Filed under: Bread, Good to know, Production, Recipes | Tags: bread, forgotten, handicraft, knowledge
Not many people bake bread themselves or have ever tried doing it before. Bread is very easy to make though, and once you start, you can get quite obsessed with it (I am!). To leaven the bread, you can either use yeast or a sourdough starter – I prefer the sourdough, since it gives the bread a special taste and a juicier crumb. If you want to use rye flour (which is quite common for Finnish bread, the good old “ruisleipä”), yeast is not even suitable for making the dough rise, because rye does not contain enough gluten. Plus, most people usually already have everything you need to start a sourdough in their cupboard, so you do not even depend on open shops to buy yeast. The only two ingredients are: water & flour. Nothing else.
This is how it goes:
Mix a handful of flour (rye, spelt, or wheat, it does not need to be an exact amount) with as much handwarm water to achieve a texture similar to that of pancake or waffle dough. Cover the dough with a dishtowel and let it rest at a warm place (e.g. by a radiator with a plate underneath). Every 12 hours, whip the dough thorougly and put it back where it was. Now, you need to feed the dough for 4-5 days in a row; once a day, add a handful of new flour and warm water to mixture. With time, the dough will start to throw bubbles and smell sour, but don’t be afraid, that is a very good sign! Your very own individual sourdough is ready to use!
— a recipe for your first sourdough bread is coming soon! Stay tuned!
Source: http://www.der-sauerteig.com/ (Sorry, in German only)
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