How to Make Sourdough

The Need to Knows About Sourdough:

The Starter

The flavor of your sourdough will come from the science experiment you have to perform in your kitchen.  All sourdoughs are different depending on where you are in the world.  What's cool about this is that it makes it unique to your kitchen, an no one else.  If you gave some of your culture to a friend a few states over, your sourdough would become theirs in a matter of weeks, unique on its own (subtle difference, but different still).  This is why San Fransisco sourdough is the capital of the stuff.  You can't take theirs back to the east cost and make the same loaf, you can't take the weather with you.

The starter is a replacement for commercial yeast.  A flavorful replacement in fact. The starter is a live culture that must be fed and maintained. Easy for a bake shop, but maybe a hassle for the home baker.  The way I'll show you is easy, but starting the culture takes a week.  Once you have it, you're set! You just take the thing out of the fridge, feed it, put half of it back, make some bread, and eat it. I named mine Gabriella, she's about 11 months old now.

Two things are present in the starter that contribute to the flavor:  wild yeast (as opposed to commercial) and acid-producing bacteria. How do you catch them?  Easy, give them some food...

**You are going to need a digital scale it is an absolute must if you want to make good bread at home.

Day 1 and 2
In a small bowl mix:                                            50g  water
                                                                             75g  whole wheat flour

Loosely cover with plastic wrap and wait two days.  The starter will resemble a thick batter (the bacteria are doing their job destroying the gluten)

Day 3
Throw out half the starter and feed again:          50g  water
                                                                             75g  bread flour

Cover with plastic and wait another day...
Day 4
Again...
Throw out half the starter and feed again:          50g  water
                                                                             75g  bread flour

Day 5
Ok, now it's alive!  Time do expand:                  100g  water
                                                                            150g  bread flour

Day 6                                          
 Feed one more time:                                          100g water
                                                                            150g bread flour
                                                          

 ...and take half of the starter and put it into a mason jar, put it into the fridge for up to a month.  This is your storage starter.  Now, let's say you just are not in the mood to make sourdough for 2 months, that's fine, you just have to feed it so it doesn't die, just like any other pet (sadly, I found this out the hard way when I was a kid and I forgot about my gerbils for a few weeks... that resulted in a lesson about cannibalism....) so take the starter out every few weeks, feed it 100g water and 150g flour.  Let it sit for a day.  Throw out half (or make a loaf of bread) and put it back into the jar for storage.

                      Storage starter                                     Well fed and risen starter

The wild yeast is what will raise the bread, but not as quickly as commercial yeast.  That stuff is highly concentrated and works quickly in comparison.  You have to be patient with your sourdough and not rush it, it will end in disappointment otherwise.  You have to plan ahead.  It's not hard to make, or labor intensive, it just has a lot of waiting time.  After you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature, like doing laundry or trimming nose hairs.

The bacteria present in the starter are good bacteria.  They happen to be acid-producing bacteria that... yup, you guessed it, make it sour!  If you let any dough ferment this happens, but since we let the starter do its thing for such a long time, it becomes intensely sour.  The starter will get better with age as well, like wine.  Your first loaf will most likely not even be very sour.  After a few times, you will notice the difference. 


Making the Loaf

Semolina Sourdough Baguette

200g             Starter
120g             Water
160g             Semolina flour
    5g             Kosher salt
    2g             Instant yeast (just helps facilitate the rising time, unnecessary if you don't mind waiting extra)

Ok, take your starter out of the fridge and feed it 100g water and 150g flour, let it wake up for at least 12 hours

Take 200g of the starter and put it into a mixing bowl, put the rest back into the mason jar keep in the fridge.

                          Weighing the ingredients              Autolyse stage

Weigh out the semolina flour and yeast, mix together (instant yeast must never come in contact with water on its own.  If using dry active, than mix with the water, not the flour).  Pour on top of the starter in the mixing bowl and then throw on the water.  Mix on low speed for 1 minute with the paddle attachment.  Let the dough rest for 20 minutes (this stage is called autolyse, it allows for the flour to absorb the water prior to mixing, which improves texture of the bread tremendously<----- trade secrets here!)

                               Not like this ^^^                           Like this^^^ 

Throw on the salt, finish mixing, 5 minutes on medium speed.  If the dough gets wrapped around the paddle, scrap it down and continue mixing.   The hook can be used, but the batch of dough is tiny for the mixer, so it wouldn't mix well.

