Follow these sourdough bread baking tips to make sure your sourdough turns out healthy and delicious!
- Hand wash wooden utensils only, and do not allow them to soak in water. They should be dried immediately after washing otherwise they will warp and crack.
- Do not wash your banneton baskets.
- You must have a digital kitchen scale. Do NOT attempt to make sourdough bread (or any bread) with measurements by the cup, your recipe will not turn out as intended.
- Wax paper is NOT the same as Parchment paper (I learned this the hard way).
- King Arthur is my preferred flour of choice.
- Keep your starter in the fridge and feed every 5 days (do not go longer than this.)
- If you do go longer than five days in between feedings (I have forgotten plenty of times) place starter on the counter and feed 2 to 3 times before using in a recipe to get it active again.
- If you choose to keep your starter on the counter you will need to feed it every 24 hours.
- I feed my starter weekly with unbleached all-purpose flour, but when I am actually making a bread recipe, I use unbleached bread flour to bake with.
- If your starter needs a boost, feed it with whole wheat flour. The higher protein content will help it become bubbly and active again.
- Only use filtered water to feed your starter and mix your dough. Tap water has chlorine and other things in it that will kill your starter and the active wild yeast.
- Always add your filtered water first and stir to combine, add flour last.
- Only use an active sourdough starter for baking any recipes.
- If you’ve forgotten your starter for a couple months in the fridge, fear not! It can be revived. Does it have that ugly brown water on top that smells like acetone? This does not mean your starter has gone bad. It is actually telling you its hungry! Feed it every 12 hours for several days to get it back to health.
