So you just received your sourdough kit…
Let’s get started!
Below you will find helpful tricks, tips & videos to make your sourdough journey that much easier. Always feel free to message Sour Flour personally on Instagram!
Watch Video Above for:
Feeding your sourdough starter for the first time:
Always, always use filtered warm water to feed your sourdough starter. Tap/faucet water may contain chlorine or other unfriendly things that can potentially kill the happy & wild yeasts in your sourdough culture. Suggestion: Fill up a pitcher with filtered water and leave it out on your countertop at room temperature to feed your starter with.
Bread Lame
This video shows how to correctly attach your razor blade to your bread lame handle. Be careful not to cut yourself (because I did right before this), they are so so sharp!
Prepping your Razor Blade for Detailed Scoring:
Using any type of scissors, cut off one of the razor’s ends; because the blade is so thin, you should be able to cut it no problem. You then would use that sliced end to cut detailed designs in your bread. If you are worried about holding the blade by itself, there are a lot of options for other products like: Wire Monkey Shop (UFO lames) & Bread Llamas.
Shaping Your Sourdough
First and foremost, you will only get better at shaping by practicing, with each bake, you will only get better and learn from the previous bake. So don’t get discouraged!
This video below is showing how to shape a batard (oval) shaped loaf. If you’ve purchased Sour Flour’s sourdough kit, you will follow this below for your proofing basket that was supplied.
Prepping your Parchment Paper
Cutting handles out of your parchment paper allows you to easily transfer your scored sourdough into the hot pre-heated Dutch oven without burning your hands. Each piece will last for 2 bakes.
Scoring Sourdough
Here’s a slowed down version of scoring sourdough with Sour Flour. Most Instagram videos are sped up 8x, so here’s one in real time. Again the more practice the better you’ll get. The more fails you have, the more you learn.
Scoring Sourdough Step by Step
Rehydrating your Dried Starter
DAY 1 :
Open your pack of dry starter and empty into a clean bowl, you should have around 12-14g of starter. To your dry starter add 24g of warm filtered water, cover loosely and let it sit for 30 minutes to rehydrate it. After the rest, add 24g of flour blend (12g all-purpose flour & 12g whole wheat flour) . Mix thoroughly, cover loosely and place it in a warm draft-free place for 24 hours. Suggestion: You can use your oven with the light on as a warm environment, make sure there is no residual heat from previous use.
DAY 2 :
Add to your bowl of starter, 24g of warm filtered water and 24g of flour blend (12g all-purpose flour & 12g whole wheat flour) . Stir well, cover loosely and let sit somewhere warm again for 18-24 hours.
DAY 3 :
In the morning you should start to see a bubbly, active starter. In a new clean bowl, add 38g of your starter, 50g of warm filtered water, & 50g of flour blend (25g all-purpose flour & 25g whole wheat flour), this is how you will feed your starter from here on out, discard any remaining starter from before. Transfer your starter into a clean glass jar so you can track its growth. You can place a rubber band at where it sits and you should see it rise and fall. Cover loosely and place in a warm area for 12 hours.
That evening, you will feed your starter again. Take 38g of starter from your jar and transfer to a bowl, discard the remaining starter in your jar, you can wash it down the drain. With each feeding you will have discard; at this time while you’re building up your starter’s strength, dispose of it. But once you get a healthy starter going you can use your discard in recipes instead of wasting it. Place your 38g of starter in a bowl, add 50g of warm filtered water & 50g of flour blend, stir, cover loosely, and place in a warm area for 12 hours overnight.
DAY 4 :
Your starter should be 100% at this point and is ready for use! If you are anxious to start your sourdough, build a levain from your starter early this morning and let that sit for 5 hours until assembling the autolyse. You will continue to feed your starter every morning and night. After several feeds you can keep your starter in the fridge and refresh it weekly if you can’t continue to feed it daily.