                                             A dough that has completed mixing

The finished dough should be smooth and very elastic.  If not, get back to mixing.  Let it bulk rise for 2 hours.

                                  Ready to rise                        A risen dough

                               Flatten                         Fold                           Tuck

Once risen, put it onto a lightly floured surface.  Pound the dough out so it is a rectangle roughly 8"x 6".  Begin to roll the dough downward, tucking it in as you go. The roll will be tight, not loose.  Cut the log in half and taper the edges.  Both loaves should be no more than 14" in length.  Place onto a piece of baking parchment (not wax paper!!!!)  and put onto a baking sheet or peel.  Place in the fridge for a slow rise, at least 8 hours, up to 24 hours if you want.

                   Rolled and ready to go in the fridge          Finished loaf

Remove from the fridge and let proof out at room temperature for 2 hours (maybe more, maybe less depending on the temperature in your kitchen.)  The loaves should have tripled in size before even contemplating baking.  Have an oven pre-heated at 475* for 30 minutes with a baking stone set on the lowest rack.   (No stone?  bake on a sheet pan, middle rack)

Dust with flour and slash the loaves with a sharp knife.  Place in the oven and pour 1/4 cup of water on the bottom of the oven, get it all steamy.  Bake for 15 to 18 minutes and turn the temp down to 425* after 5 minutes.

Oh, traditional sourdough... yea that too

Sourdough Boule

250g               Starter
145g               Flour
100g               Water
    6g               Kosher salt
    1g               Instant yeast

 A risen boule                      Ready to be flipped out

Follow the same steps as above, but after the 2 hour bulk rise, turn onto floured counter and round the dough up.   Press it flat, the fold the dough like a business letter, gently press flat again and tri-fold in the opposite direction to form a square package.  Round the sides to form a ball.  Place into a bowl lined with plastic sprayed liberally with pan spray .  Cover the top and let it rise in the fridge for up to 24 hours, then at room temp for 2 hours, or out on the counter for 4-6 hours until tripled in size. Have the oven pre-heated at 475* for 30 minutes. Flip the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and peel off the plastic (you remembered to spray it right?).

                                    Slash it                               Bake it with some steam

Sprinkle the top with flour, score with a sharp knife and place on the stone.  Pour the water on the oven floor (not the electric coils)  and shut the door.  Bake for 5 minutes at 475* then turn it down to 425*.  Give it 15-20 minutes, take this one until it is dark golden brown. It makes a killer crust.

General Understanding of Concepts...

- Sourness comes from the bacteria feeding on the wet dough, producing acid

- The acid not only flavors the dough, but contributes to the bread's texture making it chewy, yet soft for days

-Wild yeast is unique to your kitchen and has great flavor, but a very slow rise.  Adding a pinch of commercial yeast will help with the sluggishness and not intervene with flavor (but never add
 commercial yeast to your starter!!!)

-Slashing the bread allows expanding gasses to escape from the loaf and helps the bread rise in the oven, plus it looks cool

-Creating steam in the oven the first 5 minutes, again, helps the bread rise in the oven. This time it's from preventing the crust from forming too early.  But, once the steam is gone, the finished crust is extra crispy/crunchy. Bakeries have steam injected ovens for this.

-The autolyse stage during the mixing process is not mandatory, but will help with the bread's final texture (or crumb as it's called in the biz) Home baking is taken to another level by using this step alone.

 -A digital scale really is a must here.  I know it's an investment, but seriously, cup measures are so inaccurate when it comes to making bread.  They are fine for cooking projects and recipes that aren't so fussy, but this is. If you want, you can convert them to volume measures and not hurt my feelings, but just know that not all ingredients weigh the same, for example: Does a cup of marbles weigh the same as a cup of feathers???  Nope, they don't.  Neither does a cup of flour weight the same as a cup of sugar.  A cup of honey weighs more than a cup of water, because it is more dense... see where I'm going with this?  The scale never lies.


This seems like a ton of work for bread.  But the truth of the matter is that good bread is labor intensive if you look at it that way.  I take joy and pride in baking bread.  I still get excited when it comes out of the oven and I know that it was worth the wait.  I smell it, I put my ear to it, I press down on the crust a bit to hear the crack.... I want to lay it on the pillow next to me in bed and sleep with it (a lot warmer than my wife's cold feet, HA!)  Bread is such a satisfying thing.
 Get into it.

