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'?"
sourdough-award

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

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.

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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:

chefkeem, at 12am on October 8, 2008 predicts:

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

Reader predictions:

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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.

ebay-grandma, at 1pm on October 10, 2008 predicts:

I'll start some before the week is out - but 4 loaves a day?

 
 
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Sourdough Bread Pictures On Flickr 

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Sourdough starter - Mixing in flour and water by grongar

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finished by zordroyd

finished

Bread bubble by zordroyd

Bread bubble

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How To Knead A Bread Dough 

Kneading bread

Making sourdough bread.

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: $23.10 (as of 12/02/2009)Buy Now
List Price: $35.00
Used Price: $21.49

Release Date: 12/31/1969

Avg. Customer Rating: Amazon Rating

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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

Let's make sourdough bread! Check my website, foodwishes.com, for the full story, recipe ingredients and more details. Please leave your comments there. Enjoy!

curated content from YouTube

Bread Baking Offers On EBay 

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  • Reply
    Greekgeek Greekgeek Nov 13, 2009 @ 5:09 pm
    Hey, Chef! I just read your lens to make sure I was doing it right -- I made some last night, and I'm eating it right now!
    Great lens!

    P.S. My sourdough isn't very sour, though. My family abuses its starter horribly. Dad brought some back on a trip in 1976, and Mom's kept it going ever since... BUT... 1) she adds new yeast and sugar from time to time 2) she keeps it in the fridge, brings it out the week before Thanskgiving and Christmas, tends it for a few days before and after she uses it, then banishes it to the fridge again!

    I brought some back with me last Christmas. I'm used to the very wimpy flavor, but I realize "real" sourdough is more sour than our family's version of it. I'm wondering if I keep it out and feed it more often if I'll get a better flavor.

    Hopefully I won't forget to feed it and kill it. I'm such a flake!

    P.S. Lensrolling this to my own very modest baking lens, where I've got photos of last night's rare foray into cookery from the "Thai and Chinese takeout" side of the internet.
  • Reply
    MiaBellezza MiaBellezza Sep 9, 2009 @ 11:48 am
    I've never made sourdough bread, but always wanted to. I'm going to use your recipe instructions Chef 5*!
  • Reply
    stargazer00 stargazer00 Feb 9, 2009 @ 6:10 pm
    Welcome to the Hungry Squidz Choice Group. Please stop by the group and grab your blue ribbon for your lens!
  • Reply
    stargazer00 stargazer00 Feb 9, 2009 @ 4:46 pm
    Never had much success baking bread but I'd love to learn to make sourdough. I'd love for you submit this recipe to my Hungry Squidz Choice Group.
  • Reply
    mulberry mulberry Feb 9, 2009 @ 12:32 pm
    Sounds wonderful. I'm not a very astute baker. I buy the mixes and use a bread maker. This certainly sounds and looks like it's worth the extra effort. Great lens!
  • Reply
    mulberry mulberry Feb 9, 2009 @ 12:32 pm
    Sounds wonderful. I'm not a very astute baker. I buy the mixes and use a bread maker. This certainly sounds and looks like it's worth the extra effort. Great lens!
  • Reply
    Pastiche Pastiche Dec 31, 2008 @ 8:14 am
    I used to make my own sourdough bread for years, and I've been yearning to begin again. Voila! Here's my inspiration from the Chef himself. Another wonderful lens, and I would give you 50 stars if I could. Now to get the batch of starter going ... mmmmmm. Thanks for the memories and the recipes.
  • Reply
    hunnydoodle hunnydoodle Dec 30, 2008 @ 7:09 am
    You KNOW sourdough bread is my passion! I just don't get mine as good as yours, Hunny! I'll dad-gum sure eat that stuff, though. Fantastic lens and I know the pictures are good-I watched you every step of the way in Alaska! You ARE The best, my sweetie!
  • Reply
    michelledurakis michelledurakis Dec 2, 2008 @ 12:59 am
    I trully love sourdough bread.It is my favorite. All the yummy looking pictures make me wish
    i had a nice warm piece of sour dough bread fresh out of the oven.
  • Reply
    JaguarJulie JaguarJulie Nov 7, 2008 @ 5:09 pm
    OMG, I have just drooled all down the front of myself as I advanced through your lens and saw all those delectable prep pictures until I got to that final masterpiece. Can you use that 'dough' to make dumplings or mini-dumplings? Just curious. Yummy lens as one as grown to expect from Master ChefKeem. ;) xoxoxo
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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 an... (more)

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