Sourdough bread is wonder! I love it! But I never managed to make my own because I just couldn’t master the making of the starter. It either wouldn’t ferment at all, or it would begin to ferment but with in a couple of days it would develop a pinkish skin on the top and I’d have to abandon it. So, I was delighted to find a wonderful cheat! Kefir sourdough starter! This past week I began to make kefir sourdough starter and it has been really easy because it is instantly active from the kefir.
All you have to do is, in a glass or plastic jar or container, combine 1 cup of kefir with 1 cup of strong bread flour and mix well. Cover over with a loose-fitting lid or a coffee filter or muslin cloth fitted with a rubber band to keep it in place. Once a day feed it with 1/3 cup of flour and 1/4 cup water and mix well. You will start to see the bubbles forming against the glass, telling you that your starter is active. Do this for 3 to 5 days, then you will be able to use your starter.
I have used the same technique to make gluten-free sourdough starter with the same success, but the recipe I used to make gluten-free sourdough bread called for 4 cups of starter so you might want to keep adding 1 cup flour to ¾ cup water for the gluten-free starter to have enough within 3 days. This will also require you to use a large container either glass or plastic and I would recommend one with a wide mouth to make it easier to get your starter out.
Now, how to use your starter! First I’ll give you my own recipe for Malted Sourdough Buns and then a link to a gluten-free recipe I got online. I’ll place the link to the gluten-free recipe and instructions at the end.
My Malted Sourdough Buns
Ingredients:
- 500g malted wheat flour (I use Matthews Organic Cotswold Crunch Flour)
- 300g kefir sourdough starter
- 250ml water
- I tbsp molasses
- Good pinch of Sea Salt flakes
- Caraway seeds (a handful)
- Sunflower seeds
Method:
- Mix together all the ingredients in a stand mixer until well combined.
- Next, on a lightly floured surface kneed well for 10mins. This is important as it allows the gluten in the dough to become stretchy and you get a better bread. When it is done form dough into a ball. You will have to keep lightly flouring your surface a couple of times as you kneed.
- Place dough ball into a lightly floured bowl and cover the top of the dough loosely with a piece of oiled cling film and then cover the bowl with a clean dry tea towel and stand in a warm draft free place for 6hrs to rise.
- Turn out the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knock back the dough. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and form into rounds. Place on a floured baking tray and cover with oiled cling film. Cover over with a dry clean tea towel and leave somewhere warm and draft free overnight.
- Place an oven-proof bowl with water on the bottom rack of the oven and pre-heat oven to 220°C. Place your tray of buns on the middle rack and bake for 12-15 mins. Check your buns at the 12min mark to see if they need longer. When done place on a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Gluten-free Sourdough Bread
The gluten-free recipe worked out amazingly well. It is a very tasty bread, crusty and fluffy at the same time. Great eaten on its own or use for toast or garlic bread. The recipe for this bread can be found on www.artofglutenfreebaking.com/2010/10/sourdough-bread-boule-gluten-free/
As I mentioned before this recipe called for 4 cups of starter and I only had 2 cups, so I halved all the recipe amounts and it worked really well. I used a 50/50 mix of Dove’s gluten-free plain flour and tapioca flour.
