No loafing around! Why sourdough bread has become the latest quarantine obsession

Now, you can have your pet and eat it too. Sounds weird? No, we are not asking you to fry your goldfish as Tom and Jerry tried to do. We are talking about sourdough starters, the latest quarantine obsession. For the uninitiated, sourdough bread is made with natural fermentation instead of yeast. You need a sourdough starter which is nothing but a mix of flour and water that is left to ferment. The fermentation process makes the flour and water mixture bubble. The dough seems alive and its growth is noticeable sometimes in the span of a night. This has prompted many to ‘name’ their sourdough starters like they were a real live pet. We enlist the help of Masterchef India finalist Shipra Chenji to detail the journey of a sourdough starter for us.

How to make your own sourdough starter

INGREDIENTS:
Whole grain flour
Water

EQUIPMENT
Glass jar
Measuring scales
Mixing spoon

INSTRUCTIONS
Making sourdough starter takes about three to five days depending on the weather. Each day you “feed” the starter with equal amounts of fresh flour and water. As the wild yeast grows stronger, the starter will become more frothy and sour-smelling. On average, this process takes about five days, but it can take longer in winters and shorter in summers depending on the conditions in your kitchen. As long as you see bubbles and signs of yeast activity, continue feeding it regularly.

PROCESS
day 1: Make the Initial Starter: Weigh 100 grams flour and 100 ml water, and combine them in a glass bottle. Stir vigorously until combined into a smooth batter. It will look like a sticky, thick dough. Scrape down the sides and loosely cover the container with a lid. Let it sit for 24 hours.
day 2,3,4,5: Feed the Starter: To feed your starter, first discard half of your mixture. (Don’t worry, it doesn’t go into the bin) Take another 100 grams of flour and 100 ml of water and add this to the jar. Keeping repeating.

After Day 5: You may see few tiny bubbles here and there. This is good! The bubbles mean that wild yeast have started making themselves at home in your starter. They will consume the sugars in the flour and release carbon dioxide (the bubbles) and alcohol. They will also increase the acidity of the mixture, which helps fend off any bad bacteria. At this point, the starter should smell fresh, mildly sweet, and yeasty. Feed your starter for the next three days. The starter should be looking bubbly. If you stir the starter, it will feel looser than before. It should also smell quite sour and pungent. You can taste a little too! If everything is looking, smelling, and tasting good then it’s ready to use!

WHAT TO DO WITH THE DISCARD?

A big query among those who start keeping a sourdough starter is what they are supposed to do with the discard. It can be used to make delicious waffles and pancakes. But you have to remember, the older the discard gets, its rising capacity decreases. A day or two–day-old discard is ideal.

INSTAGRAM HANDLES TO HELP YOU START YOUR SOURDOUGH JOURNEY

@a_madteaparty: This food blogger is a veritable encyclopedia on all things fermentation, including sourdough starters. Anita, who hosts online classes to induct people into the sourdough lifestyle, encourages them to name their starters. She believes that helps the starters to survive.

@blondieandrye: This channel will equip you with the best ideas to dress up your breads. Even if you are not a baker, visit this page to get your visual fill of pretty loaves dressed up with multi-hued veggies. You will start believing that bread can be your canvas.

@bakonomics: This page has nifty baking hacks and rustic sourdough perfection. You can pick up tips and tricks for your own sourdough journey from nearly every post on this page.


PICKING A NAME FOR YOUR STARTER

Since sourdough starters are deemed as pets it seems only logical to name them too and the wittier the better is the way to go. ‘Bready’ puns are all the rage. For instance, Clint ‘Yeastwood’, Carrie ‘Breadshaw’, ‘Bread’ Pitt. Closer home, Bubbly is a favourite or if you are out of ideas, just pick a sound from the phonetic chart and add ‘oo’. Chotu, Piklu, Montu can qualify as names for both humans and sourdough starters.

I grew a sourdough starter because I absolutely love the tanginess of sourdough bakes. Even though I am a confident yeast baker, I have had quite a few sourdough disasters. But watching your technique improve as you handle sourdough more and more is beautiful. I call my starter Mahalaxmi and she has given me some great bakes – Aarabi Veeraraghavan, sourdough grower and food blogger


YOUR STARTER CAN HELP SCIENTISTS

It is quite the miracle that a mixture of just water and flour can leaven the bread. Why do some microbes settle in some starters? How is the process affected by the weather? Your starter can help scientists find the answers to these questions. The Global Sourdough Project is a project that collects information from sourdough growers.