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How To Make Sourdough Bread

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I Make Sourdough Bread Every Day At My Alaska Lodge

With my Alaska lodge recipe, it's easy to make a great loaf of fresh sourdough bread. I'll give you richly-illustrated step-by-step instructions of my proven method, which allows for many variations on a tasty loaf. White, whole wheat, rye, focaccia, pizza, dinner rolls - all made with your own sourdough starter. Homemade sourdough bread is nourishing, aromatic, and simply the best!

"Did you know that long-time residents of Alaska are called 'sourdoughs'?"

Make A Sourdough Starter

Or bring some back from your Alaska or San Francisco trip...

There's wild yeast in the air, and real good ones live in the SF and AK areas. But you can make your starter wherever you live, even buy a dry mix at your grocery store.

When I begin my seasonal job as the chef at the Driftwood Lodge, in SE Alaska, I make my own starter the moment I step off the plane. Within 3 days, or so, my "mother" is ready for use in bread baking.

Here's what I recommend:

Use a large, clean, glass or plastic container for storage, wooden or plastic utensils for stirring. Don't let any metal ever touch your starter - it will spoil it!

Stir 1 packet of active dry yeast and 2 teaspoons of sugar into 2 cups of warm water (105-115 degrees). Combine this with 2 cups of flour; don't worry too much about lumps - they take care of themselves overnight.

Pour this mix into your storage container and make sure you have room to spare. Your "mother" will grow to about 3 times its original volume. Cover the container but leave a little opening for breathing.

Store in a warm place, at 70-80 degrees. (At 100 degrees, your yeast will die.) I make bread on the following day already, but your starter will improve with age. Add a little flour and water every day, until you start removing larger amounts for bread baking. Then, replace that amount with flour and water again.

Here is my sourdough starter, on top of the stand-up freezer in my Alaska lodge kitchen. It's alive!

sourdough-starter

sourdough-starter

How To Make The Dough For Your Sourdough Bread, Part 1

Guidelines you can customize to your own taste...

This recipe is for 4 loaves, as seen in my pictures. Scale it according to your needs.

Place approximately 3 cups of warm water (between 105 and 115 degrees) into a large mixing bowl (glass, ceramic, or metal - whatever you have). Add 2 tablespoons of active dry yeast and stir. Let it sit for a few minutes, until you see bubbles forming.

make bread dough

Now add about 4 cups of your sourdough starter and combine. Before you forget it, feed "mother" again with equal amounts of flour and water stirred together.

sourdough
Important!

While This Brew Bubbles...

...let's think about what kind of bread we want to make.
(You don't really have to take a production break here - I just want to discuss a few things.)
Are we going to make a simple white loaf, a more rustic version, a flavorful vehicle for muffaletta sandwiches, or what's on your mind?
The next step allows for variety and creativity...

Some Of My Favorite Sourdough Bread Additions!

High gluten flour, chopped roasted garlic, olive oil, fresh herbs (rosemary, oregano, thyme), crispy bacon pieces, shredded cheddar cheese or parmesan, browned onion bits, caraway seeds, golden flax seeds, molasses, maple syrup...

How To Make The Dough For Your Sourdough Bread, Part 2

Let's rise to the occasion... ;-)

Start with about 4 cups of flour, 4 tablespoons of high-gluten flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of salt. The high-gluten flour really helps with the texture and taste of our bread. Stir this together with a spatula until well-combined. Now you can add any optional ingredients like cheese, herbs, garlic, olive oil (2-3 tablespoons, or so)...you can also add more ingredients later on, when we knead the dough.

Your experience will tell you if you want to add more flour at this point - we'll knead more into the dough after it has risen, anyway. For now, we have a nice pre-dough ready for proofing. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place.

sourdough ingredients

sourdough

The dough has risen!

sourdough risen

High-Gluten Flour

Get better results with it!

Unbleached High Gluten Flour, 1 lb.

