Sourdough starter
Used in 4 recipes on RecipeWiki.
A sourdough starter is a living culture of flour and water in which wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria do the work of commercial yeast, raising bread slowly and giving it a tangy, complex flavour. This page covers active starters, including a rye one, and also the day-old sourdough or country bread that Caesar Salad turns into croutons. A starter is ready to use when it has roughly doubled after a feed, smells pleasantly sour and is full of bubbles; many bakers also check that a spoonful floats in water. Rye starters are usually thicker and more sour, suited to Borodinsky Rye Bread. Kept in the fridge, a starter needs feeding about once a week.
Most often cooked with
FlourRecipes with sourdough starter
Borodinsky Rye Bread
Dark sourdough rye scalded with red rye malt, sweetened with molasses and finished with a crust of coriander seed.
Bread
Russian
Vegan
Caesar Salad
Whole romaine leaves coated in an emulsion of coddled egg, anchovy, garlic and parmesan, tossed at the table and eaten with the fingers.
15 minutes
American
Pescatarian
No-Knead Sourdough Focaccia
A slow sourdough focaccia fermented overnight in the fridge, dimpled deep so the pockets fill with olive oil and flaky salt.
Baking
Italian
Sourdough Boule
A lean loaf raised on starter alone, folded rather than kneaded, retarded overnight and baked covered so it steams itself.
French