As we look ahead longing for cool rains here in California my mind turns to the cozy season ahead and fresh, homemade sourdough bread. 

Simply stated, sourdough starter is a stable culture of yeast and lactic acid bacteria in a flour and water mixture.  Yeast strains present in sourdough starters are usually species in the genus Saccharomyces or Candida.  The bacterial component is most often a strain of Lactobacillus, and there are many different strains.  The beauty of making your own starter is that the specific strains of yeast and bacteria in your kitchen and their proportion to each other will be unique and yield one of a kind flavor. 

You can use any kind of flour you like.  I started with all-purpose wheat flour but have slowly transitioned my starter over to a gluten-free baking mix flour.  The possibilities of which flour you use are limited only by your tastes and imagination.

Starting and maintaining a starter can seem daunting, but it is really quite simple.  All you need to get going is a handful of grapes, and a cup each of flour and non-chlorinated water.  While grapes aren’t necessary for getting a sourdough starter established, the yeast naturally present on grape skins will help kickstart the fermentation and get you off in the right direction. 

Here are the steps:

1) Mix 1 cup flour and 1 cup water together in a glass jar.  A quart canning jar works well.  I prefer wide mouth for ease of feeding.

3) The next day, pour off and discard a cup of the mixture, (discard as few grapes as possible) and replace with ½ cup fresh flour and ½ cup water.  This is called “feeding.”

4) Repeat step 3 daily.  If liquid pools on top of your starter, simply mix it in.

5) After about a week your starter should smell tart, sour or tangy and have visible air bubbles. 

6) Once established it will not require daily feeding and can be kept in the fridge resting for a few weeks.  It’s a good idea to feed it every week or so for the first 6 months and after a long period of rest it may require a few feedings to become lively again.  Your starter will grow stronger over time and can last a lifetime. 

With all raw home fermentations I like to go by the old adage, “the nose knows.”  Trust your own sensory analysis; does it smell, taste and look good?  If it has a smell that is just downright yucky, or if you see active mold growing, discard and begin again.  I’ve never had this experience with sourdough and if you do not neglect your starter, you should not have any problems.

Once you are ready to attempt a loaf look online for one of hundreds of recipes.  When I first experimented with sourdough bread many years ago I read several recipes that dictated how long I should let the dough sit, how many hours to the let the bread rise and so forth.  I followed the directions faithfully and got a few nice loaves, but then things fell flat.  What was missing was my own observation.  Now, instead of using prescribed time periods for the various steps, I use my eyes, nose and hands to guide me.  It has become a much more intuitive process.  I hope you have fun and enjoy the process. 

Try your bread with your favorite cheese and favorite Frey wine. It should pair just fine with any of our wines!