Unbleached High Gluten Flour, 1 lb.

Amazon Price: $2.00 (as of 02/17/2012)Buy Now
List Price:
Used Price:

Release Date: 12/31/1969

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A Few Links About Sourdough Tips

Sourdough starter
Detailed info on how to make a starter, and more...
Sourdough baking
The basics on sourdough...
Bread making
Bread making videos and sourdough info...

How To Make Up And Bake Our Sourdough Bread

Your kitchen will fill with a wonderful aroma...

Dump the dough on a floured board and add another cup of flour on top. With floured hands, knead the dough for about 10-15 minutes, until it doesn't stick to your hands anymore. During this process, add flour as needed to work out the moisture and stickiness. In the end, it should be a pleasure to knead the dough without having to scrape sticky bits from your hands. By all means - hum a tune or cuss out your enemies while you're kneading. It's therapeutic!

bread dough

bread dough

A perfect bread dough - as smooth as a Squid Angel's butt!

bread dough

Divide your dough in 4 equal pieces...

bread dough

...and shape these into loaves.

make sourdough bread

Let the made-up loaves rise for about 30 minutes, then bake them in a 375 degrees oven until they're golden brown, about 30-45 minutes.

make sourdough bread

make sourdough bread

make sourdough bread

make sourdough bread

There's Nothing Better Than The Aroma Of Baking Bread!

And it's so easy to do...

Look, it's fun to eat your mistakes, in this case. Make a few loaves and you'll get a feeling for the process. Once you have the basics down, you can really start to experiment with different ingredients. Bread making is a forgiving task - you'll always end up with something good and hot, with a little butter on top!

My prediction

I'll bet you'll be making sourdough bread in no time flat!

Reader predictions:

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Deadicated, at 1pm on January 6, 2012 predicts:

I predict I'll start my sourdough starter today.

RobinDM, at 5pm on November 24, 2011 predicts:

that I will continue working with sourdough as I have for the past few years! I really enjoyed your lens. Thanks for sharing!

Rewards4life, at 3am on February 21, 2011 predicts:

the craving to make sourdough bread has been with me for years, maybe this is what I needed to finally get it done.

clouda9, at 12am on November 14, 2010 predicts:

Actually on one of my to-do lists of things I have not tried before...so yep, I'll give your recipe a shot!

yaffacat, at 8pm on July 23, 2009 predicts:

Yummm! I will try to make it next week when nobody will be home with their comments, he he

Pastiche, at 8am on December 31, 2008 predicts:

Ah, just waiting for the new starter to do its thing then I'll be baking loaves for everyone. YUM!

hunnydoodle, at 7am on December 30, 2008 predicts:

I will be old and fat from eating your bread!

ElizabethJeanAllen, at 2pm on November 4, 2008 predicts:

You're right! I haven't made sourdough bread in years. tis the season to bring back traditions.

awelldressedbullet, at 11am on October 27, 2008 predicts:

Hey, you read my mind! LOL

papawu, at 12am on October 18, 2008 predicts:

As soon as I get the chance. My work has me on the road year-round and I live out of hotels, but AS SOON as I get the chance.

 
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Sourdough Bread Pictures On Flickr

Bread by Marcus Povey
Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread by cheeseslave
Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread by cheeseslave
Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread by cheeseslave
Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread by cheeseslave
Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread by cheeseslave
Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread by cheeseslave
Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread by cheeseslave
41/365+1 Sourdough by DaveCrosby
Sourdough first attempt by Dimitri Hon
Sprouted Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread by cheeseslave
Sprouted Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread by cheeseslave
automatically generated by Flickr

How To Knead A Bread Dough

Kneading bread
by compostmaven | video info

1 rating | 556 views
curated content from YouTube

The Bread Bible

My favorite pastry chef and baker...

