourdough or rather “bringing it to life” as we can say because of its living character is not complicated! On the other hand, it requires a little “requirement” in the follow-up of the stages until it goes up and to revive it every 15 days.
1) First, mix your two ingredients in equal amounts in a jar. For starters, 25g of each will be more than enough.
2) Then cover everything and leave for 12 hours in a corner between 25°C and 30°C (towards a radiator or against a window bathed in sunlight for example).
3) Add water and flour with the same quantities as at the beginning: 25 g of water and 25 g of flour. Wait another 12 o’clock.
4) Then, refresh the sourdough by removing half of the preparation. Then replace this removed half with fresh water and flour (always 25g of each to feed the sourdough).
5) Keep going until it rises and bubbles. Indeed, these signs indicate that your “levain-chef” is ready! Like kefir, you can reactivate it at will every 15 days. If you let it perish, it will become unusable.
How to use your homemade sourdough?
It is kept for two weeks in the fridge in an unsealed jar. Here, a simple cloth or cover will suffice. Moreover, it is used like a classic yeast that is added just before kneading