Busy Week of Beer, Bread, Smoked Meats and a Punk Show

Fall is a double edged sword for me.  I have terrible allergies that make every morning feel like I want to rip out my sinuses, run them under hot water and put them back into my body before starting my day.  So, that part about fall sucks.  But, the best part about fall is the weather.  Hands down.  The smell of decaying leaves and the occasional sight and waft of smoke from a nearby wood burning stove. They say in southern California that they have the best weather.... but they don't have this weather.  So, ha!

The other great thing about the weather is the temperature allows me to do a few things that the summer would be way to hot to do.  One of those things being homebrewing.

I started home brewing about four years ago. Although I don't do it as often as others, I have made eight or so successful batches of beer.  Before even trying it I read the Home Brewer's Companion front to back. I'm a nerd when it comes to understanding a technique.  I feel like I have to become fully involved in something in order to feel worthy of studying the subject  (I wish I felt this way about math in high school).

The batch that I just brewed is a Tripel.  This style of Belgian beer is known for its light characteristics and high alcohol content (somewhere around 9%).  I made it with an "all grain" mash of just malted barley.  Some tripels will use other grains to achieve unique characteristics.  The younger brother to the tripel is the dubbel.  This tends to be a bit darker in flavor and more caramel like.  I brewed a tripel but really I am shooting for a 2.5 if ya catch my drift.

The recipe I acquired called for clear candy sugar, which is nothing more than inverted sucrose (liquid sugar), cooked to the hard crack stage.  I took my sugar to a slight amber color to make my tripel a touch more body.  I also used some fresh cascade hops (used in pale ales) given to me by the friend of a friend of my wife's boss.  The rest was some saaz hop pellets (common in Czech style pilsners).

It's in the primary fermentation stage  at the moment for another few days, then I will rack it into the secondary tank for another 2 weeks before bottling.
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Made some bread sticks the other night to go with my polenta and steak.  I used my tried and true ciabatta recipe and cut dough into strips before proofing them and baking them on the stone.  I plan on posting some more bread stuff soon, so stay tuned.
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Ok, so this past week I felt it was necessary to train some of my future culinarians at school how to do some charcuterie (general term for sausages, hams, cured and smoked meats).  Now, these are high school kids and they seemed to be perplexed as to why one would go though the trouble to do all this. "Why spend all this time making your own when you can just go to the store and buy it..." one might say. I respond with the usual "It's for your education, you see..."  which leads to a bunch of rolled eyes and blank stares.  But I know they will remember how it's done the next time they pick up some cured products at the market and wonder what the hell is in it.  They appreciate the experience even though they don't tell me. 

I had them brine a pork loin to make Canadian bacon, which is really just ham.  Also, some kielbasa was created.  It was fun for some.  It was torture for others.  I use natural hog casings, which gross the kids out, but they will eat it anyway after the shock has subsided.  They stuffed them, and over the weekend I smoked them, along with the ham.  I love pork.

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Defeater

                Make Do and Mend (me in the Trial shirt sharing a moment with James)
 
Lastly, something a bit off topic.  I am also musician (unprofessional) and music lover.  I play a few instruments and have had a few bands over the years.  I never toured or had a following of any sort, just played for fun, and still do when I have the time.  Occasionally, I get to go out and see some live music, hang out with some friends and meet new people.  These musical events are nothing similar to rock concerts or getting to see the NY Philharmonic.  The type of show I am talking about is unique all on its own.  I'm talking about punk and hardcore.  And ever since I become involved with punk rock and hardcore, I always felt that I had found somewhere I belong.  No religion, boy's club or back stage pass could ever replace it.

I have spent the past 10 years absolutely enamored the concept of loud aggressive music played by kids my own age and from my own state.  Bands from other states will play, and they get good reactions too, but the hometown heroes always get the biggest hugs.   Looking from the outside in, one might think that it is just a bunch of kids acting violent and crazy.  This is not the case.  When I can stand four inches from the face of a band and scream his lyrics back at him and know that we are sharing the exact same emotion simultaneously, I know that I have felt something that no one outside that room could ever possibly feel.  It is not at all a "celebrity/shock" factor.  It is something pure an unadulterated. This is why floor shows were created.