You might have heard of her bestsellers "The Cake Bible" and "The Pie and Pastry Bible" - here's Rose's quintessential bread baking guide. Go get it. It's good!
The Bread Bible

The Bread Bible

by: Rose Levy Beranbaum

Amazon Price: $21.28 (as of 02/17/2012)Buy Now
List Price: $35.00
Used Price: $12.21

Release Date: 12/31/1969

Usually ships in 24 hours

Sourdough And You

What's your experience with sourdough?

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How To Make A Sourdough Starter

In the beginning...

Here's the first of a series of demonstrations on working with sourdough. If this interests you, check out the following episodes on YouTube.
Follow the Sourdough - Day 1
by foodwishes | video info

230 ratings | 113,991 views
curated content from YouTube

Bread Baking Offers On EBay

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Some Of My Favorite Bread Lenses...

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A Few Of My Own Lenses For Your Viewing Pleasure...

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Don't Be A Dough Pincher...

Good karma grows like a sourdough!

A Day of Hope is a program of the CSU, Stanislaus Foundation that delivers baskets of food and turkeys to needy families in Stanislaus County for Thanksgiving.

Is It A-Bubblin'? Thank You For Visiting!

Please rate this lens on top of this page. Thanks. :)

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chefkeem

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  • Reply
    Crichtonslover Sep 21, 2011 @ 11:57 pm | delete
    "Don't let any metal ever touch your starter - it will spoil it!" This must be the reason my sourdough failed! I used my bread maker to mix and rise it. np, I know how to kneed my own bread. ;)
  • Reply
    davapava Jun 5, 2011 @ 2:06 pm | delete
    I just started with my starter. I'm not going to use any yeast other than in the starter. This is fun :)
  • Reply
    simplegirl Mar 6, 2011 @ 11:51 am | delete
    exactly what I'm looking for at exactly this moment. I have some wild yeast starter I've been feeding for a month now trying to figure out a formula to produce some loaves. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!
  • Reply
    Rewards4life Feb 21, 2011 @ 3:26 am | delete
    What a great lens, I love sourdough bread but must admit I have never had the pleasure of making it, (I have made many other breads). Marta is Polish and has grown up on sourdough bread so we always have some in the house. I love traditional breads and abandoned supermarkets and their tasteless bread a long time ago, instead I either buy from local bakers or bake my own. I made a beautiful sun-dried tomato and basil focaccia yesterday, and will be giving your recipe a try at the weekend. Beautiful page.
  • Reply
    FoxMusic Feb 14, 2011 @ 1:46 pm | delete
    Thanks for this Fantastic Recipe Lens on Sourdough Bread
  • Reply
    jason h Jan 24, 2011 @ 9:41 pm | delete
    Sour dough starter with purchased yeasts?
    You say don't ever let metal touch your starter but then your pictures show you use a metal mixing bowl?
    Oof...
  • Reply
    chefkeem Jan 25, 2011 @ 12:11 am | delete
    Hello Jason,
    the packaged yeast supports a quicker development of the starter.
    The "no-metal rule" refers to the starter alone. Once it is mixed with the rest of the ingredients, it gets baked within a short time and it won't have a chance to oxidize anymore.
    Best,
    Keem :)
  • Reply
    Sylvestermouse Jan 11, 2011 @ 7:42 am | delete
    Our family loves sour dough bread. I had a fabulous starter that served me well for years. It had to be thrown out when we moved sadly. I have never been able to duplicate that starter. None others have been as good. You're right though, the bread/starter does tend to come alive :)
  • Reply
    javrsmith Dec 6, 2010 @ 3:57 pm | delete
    I'm happy to be able to return to bless your lens.
  • Reply
    clouda9 Nov 14, 2010 @ 12:34 am | delete
    A truly inspiring and nom nom lens Dear Chef....thank you!
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chefkeem

Hi, I am Chef Keem, sentenced to Squidoo-for-life. Born and raised in Munich, Germany. First career in pop music as A&R Director, record arranger and... more »

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