What is sourdough?
Sourdough is bread made using a fermented starter containing naturally occurring yeasts and bacteria. Instead of relying only on commercial baker's yeast, the starter helps ferment the dough and contributes to the flavour, texture and rise of the bread.
What is a sourdough starter?
A sourdough starter is a mixture of flour and water that has been allowed to ferment and develop an active community of microorganisms. An active starter can be used to ferment and leaven sourdough dough.
How do I make a sourdough starter from scratch?
A starter is made by combining flour and water and feeding it regularly while it develops. Over time, naturally occurring microorganisms establish themselves in the mixture.
The process requires observation rather than simply following a fixed number of days because temperature, flour, feeding schedule and other conditions can affect how quickly a starter develops.
How long does it take to make a sourdough starter?
There is no universal number of days. A starter may become active at different rates depending on factors such as temperature, flour and feeding routine.
What matters is learning to recognise an active starter and understanding when it is ready to use.
Why is my sourdough starter not rising?
A starter may not rise because it is too young, too cold, underfed, overfed, maintained at an unsuitable consistency or otherwise not yet sufficiently active.
Learning to observe your starter's activity, aroma, consistency and feeding response is more useful than relying only on a fixed schedule.
Why is my sourdough bread not rising?
Poor rise can have several causes, including an inactive starter, weak fermentation, unsuitable temperature, insufficient gluten development, over-proofing or under-proofing.
Troubleshooting requires looking at the entire process from starter activity through fermentation and baking.
Can I make sourdough bread without a Dutch oven?
Yes. A Dutch oven is one way of creating a suitable baking environment, but it is not the only way to bake sourdough.
The course focuses on practical sourdough baking so you can understand the principles behind the process rather than assuming that expensive equipment is essential.
Can I make sourdough in an OTG?
Yes. Sourdough can be baked in an OTG when the oven is capable of reaching and maintaining the required baking temperatures.
Understanding your oven and adapting the baking process to your equipment is an important part of home sourdough baking.
Can I make sourdough in an air fryer?
Some sourdough preparations can be adapted to smaller appliances such as an air fryer, although the size and characteristics of the appliance can affect the result.
The important consideration is adapting the dough and baking process to the equipment you actually have.
What flour can I use for sourdough?
Different flours can be used for sourdough, including wheat-based flours with different levels of refinement. Flour choice affects fermentation, hydration, gluten development and the final texture of the bread.
How much water should I use in sourdough?
The amount of water depends on the recipe, flour and desired dough characteristics. This is commonly discussed in terms of hydration, which is the amount of water relative to the flour.
Rather than assuming one hydration works for every flour, it is useful to understand how the dough should look and feel at different stages.
How long does sourdough fermentation take?
Fermentation time varies depending on starter activity, temperature, flour, hydration and the quantity of starter used.
This is why sourdough recipes often work better when you learn to recognise signs of fermentation rather than following the clock blindly.
How do I know when sourdough dough is ready to bake?
The dough changes in volume, structure, elasticity and appearance as fermentation progresses. Learning to recognise these changes helps you decide when the dough is ready for the next stage.
