Millet: Naturally gluten-free, this flour has a sweet flavor similar to corn. When it is paired with other flours, a light and fluffy dough will result. You need to mix the water in gradually as millet will absorb water slowly.
Rice Flour: This flour is not used in any of the doughs in the book, but is required to dust the banneton basket before using to ensure your loaves don’t stick.
Rye: This grain flour can be found in different varieties: light, medium, dark, or whole-grain rye (also known as pumpernickel), depending on how much of the flour is milled away. It can make a sticky dough to work with but results in a rich, nutty flavor and dense crumb. It is also low in gluten, so it’s best baked in a pan to give the loaf structure or paired with another flour for lighter texture.
Spelt: This ancient grain flour will impart a mild flavor and light texture. It is ideal for replacing refined flours, resulting in a bread that is not heavy or dense.
Whole Wheat: This is the whole-grain flour most bakers think of when they think of baking with whole grains. It’s readily available in most grocery stores, making it ideal for the beginner sourdough baker. I also love using white whole wheat flour, a softer wheat variety, and whole wheat pastry flour, which has a lower protein content, ideal for use in the discard recipes.
To Grind or Not to Grind
You can mill your own flour at home using whole-grain kernels, known as wheat berries, in a home grain-milling machine. Although this process goes outside the scope of this book, many sourdough enthusiasts will assure you that this is the best way to make sourdough bread. As with anything, though, there are benefits and drawbacks. To mill your own flour at home will require extra equipment, time, and money. You will need to purchase wheat berries and a home mill, and invest more time in your breadmaking process. Using home-milled flour also has a learning curve to it. Freshly milled flour will not have the same characteristics or behave the same way as store-bought flours. However, grinding your own flour can unlock more flavor and more nutrients. Sometimes cheap whole wheat flour can be bitter because it’s been sitting on the grocery store shelf for a while. But this is why I love to use orange juice in my recipes to counteract the bitterness. Wheat berries will also keep longer than store-bought flour and be cheaper in the long run, depending on availability. And using freshly milled flour will also allow you to experiment with any grains you choose.
To get started, you may be able to source wheat berries in small amounts at your local grocery store. If you are ready to buy in bulk, there are plenty of online merchants to choose from. Or try sourcing your grains locally from small farms for a bread that will be unique to your area.
Whole-Grain Starter Prep
Beginning a sourdough starter does take a little bit of planning and patience in terms of time management and stocking your kitchen appropriately to track the progress of your starter. Listed here are the necessary kitchen utensils and other tools to grow your whole-grain sourdough starter.
Digital Kitchen Scale: Using a scale to measure your ingredients will ensure you have the proper amounts of each ingredient. While measuring ingredients by gram weight is definitely preferred, please note that this book also provides ingredient amounts in cups.
Glass Jar with Lid: This is ideal for storing your starter, as you will be able to see the growth through the jar daily. It also allows for proper ventilation. You want to use a jar that can hold at least 2 cups to hold your starter as it grows.
Notebook: You can purchase a sourdough logbook online, or simply keep track of your starter’s daily progress in a notebook.
Rubber Band: By placing this on the outside of your jar, you can easily measure the level of your starter.
Spatula/Spoon: You will need a small, sturdy silicone spatula to stir your starter with daily. If you don’t have a small spatula that fits inside your glass jar, you can also use a clean spoon.
Unchlorinated Water: Chlorine can kill the yeast as it tries to grow. Using water without chlorine, or filtered tap water, will ensure your starter doesn’t die. Distilled water is also not recommended as it has essential minerals removed.
Whole-Grain Flour: You can choose any whole-grain flour for your starter, as long as it’s unbleached. Bleached flour does not have as much natural yeast as unbleached flour.
A Practical Guide to Growing Whole-Grain Starters
Growing your whole-grain starter is a simple process of mixing together flour and water, covering the jar, and allowing the yeast and bacteria to form over the course of 6 days. Each day, you will discard part of the starter and feed it fresh flour and water to keep it happy and alive. During this process, a unique microbial population will begin to flourish that you will then be able to use to naturally leaven and impart the wonderful characteristics of sourdough into your breads. The time it takes for your sourdough starter to mature can vary, depending on a number of different conditions, such as the humidity and temperature in your kitchen. If you are having issues with your starter, be sure to read the troubleshooting section later in this chapter. It’s important that you keep your starter at room temperature until it’s mature and that you feed it at the same time every day. As long as you follow these steps and track the progress daily, you will have your very own sourdough starter to use within about a week. The starter covered here will be used throughout the recipes in part II of this book.
