Is Sourdough Really Healthy + BONUS Sourdough Recipe

 

Are you a sourdough lover?! If so, you will have wondered?:

  1. Is sourdough really healthy?!

  2. How can you tell if you’re buying a good quality one?

  3. How much can you eat?

    Given how popular sourdough bread has become a lot of the store bought sourdough is now available but they’re pretend sourdoughs. The bakers cut corners when they make it. They’re not the real deal

    Store bought sourdough might contain a tiny amount of sourdough starter but they often add in commercial yeast to get the bread to rise quickly (and don’t give it at least 8+ hours to rise) and/or they only use the starter in some of the flour. Therefore it lacks the health benefits

    How do you pick your sourdough 👇
    + Make it yourself or buy it from an artisan baker like  Bourke Street Bakery, Bowen Island, Shepherds Bakery, Iggy’s etc.

    + Sourdough should only have three ingredients:

    1. Flour - I use a combo - spelt flour and unbleached flour. You can also use emmer wheat/ancient grains
    2. Water - I use filtered water that’s room temp or slightly warmer
    3. Salt - I use pink Himalayan salt

    That’s it!

    The sourdough starter is made from flour (which naturally contains yeast and bacteria) and water, which is left to ferment! The lactic acid produced by the bacteria gives it that sour taste.

    Due to the fermentation process the bread becomes ‘pre digested’, as some of the tough-to-digest carbohydrates (like fructans) and proteins (like gluten) are broken down meaning some people with gluten intolerances, bloating and digestive issues can tolerate it.

    We still don’t want to overdo it. After all, even true sourdough is a simple carbohydrate. All in moderation, friends.

    Me? I love sourdough but it’s not an ‘everyday’ food. I probably make it and eat it once or twice per week. When I eat it, I enjoy every single mouthful (especially with butter, olive oil or ghee)

Now, if you’re thinking ‘gimme the recipe already’, here it is:

Sourdough Recipe

This is the best recipe for homemade sourdough; whether you’re a complete newbie or a pro when it comes to baking bread. Psst… I run a sourdough + fermented food eCourse, which includes your very own sourdough starter, that gets posted to you in the mail, loads of recipes, private FB group and a sourdough eBook.

Read about the Sourdough + Fermented Course here

Ingredients:

  • 100 sourdough starter (you can make your own or get it express posted from me, when you join the next Sourdough + Fermented food eCourse, here)

  • 500 grams unbleached baker’s flour (best to get organic baker’s flour)

  • 14 grams fine Himalayan salt or sea salt

  • 380 mL lukewarm filtered water



    1. Whisk sourdough starter & water for 10 seconds in a bowl until frothy
    2. Add in flour and using a spoon/your hands, stir it until combined
    3. Leave it to sit for at least 20-30 mins uncovered on the bench (I can get distracted with the kids & leave it for an hour!)
    4. Add in sea salt/Himalayan salt
    5. Using the folding technique (aka the ‘stretch and fold’ technique), fold the bread every 30 minutes, and repeat 3-4 times.

    The ‘stretch and fold’ technique - use one hand to slowly turn the bowl and the other hand to pick up the dough on one side & fold it down on top of itself. Repeat this 8-10 times, for one set.
    7. When you’ve done 3-4 ‘stretch and fold’ sets, cover the bread with a clean tea towel and leave it to sit on the bench for 1-2 hours. This is the first rise, aka the bulk fermentation.
    8. Flour the bench and put the dough onto it. This is the point where you fold the bread to put in a heavily floured bread basket/bowl. I always use rice flour - it’s so effective with stopping the bread from sticking to the basket or tea towel.

  • To fold and shape the dough, gently shape the dough into a rough rectangle. Fold the top of the dough down to the middle and the bottom over it, then fold the left side in and the right side over it, then put the dough into the bread basket/bowl smooth-side down.
    9. For the second rise (the final rise), leave the bread to sit in the basket (or a mixing bowl that’s lined with a tea towel and flour) for 4 hours at room temperature, or put it in the fridge to proof overnight. I prefer a nice, long overnight proof for the final rise - it seems to ensure an even rise. Best to cover with lightly oiled cling wrap or something similar
    10. Bake the following morning - preheat oven to 225 degrees for at least 30 minutes
    11. Put the bread on baking paper on a baking tray (flip the bread basket/bowl over) and score the bread. You can use a regular sharp knife or bread lame to score your bread. To score your bread you can do one simple line across your bread, or an “X”, or any other design you’d like. Ensure you score/cut it in a quick, swift move. Scoring is an important step as it enables steam to escape when the sourdough cooks.

    12. There’s two methods for baking your bread; cooking it on a baking tray or in a dutch oven/large casserole dish

    #1. To cook it on a baking tray - put bread on a baking tray and pop it in the oven and then add a tray to the bottom shelf of the oven & pour in 500mls water in to it then quickly close the oven door. This creates steam to help the bread rise! Please be careful with this step, as the steam can burn you, OR

    #2. To cook it in a dutch oven or casserole dish - gently lower your bread (that’s still on the baking paper), into a dutch oven. (Best if your dutch oven has been in your preheated oven - be careful not to burn yourself!) Put a lid on your dutch oven.

    Psst… Cooking sourdough in a dutch oven is my preferred method as cooking the bread in the dutch oven resembles a commercial bakery, and gives a beautiful, crusty, artisan-style sourdough bread.
    13. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the lid from your dutch oven, if using it, AND turn the oven down to 210 degrees and bake for a further 10-15 minutes.
    14. Leave to cool then slice & eat

 
Olivia McFadyen