>From: Lobo119@worldnet.att.net
>Subject: sourdough how-to
>
> HOW TO BAKE A LOAF OF SOURDOUGH BREAD
>
[snippie]
>GET A STARTER
> A starter can be started from scratch, received wet or dry from a
>friend, or purchased.
> If you can't get one from someone and don't want to buy one, a
>simple recipe follows. Yes, it has yeast and sugar . . . that's ok.
> If you want to stay "pure," someone who I asked to critique this
>document suggested reading Nancy Silverton's "The La Brea Bakery." He said,
>"She has a very involved recipe for making a starter and is death on any
>type of commercial yeast in a starter (she uses grapes in her starter for
>natural fermentation)."
> I'm trying to keep this simple and I'd suggest the newbie get a few
>loaves under their belt the easy way first.
Well, it may be baking, but it's NOT sourdough. Sourdough baking uses a
symbiotic mixture of wild yeasts and lactobacilli which rise (more or less
vigorously) at room temperature. Sourdough risen breads take longer to
bake (they require a longer slower rise and are helped by an overnight
proof in the refrigerator), but much tastier. Sourdough is also not
necessarily 'sour' in taste. A sourdough starter can be started from
scratch, but takes 3-4 weeks to become fully mature, and is based on a
flour/water mixture which is set out and allowed to capture natural
organisms. Several FAQs on the subject are published regularly on
rec.food.sourdough.
While a good source of recipes and technique, the Silverton book is
oriented more towards commercial sourdough baking, and her advice on
starting new sourdough starter is a bit eccentric. There are several good
books on the subject, check the King Arthur Flour catalog.