This section will contain step-by-step guides to concocting the edible projects from Grub & Grist.
Wheaten Sourdough Rye
The Starter:
8 cups whole grain rye flour
+/- 8 cups water
Measure 2 cups of rye flour into a bowl, add 2 cups cold water and stir into a soupy batter. Cover with a damp dishtowel and leave in a cozy spot. Next day, add 1 cup of rye and enough water (about 1 cup) to maintain that soup mixture. Pour the contents into a clean bowl, cover, and repeat each day until you have used all the flour. The whole process takes one week. As the mixture matures it turns grey, bubbly and very smelly (like a combination of wet hay and overripe fruit). No worries, these are all good signs of a vigorous starter.
The Bread:
(makes 2 sizable loaves)
1 liter sourdough starter
2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
+/- 6 cups wholewheat bread flour
Measure a liter of starter into a large bowl. Pour the remaining starter into a clean jar, cover and refrigerate for your next loaf.
Stir the salt into your bowl of starter, then gradually add the wholewheat flour, stirring in one cup at a time until it comes together as a soft dough. At this point it is easier to turn the dough out onto a counter and work with your fingers. Knead, adding more flour when the dough becomes too sticky, for a good 10 minutes. The precise quantity of wholewheat you will need varies greatly depending on the flour, but the ideal consistency of dough is soft and just a tiny bit sticky to the touch.
Cut the dough in half and press each portion into the bottom of a greased loaf pan. There should be enough room for the dough to expand a lot. Cover and leave to rise in a warm spot until doubled in size. Again, the rising time will vary but reckon on between 4 and 8 hours.
When the dough looks well risen, bake in a 350F/175C oven for about 1 hour. Test for doneness by knocking on the top with a knuckle; it should sound hollow. Leave loaves to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Feeding your starter:
The whole idea of a starter is that once you have it established, you want to keep it alive. This way you don’t have to go through the whole week long process before your next loaf of bread. Also, the mixture becomes more and more vigorous with each use. So don’t suffocate your starter! Every 3 - 4 days, take it out of the fridge, pour into a bowl, add the usual quantity of rye flour and water, and leave for a day to bubble. If you don’t want another loaf yet, simply return the starter to the fridge and repeat 3 - 4 days later. When you’re getting low on bread simply leave the starter at room temperature, adding flour and water daily, until you have 2 liters. Use one for bread and save the other.
