About a month ago I wrote A POST about my first attempt at making sourdough bread. If you read that first post you might remember my first loaf was heavy, hollow in the middle, and looked like a UFO or a big brown skip rock. It also sat in my stomach like fifty pounds of lead.
It took me another four weeks to work up the courage to try again.
In those four weeks I did more research, read baking message boards, got some great tips from 
Our daily schedule is fairly hectic so I rarely have an entire day to devote to baking a loaf of bread, which more traditional artisan sourdough recipes require. So for my second attempt I settled on THIS RECIPE. I would recommend this recipe to anyone who'd like to try baking sourdough for the first time. It was purposely designed to be a little less time consuming.
I did the required prep work the night before and waited until the starter was still fairly hungry (not rising) to mix it into the dough. This is supposed to make a slightly more sour bread, which I like. I also deviated slightly from the recipe, swapping out organic whole week flour for the ⅓ cup of rye flour it calls for. I also added a dusting of rice flour and chia seeds on the top prior to baking.
The inside of the bread was just a little underdone but I’m thrilled to say that the results were a million times better than the first try. The next time I'll bake it for a few more minutes and also let the loaf fully cool before cutting into it (if I can be patient enough.)
This recipe produced a beautiful and delicious loaf with the familiar, slightly acidic, taste of sourdough. I enjoyed the very first piece with some grass-fed Kerrygold butter before the bread fully cooled.
The entire process of baking sourdough bread has been rewarding and, admittedly a frustrating at times. It takes a fair amount of education and some trial and error. But, in the end, I think all that effort makes the bread taste even better.
I'll be trying my third loaf in a week before I put the starter into hibernation (the fridge) before I travel to Montreal in early September. Stay tuned to see if my luck continues. : )
~Eric Vance Walton~
(Gif compliments of Giphy.com.)
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