When I pulled my first two loaves of sourdough bread from the oven, I was so excited by their golden-brown color and crispy outer edges that I felt motherly pride. From a little starter in a jar to slicing the tasty loaves on my counter, it had been a rewarding journey.

Since I’m new to the sourdough scene, I’m learning from veteran bakers like Thelma Geitgey, who received her sourdough starter around 1980. She told me she’s kept it going ever since making family favorites such as cherry dumplings, coffee cake and chocolate cake.

It’s a good day to share sourdough – either in the way of a starter or a loaf of bread – because it’s National Sourdough Bread Day, which is an observance of the world’s oldest leavened breads. The earliest known record of sourdough extends back to 1500 BC when the Egyptians were the first to mix wild yeast into their bread. 

A process of fermentation with wild yeast culture ... and patience

Sourdough baking involves a unique process of fermentation using a wild yeast culture (sourdough starter) instead of commercial yeast. 

          Creating a sourdough starter takes time and patience, but it's the foundation of the bread-making journey. It requires feeding the starter flour and water regularly, allowing it to develop its unique flavor and leavening power. 

Once you have a vibrant starter, you combine it with flour, water, and salt to create the dough, which undergoes a period of fermentation, where the wild yeast and bacteria create the characteristic tangy flavor and airy texture.

          During this time, you perform "stretch and folds" to develop the dough's structure. Finally, you shape the dough, let it proof (rise) again, and bake it, often using a Dutch oven to create a beautiful crust and airy interior. 

The result is a loaf of bread with a unique flavor and texture. Sourdough baking can take time, so it’s important to not get discouraged if your first few loaves aren’t perfect. You can experiment with different flours, hydration levels, and baking techniques to find what works best for you. 

Directions on how to make a sourdough starter

          If you’d like to give it a try, here’s how to make a starter:

• Day 1: Mix one part water and two parts flour in a bowl or jar, leaving plenty of room in the vessel for the starter to rise. Cover tightly. Make a line to mark the top of the contents. This will give you a baseline so you can see its progress.
• Day 2: Do nothing.
• Days 3 to 7: The starter will begin to rise and bubble. This is a good thing and a sign that the yeast is doing its job. Each day, remove half the contents and discard it. Add one part water and two parts flour to what’s in your bowl or jar.
• Day 7: Around this time your starter will have doubled in size. It’s ready to be used to make the bread.

          Once your starter is ready, you can use it to make your bread by combining the starter with more flour, water and a bit of salt.

          Along with its desirable flavor, it also has health benefits. According to the Mayo Clinic, the three proven benefits of sourdough are:

          Supports a healthy gut - sourdough bread contains more beneficial nutrients than other types of bread due to the fermentation process. Fermentation creates probiotics, or healthy bacteria, that can aid in digestion. Sourdough is a good source of prebiotics and fiber, which is the substance that feeds the good bacteria in your gut. Choosing a whole wheat version has more fiber and will further increase the benefits to your gut. 

          Supports better blood sugar control - Sourdough bread has a lower glycemic index than white bread, so it doesn’t increase blood sugar levels as quickly. This is true because the fermentation process makes starch in the bread less available for digestion and absorption into the bloodstream.

Sourdough is lower in gluten than other forms of bread. It appears that the acid in the bread degrades gluten. As a result, people with gluten intolerance may find that sourdough is easier on their stomach.

Now it’s time to feed my starter. Happy National Sourdough Bread Day!

Laurie Sidle is an Ohio State University Extension Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H program assistant and may be reached at 330-264-8722 or sidle.31@osu.edu
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This article was previously published in The Daily Record.