I was honored to serve as kitchen help at Craig family ministries Eastern Sierra Annual Ladies retreat. Lisa Craig asked if I could make sourdough and I did. Twenty four mini loaves. Two for each table one jalapeno cheddar and one regular sourdough. I also put out simple and easy sourdough starter packets to sell.
A sweet lady came up and asked me about her sourdough issues. She makes 100% white whole wheat sourdough and it is so dry it isn't edible. She said her sourdough waffles are awesome. This is someone who has always baked bread for her family. It sounds like she was raised by a mom who also baked bread from scratch. She has talked to her sister who also baked sourdough for her family. I started thinking how different baking sourdough is than traditional bread with dry yeast.
Strategies that may help my new friend and maybe others who are traditional bread bakers:
Watch ratios and start with 100% hydration. 1 part starter 2 parts water 3 parts flour.
Make sure stater is active before using. Float test.is a great way to check starter. Fill a small glass with water. Place a small spoon of starter in the glass. If it floats it is ready to use.
Stretch and fold instead of vigorous kneading. Resist the urge to add more flour. Sourdough is softer than regular kneaded bread dough.
Lastly, a long ferment in the refrigerator 24 to 48 hours. I have had better luck with whole wheat flour that has a longer ferment.
Sourdough should not look like traditional bread when mixed up. It's a softer dough because it isn't kneaded. It may take a while to get used to what it should look like.
I tried my advice and ended up with an edible but somewhat dry white whole wheat loaf. I will keep at it and try changing up my ratios.
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