My subconscious mind is thinking... I read what you wrote, I listened and felt exactly what you all meant for me to feel through the vibrations racing out of the amplifiers.  We all just created a moment, an irreplaceable one that is our to hold....  I think sometimes about how this happens.  But, the long and short of it has to do with belonging. We all want to belong somewhere and be identified with a particular group.  This is mine.

Yeah, deep... I know.  But the truth is I know every other hardcore/punk kid has the same connection with at least one band.  I wait months for these shows to happen, and not all are as intense, but I do have memories of some great ones over the years, and some really bad ones. When I was a teenager I would go to shows a few times a month, just to see who ever.  Now, it's not as easy to get out, but when I do I make it count.  It keeps the youth in me.  When things in my life get a bit too serious, I know that a show is coming up soon and I can pretend for a few hours what it was like to be 16 again.  Thoughts of stress fleet away from my state of being and I can be friends with people I don't know for a while. CTHC, thank you.
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So that was my week in a nutshell. Go cook something will ya!

Shrimp & Grits

                  Shrimp & Grits Asian Style with Mat (mom) Chea's Chili Sauce

A Southern American classic dish that makes perfect sense.  Take a grain (corn) and simmer it with a flavorful liquid, add butter and sometimes cheese, saute some shrimp and bingo!  A filling and wonderfully tasty meal.  However, when I make it the classic way, I feel there is something left to be desired about it.  Maybe I suck at it or I'm just a flavor whore, but this dish needed some adjustment to spark my palate.

Grits are nothing more than the pulverized grain sifted off of the powdery flour resulting.  It's actually a Native American dish, but became synonymous with southern cooking and soul food over time. The same thing happened with corn bread.  White grits are from hominy (the corn grain soaked in an alkaline solution then dried and ground) and yellow grits, AKA polenta, we see a bit more often as corn meal.  The grains are dumped into a simmering liquid and constantly stirred until they have softened and absorbed all the liquid in the pot.

To make grits successfully you need to understand the ratio of water to liquid involved. This may vary depending on the brand of grits you buy or even if they are the "instant" type.  I suggest you read the package.  Too much water will take away any texture from the final dish leaving it gruel-like.  Even though this is really a porridge, the grains should have some grittyness to them after cooking.  Too little water and the grits will seize up and become dense unappetizing wallpaper paste. Just use a measuring cup, that's all.

The liquid that goes into the grits needs to taste good.  Now, if you're making grits for breakfast I would assume that some sugar is involved and shrimp are not.  So for that, water or milk is generally used.  On the other hand, making a punch-in-the-face of flavor version for lunch or dinner, you're going to need some stock.  A dark stock is preferred.  Let's say veal?  Sure you have some stowed away in the freezer right? Ok, maybe you don't.  Possibly you think it is too hard to put together a veal stock for just a simple dish, so use some swanson broth...... NO.  I am begging you, please no.... If there is a culinary god watching over us as we cook, then strike down upon the who uses canned beef water.  If you at all care about how your food tastes, then spend a few minutes a month putting some stock together and storing it in the freezer for later use.  I'll put up the recipes for you to see.  It is simple, simple, simple and will taste 400% better than that processed garbage.

Ok, for flavoring, I went an Asian inspired route.  So, I tend to frequent this place in NYC called Momofuku Noodle bar.  It's a happenin' joint full of young urban folk slurping $16 bowls of noodles.  The dude, David Chang, has a few other places in the city and has become a bit of a phenomenon with the idea of taking American dishes and Asiafying them as well as reinterpreting classic Asian foods for popular sale.  Dude's a genius.  In the book that he put out a year ago he put in his recipe for his version of shrimp and grits.  I made it, I loved it, it was fucking awesome.  It was also way, way more labor intensive than my version.  I'm all for putting in the time to make a great dish, but I made my own twist and came out with a even tastier version than his!  Ha, win!

I used veal stock, soy sauce, white miso paste and butter.  I garnished it with some parsley and chili sauce.  The shrimp? Just a quick saute and deglazed the pan with white wine.  20 minutes start to finish. The veal stock is key here.  If you make a brown chicken stock or a pork stock, that will do.  I fully suggest using a properly home made veal stock.

You'll love this dish.  It is wicked filling too.  Perfect for winter.  I ate it while drinking an ice cold triple, delicious.  Feel free to add some bacon to this.