web-log/container/site/content/posts/sourdough/index.md

+++ categories = ["food"] tags = ["bread", "sourdough", "baking"] date = 2025-02-22T12:09:00-06:00 description = "Pursuing sourdough flavor and technique without maintaining a traditional starter, with notes on tools, proofing, and storage." draft = false slug = "sourdough" title = "🥖 'Sourdough'" author = "nicholas" +++

I like the flavor of sourdough, but lack the inclination to manage a starter culture. My issue is the difficulty of producing a stable, consistent culture of yeast and bacteria. There are too many factors to count that can affect the product. Any success or failure will feel like a consequence of luck or randomness since I cannot easily scrutinize the process that lead to any given culture. There is just too much noise, chaos, randomness. I am far too humble to imagine myself able to play the role of god over millions and millions of these microbic lives.This would bother me less if my enjoyment was derived from expressing myself artistically by crafting a Mercury retrograde sun-fermented, rough-hewn heirloom-grain-fed starter culture. That would be much more interesting, but instead my enjoyment relies on the process of mastery and achieving goals through predictable means.

Tools

Banneton

I use a rattan banneton to proof my fake sourdough bread. I like the concentric ring pattern it creates.Here are a couple of images:

{{< image src="images/banneton-proofing.JPG" caption="Banneton proofing basket" >}}

{{< image src="images/sourdough-baked.JPG" caption="Baked sourdough" >}}

First Use Care

I have documented the process of caring for the bannetons.

1. Spray the banneton with water. Leave no dry spots.
2. Coat the Inside with Flour
   1. Place an amount of flour in the banneton that will coat the entire inside surface.
   2. Spread by rotating. Flour will stick to wet surface.
   3. Remove excess flour.
3. Allow the banneton to air dry.

Clean

Do not clean after each use. ~Monthly, dry brush out excess flour.

Store

Allow banneton to completely dry before storing.

Flour coating during proofing

There are many options. Consensus seems to be one of the following:

• rice flour
• 1:1 rice:white flour

Rice Flour

The reasons I use rice flour:

• Contains no gluten - no stickiness
• low protein content -- does not char easily.
• fine texture