Day 1
1. In a clean glass jar, combine 60g (½ cup) whole wheat flour and 60g (¼ cup) cool unchlorinated water.
2. With a spatula or spoon, stir together the flour and water, until no dry flour remains.
3. Close the lid on the jar loosely and set it on a counter at room temperature. Let sit for 24 hours.
On day 1, your starter will look like a very thick paste. The texture may vary depending on which whole-grain flour you chose, but generally it will be very thick and sticky. You want to keep the lid on the jar to keep the moisture in and be sure it’s kept at room temperature (about 70°F).
Notes: ________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Day 2
1. Remove half of the starter (about 60g) and discard it.
2. Add 60g flour and 60g cool unchlorinated water to the starter. Stir to combine until no dry flour remains.
3. Cover the jar loosely and set aside for another 24 hours.
At this point, you most likely will not see much activity, or very few bubbles on the surface. Bubbles indicate fermentation, which is a good thing. If you don’t see any yet, don’t despair. The bubbles may have formed and disappeared overnight.
Notes: ________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Day 3
1. Remove all but 60g of the starter and discard it.
2. Add 60g flour and 60g cool unchlorinated water to the starter. Stir to combine until no dry flour remains.
3. Cover the jar loosely and set aside for 12 hours.
4. After 12 hours, repeat steps 1 through 3 to perform a second feeding.
Today you may start to see some activity—bubbles and a fruity aroma may be present. Starting today, you will be doing two feedings daily, spaced 12 hours apart. The mixture at this point will be a bit looser, like pancake batter.
Notes: ________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Day 4
1. Remove all but 60g of the starter and discard it.
2. Add 60
g flour and 60g cool unchlorinated water to the starter. Stir to combine until no dry flour remains.
3. Cover the jar loosely and set aside for 12 hours.
4. After 12 hours, repeat steps 1 through 3 to perform a second feeding.
At this point the yeast and bacteria will have begun to develop. Your starter should be rising between feedings, and bubbles should appear on the surface. Keep a rubber band around the outside of the jar at the height of the starter to measure the level the starter has risen throughout the day. When the starter falls, it’s time to feed again, about 12 hours apart.
Notes: ________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Day 5
1. Remove all but 60g of the starter and discard it.
2. Add 60g flour and 60g cool unchlorinated water to the starter. Stir to combine until no dry flour remains.
3. Cover the jar loosely and set aside for 12 hours.
4. After 12 hours, repeat steps 1 through 3 to perform a second feeding.
At this point your starter should have doubled in volume. You should notice lots of bubbles on the surface and throughout the starter. The starter should begin to have a tangy, slightly acidic aroma.
Notes: ____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Day 6
1. Remove all but 60g of the starter and discard it.
2. Add 60g flour and 60g cool unchlorinated water to the starter. Stir to combine until no dry flour remains.
3. Cover the jar loosely and set aside for 12 hours.
4. After 12 hours, repeat steps 1 through 3 to perform a second feeding.
At this point you should have a vigorous, bubbly starter ready to use. If your starter is ready, it should be very bubbly and doubling in size every 6 to 8 hours. The texture should be spongy, and the smell should be pleasantly acidic. If you don’t see results yet, continue twice-daily feedings until you do, for up to 2 weeks.
Notes: ____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Whole-Grain Starter Variations
The whole wheat starter in this book can be used to make an array of sourdough breads and baked goods (covered in the second half of this book). However, if you are curious about other whole-grain starters, you can easily substitute any whole grain for the whole wheat flour. Some whole-grain flours you might consider are spelt, rye, einkorn, emmer, or Kamut. The same formula applies (60g flour + 60g water), so be sure to use 60g of whatever flour you choose. Each flour will produce a different taste, so experiment to find out which flavor profile you like the best. Every whole grain will behave slightly differently and will have varying textures as you build your starter, but the essential characteristics of a bubbly, active starter remain the same.
Additionally, if you already have a mature sourdough starter that you have been using, you can create a levain by removing a small portion and then feeding it with your whole-grain flour of choice. In a few days, you will have a new whole-grain sourdough starter ready to incorporate into your next loaf. And if you’re feeling adventurous, don’t just stick to one whole-grain flour; try combining different flours for a unique starter that is all your own.
Troubleshooting
No matter how well prepared you might be to begin growing your starter, there’s a chance the process won’t go quite as expected. But that’s normal. Starters are unpredictable and each one is as unique as a snowflake. Here are some of the common issues you may encounter and how to fix them:
Starter Does Not Have Any Bubbles
If your starter is new, then it’s normal to not see bubbles. Many factors can determine how quickly you see bubbles and how many bubbles appear, such as the flour used, water temperature, and the environment the starter is grown in. However, if you saw bubbles the first few days, then they stopped forming, it may be a sign that you need to feed it again. Above all, be patient! It may take many feedings and lots of time for the starter to get fermenting.
