Sourdough Bread — The Flour Girl (2024)

FAQs

What's the rave about sourdough bread? ›

Once you try it, you'll probably get addicted (hence those bread rollin' Insta feeds!) It could also be that unique, tangy sourdough taste and extra chewiness that makes it so popular – you just can't get that in a loaf straight off the supermarket shelf.

Sourdough is made from lactic acid fermentation in a mixture of flour and water. It is commonly used for sourdough bread which has a unique flavor and crumb texture. The acidity of the dough is reduced due to the lactic acid and acetic acid produced during the fermentation.

What Happens If You Feed a Sourdough Starter Too Much Flour? If you add more flour than water into your sourdough starter jar, it will be a very stiff starter. This is not always a bad thing, and sometimes extra flour is necessary to rectify a runny starter or make the starter peak at a later time.

The secret to sourdough is simple: water. The more water you add to your dough will affect how open the crumb (bigger holes and softer texture) will be once it's baked.

In short, yes. Sourdough starter is kosher. Teeming with yeast, however, it is is not kosher for Passover. For Jews reluctant to toss their starters, there is a workaround.

The Bottom Line. Sourdough has made a comeback—and for good reason. It provides nutrients, including healthy carbs, protein, fiber, iron and vitamins like folic acid. It may help improve digestion, lower chronic disease risk and even promote healthy aging.

Substituting all purpose flour in a sourdough recipe that specifically calls for bread flour is not always an even swap. You'll need to REDUCE the total amount of water first. All purpose flour absorbs less water than bread flour, which can make the dough too sticky to work with otherwise.

Sourdough can become over fermented if left for too long. Signs of dough that is over fermented are a stringy dough appearance, watery texture, and dough breaks apart easily. This is why it's important to pay attention to your sourdough during bulk fermentation.

One of the most common mistakes is having a dough temperature that's too low for the starter to feed on all the flour in the dough, resulting in a crumb that's dense, with fewer openings. "Starter is happiest and most active at around 75 degrees. If it's a lot colder, the process will be much slower.

In fact the acidity is a dough conditioner that softens the texture of whole grains and makes the bread more pliable. Hack: apple cider vinegar. I often add about a tablespoon of ACV to bread as a dough conditioner. This doesn't affect the flavor much if at all.

What not to do with sourdough? ›

When done correctly, stretching and folding sourdough will strengthen the gluten and gently incorporate air into the dough without the need for kneading. It will also give your sourdough loaf a lofty high rise and more open interior crumb.

For many folks, the renewed interest in sourdough is health-related. Some are going even further than baking their own bread: They're milling their own flour from whole wheat berries, too.

Although the beneficial microbes in the starter tend to be lost during the baking process, the fibre and plant compounds, called polyphenols, become more bio-available. These act as an important fuel source for our gut microbes, which explains why sourdough is a gut-friendly choice.

Sourdough bread may be easier to digest than white bread for some people. According to some studies, sourdough bread acts as a prebiotic, which means that the fiber in the bread helps feed the “good” bacteria in your intestines. These bacteria are important for maintaining a stable, healthy digestive system.