FoodNavigator: How to Make a Sourdough Mother Dough

vendredi 21 juillet 2017

How to Make a Sourdough Mother Dough

If you're into baking or have jumped on the sourdough band wagon you’ll have heard people talking about their mother dough, a lot.

Mother dough, also known as pre-ferment or sourdough starter is the basis of a loaf of bread.

So why choose a sourdough mother dough?

It’s likely Sourdough starter is the oldest known types of starter and it can also be maintained over long periods of time. The Boudin Bakery in San Francisco has used the same starter dough for over 150 years.

Sourdough mother dough produces gas bubbles and lactic acids which give sourdough its characteristic slightly sour taste and texture.

It’s a process that defines delicious bread that is hard to re-create any other way. It's may be a complicated process and one that needs commitment, but as the saying goes, the best things come to those who wait.

There is always something extremely rewarding about making your own bread and is sure to win you a lot of friends.

The resulting Sourdough loaf is delicious, tangy authentic bread with a robust crust, and an open but moist texture that lasts well and works just as well fresh or toasted.

How to make mother dough:

Stacy Nguyen has a clear infographic which neatly sums up the basics of making a mother dough. As you'll see, all you need to start is water, unbleached flour and a container. She admits the infographic is too rudimentary to describe the specific nuances of sourdough making, so head over to her website where there is a supplementary list of helpful advice to get you on the right track.

The time it takes a starter to begin fermenting can be a few hours or a few days. But make it with wholegrain flour and keep it warm in your kitchen, and you should see signs of life within 24 hours. Within a week your starter is ready to get baking with, leaving the remainder to be fed regularly with more flour and water.

Happy baking.

Head over to her website for a recipe for sourdough boule to get you started on your first sourdough loaf.