Sourdough Bread from Scratch from Stored Hard Winter Wheat
 

Two weeks ago, I decided to grind some wheat into flour to bake some bread. To my dismay, I discovered that my stored yeast had expired and was likely no good (it was very expired). I decided to try my hand at sourdough bread including making the starter. For those who are not familiar with this, sourdough is made using wild yeast that is captured and cultured. The starter is the highly concentrated yeast that is used to leaven the bread. It is said that the best wild yeast for sourdough is present on the wheat berries. This needs to be put into an environment where it can rapidly reproduce to build the starter.

Most instructions for starter involve using fresh rye or whole wheat flour mixed 1:1 with water and kept at room temperature. The flour paste is "fed" periodically with new flour. Eventually, the yeast becomes active and the starter begins to bubble. I tried this twice and each time after three days I saw no activity.

I searched the web for a better starter recipe and learned a great trick. Instead of using water in the starter, use unsweetened pineapple or orange juice with a dash of Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar. This creates a lower pH environment that is ideal for the yeast we are trying to encourage. This worked like a charm! After three days I had such an active starter that I was afraid it would leap out of the jar and attack me! Below are pictures of the process from start to finish (mostly):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3605/...0c886bd9_m.jpg
The grinder and some wheat

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The first grind

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Flour after the second, finer grind

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The first flour and OJ/vinegar mixture

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The starter after three days at room temp and a few feedings

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The "proof" or "sponge"- an expansion of the starter to be used with more flour to make the dough.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of kneading the dough, but here is the final product. I will improve on this, but this was delicious! Tomorrow's project is sourdough pancakes! Mmmm!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3472/...99cb00ef_m.jpg

Here's where I found the info I used: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/233

Re: Sourdough Bread from Scratch from Stored Hard Winter Wheat
 

can this starter be dried and refrigerated like packeted yeast?

Re: Sourdough Bread from Scratch from Stored Hard Winter Wheat
 

Nice work! Thanks for sharing it with us. Have any recipes for the bread?

Re: Sourdough Bread from Scratch from Stored Hard Winter Wheat
 

I have never done this.

Always treated it as a living brew;

Needs to be fed a couple TBS of flour a week, or more

If you are doing a lot of baking.

I keep it in the fridge, then bring it out 24 hrs

Prior to making dough, to

Let it activate.

Other trick - I use screen lid on the canning jar I keep

It in (sprouts lid)

Because it likes oxygen.


scyth

Re: Sourdough Bread from Scratch from Stored Hard Winter Wheat
 

most people keep the sourdough starter refrigerated in a glass jar in amounts of about 3 or 4 cups, taking 1.5 cups out for a bread batch, and then replenishing. California miners during gold rush days used to carry starter around in their haversacks.

Re: Sourdough Bread from Scratch from Stored Hard Winter Wheat
 

That does look pretty yummy. I have decided one of the most important things I can learn is how to make bread. Not too bad at it conventionaly. store bought flour, yeast etc. I want to learn from ground up( excluding growing the wheat part) was looking at large bags of red/white wheat berries. One place who also sells large bags flour, said theres was best due to 8-9% moisture content. Now, question is, for long term storage, is not any moisture a bad thing?? Or is all wheat have some amount of moisture, just it does not rot in proper storage? Have looked at yeast packs, shelf life not all that great. I am actually trying to figure most my prep stuff with out freezer/fridge involved. Of course will use it until there is no more power, if that even ever happens. Any options for yeast with that in regard? By no means hyjacking your thread George, just you have a nice finished product, so figured you may be entertaining questions. :)

Re: Sourdough Bread from Scratch from Stored Hard Winter Wheat
 

The only reason to refrigerate the sourdough starter is to retard/slow the fermentation process that occurs when it is "fed" new flour. If it was kept at room temp, it would just need to be fed more often. Not a big deal as we are not talking about a lot of flour here. Good recipes on the link I posted.

Re: Sourdough Bread from Scratch from Stored Hard Winter Wheat
 

Long term storage of sourdough starter is airborne yeast. :emotions16:

Re: Sourdough Bread from Scratch from Stored Hard Winter Wheat
 

I'll have to give this sourdough starter a try. I've got some dried starter vacuum packed in the freezer (buried somewhere in the back!).

For longest term storage, you want the majority of your wheat products to be in the form of whole grains (& probably some dried pasta). Storage life is shorter on ground flour, especially whole wheat flour.

I think that everything will have some moisture in it, unless the stuff has been oven or vacuum dried, which costs $$$ and may hurt the flavor. For long term storage, I think (but do not know for a fact) the magic number is 10% moisture or less for grains.

The Saf-Instant yeast I use at home comes vacuum packed in 1 pound mylar bag "blocks." Once I open it, I store the opened bag & yeast inside a ziploc bag in the freezer. Ambient moisture, oxygen, and temperature would shorten the shelf life on your dried yeast. If you want to avoid using a freezer, you could store it in a mason jar, and use a FoodSaver jar lid sealer to keep it under vacuum inside that jar.