Starter Is Not Expanding during Feedings
If you see bubbles, then all is well. If you’re in the first few days of growing your starter, you might not see much expansion between feedings. Starters love warm environments, so if your kitchen is cold, or you fed it cold water, this could affect the expansion. If your starter isn’t expanding as it should, it also means it’s not ready to be used in bread. You can try feeding it more frequently or swapping out some of your whole-grain flour for a white bread flour to boost growth.
Starter Rises, Then Falls
This is normal activity for your starter. This means the yeast has exhausted all of the “food” available to it, and it’s time to feed it again.
Starter Smells Weird/Gross
Every starter will have a unique smell to it. A healthy starter should have a fresh, fruity, slightly acidic smell. If your starter has a very strong odor or smells too vinegary, it may be a sign that it’s time to feed it.
Starter Has Developed a Gray Liquid on Top
This liquid, called hooch, is normal and perfectly harmless. Hooch is the alcohol that the yeast produces as it ferments. However, hooch is a sign that your starter needs to be fed. Just pour off the liquid and give your starter a feed.
Starter Has Mold on It
If you see mold, a pink or orange streak, unfortunately there is nothing else you can do but throw the starter out. Mold forming could be because unclean tools were used, feedings were too infrequent, or something got into your starter and contaminated it.
All about Discard
When you are growing and maintaining your sourdough starter, discard is an inevitable part of the process. To keep a healthy balance of yeast and bacteria in the starter, you need to remove some of the starter and replenish it with fresh flour and water for the yeast to feed on. You can either throw the discard away, use it in a recipe, or give it to a friend or family member.
If you choose to throw the discard away, do not put it down your kitchen drain. It will dry like cement and your pipes will not thank you. You can either compost the discard or simply put it in the trash.
If throwing it away feels wasteful, you can stir it into some of your favorite recipes. Sourdough discard is still essentially flour and water, so it’s ideal to use in quick bread recipes, such as muffins or banana bread. Try it in some of the discard recipes in chapter 6. You can use the discard right away or store it in a second sealed jar in the fridge for about 1 week or longer in the freezer.
You can also dry out the discard for future rehydration. Spread out a thin layer of discard onto parchment paper and let it dry out until it’s brittle. Once dry, you can break it into pieces and store it in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. When you are ready to rehydrate, simply combine 28g dehydrated discard with 57g of water and allow it to soften over a few hours. Then feed it with 28g flour and let it sit for 24 hours. After 24 hours, feed the starter again with 28g flour and 28g water, but without discarding any. Continue this feeding a few more times, spaced about 12 hours apart. After a few feedings without discarding, your starter is ready to resume a normal liquid starter schedule. It is great to keep dried discard on hand in case something goes wrong with your original starter—or you can gift it to someone.
Easy Starter Upkeep
Once your starter is alive, it’s imperative you keep it that way. After the first week, you have two options for storing your starter: in the fridge or
at room temperature. Your choice of storage will depend on how often you want to use it. If you plan to bake a few times a week, the starter is best stored at room temperature. Note, however, that storing at room temperature will require daily feedings.
If you plan to bake with your starter only once a week or a few times a month, then storing in the fridge is the better option. This is the easiest way to maintain a starter if you’re new to sourdough or just want to bake on the weekends. You will still want to feed the starter once a week with fresh flour and water to keep it happy and healthy, regardless of whether or not you plan to use it that week. When you plan to use your starter, you need to remove it from the fridge a couple days before and feed it twice daily to peak activity to leaven your breads properly.
And if you are baking only once in a while, you can keep a smaller portion of your sourdough active. Feeding and maintaining your starter in a small amount may be more manageable. For example, try keeping just 10g of starter, and feeding it twice its weight of both flour and water each week (20g flour + 20g water).
If feeding it once a week is too time-consuming, you can also freeze your starter for future use. This is a long-term storage plan that doesn’t require any feedings. You can freeze your starter in a freezer-safe jar or plastic bag. When ready to use, simply thaw it at room temperature. Once thawed, resume normal daily feedings and get it to peak activity before using it in a recipe.
Rosemary Rye Focaccia
2
Putting Your Whole-Grain Sourdough Starter to Good Use
Now that we have covered how to grow and maintain a sourdough starter, it’s time to put it to good use. This chapter covers everything you need to know to make dough from your whole-grain sourdough starter.
Stocking the Whole-Grain Sourdough Kitchen
To start baking with your whole-grain sourdough starter, there are a few things you will need to have in your kitchen. You likely have some of the tools and pantry staples on hand, but others may need to be purchased from a kitchen or grocery store.
Whole Grain Sourdough Made Simple: Easy Recipes for Artisan Loaves and Specialty Breads Page 2