# My Daily Bread



## hog warden (May 25, 2010)

(Note : my first crack at the new forum. Jury is still out)

Anyway, as for that daily bread........a fresh baked loaf of sourdough........








All sliced up and ready to freeze.....it keeps for weeks if not months this way and a fresh slice is handy to grab. One loaf like this will last me a week or more.







This stuff is made from nothing more than flour, water and salt. No sugar. No milk, no commercial yeast. Starter is nothing more than flour and water, which harbors wild yeast and bacteria. The dough is mixed and fermented for 12 to 24 hours before it is baked.

For those of you who are diabetic or have been told to give up breads because of the carbs, this may be something to consider. Apparently, the fermentation process consumes some of the carbs and converts the rest to a complex form that isn't easy to digest like commercial yeast breads are. I've also found evidence that the "sour" acids produced by the bacteria in the sourdough also prevent the carbs from being absorbed from the stomach. End result is lower blood sugar. It is rated as "low" on glycemic index scales.

For breakfast, a slice of that toasted in a skillet with butter alongside bacon and eggs or topped with some sugar free preserves. Or with a pasta sauce over spagetti squash, this time toasted with olive oil and dusted with garlic salt. Or a plain slice dunked in cheese soup. That stuff is fit to eat.


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## thestealth (May 26, 2010)

Looks good.  I must have done something right, as my bread looked similar in shape/size.


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## hog warden (May 27, 2010)

This type of traditional sourdough looks and tastes different than what a lot of others are making........







Mine is about 30% to 40% whole wheat and rye flours....plus a few whole grains for texture and crunch, and it has a tough, chewy crust. Get it right and you get a lot of large holes on the inside. It will still feel a bit denser as I've heard the long fermentation process causes the starches to gel, so that is a bit chewy as well. A sour, nutty flavor is what I'm after.

This isn't rocket surgery, but there is certainly a learning curve. The variables are first your starter......how thick or thin you keep it, what you feed it, how often and at what temps. That carries over to the dough. How much starter, what temps, etc. In this method, the only food source are the flours, so whatever happens, it happens a bit slower than a starter or dough that includes commercial yeast, and/or sugar of any type. Temperature affects speed more than anything. Somewhere around 75 degrees is the pivot point between fast and exploding. You can almost shut it down completely by putting it in the reefer......or run it up to 80 degrees and do the whole job in under 5 hours.

The shape is going to depend on two variables.....how much water......not enough and it won't rise right.......too much and it will slump and sag into a puddle. And how long you let it ferment. Too long and it will fall and can't get up.

I like the low and slow approach, like smoking meats. Seems to turn out a better tasting loaf.

Stick with it and you will get there!


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## thestealth (May 27, 2010)

It may not be rocket surgery...or brain science, but it certainly takes a knack and lots of practice.


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## treegje (May 27, 2010)

I love fresh bread, delicious with some butter


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