Category: Free Inquiry

This week for my sourdough journey, I decided to learn more about the science behind sourdough! As I have been working with my starter and making different sourdough-based recipes throughout the various weeks, I have been curious about the scientific processes that make sourdough unique. I wanted to understand why sourdough works the way it does, what makes it different from other breads, and how factors like temperature and feeding schedules affect the final product. I learned that sourdough fermentation is powered by various wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria. It is different than commercial yeast, which is a single species. Sourdough starters contain a mix of various bacteria and yeasts. These bacteria help break down the flour and produce lactic and acetic acids, which is what gives sourdough its signature tangy flavor. One of the most interesting things I learned is that the balance between lactic and acetic acid is influenced by the fermentation conditions. A warmer environment encourages lactic acid production, resulting in a milder flavor, while cooler temperatures encourage acetic acid, which leads to a stronger sour taste. This explains why my starter didn’t double in size as much as I expected during my second week of inquiry, it was likely too cold, slowing down the microbial activity. Another key takeaway was learning the role of enzymes in the sourdough fermentation. The enzymes in flour and the bacteria help break down starches into simple sugars, which the yeast then ferments into carbon dioxide. This is what creates the bubbles and rise in sourdough bread. After learning more about the science behind sourdough, I feel excited and intrigued to keep trying various sourdough recipes. Next up I am hoping to try and make sourdough bread bowels and then sourdough carrot muffins! Stay tuned! This week I have included a link to an article and YouTube video I used to learn about the science of sourdough. 

Article: The Science of Sourdough

YouTube: The science behind sourdough

This week for my sourdough journey I made sourdough cinnamon buns! They were super fun to make and turned out great! They were quite easier to make than the sourdough bread that I made last week. I think going forward on weekends that I am busy and do not have enough time to make a loaf I will make another baked good besides bread that uses sourdough, as they are easier and faster to make. For this week to show the process of making the cinnamon buns I created a short video. For the video process it was a little tricky to get videos of myself making the buns as I needed both of my hands a lot of the time. As I am not used to filming while I bake/cook there were unfortunately parts of the process I forgot to film. So please excuse any missed steps you may see in the video. I will have to work on this skill in the upcoming weeks. Please find my sourdough cinnamon buns video below! 

This week I was able to complete my first loaf of sourdough! It was a long process and more in-depth than I was expecting. It started on Friday night. Last week when I got my starter from my aunt, we didn’t have time to chat, so this Friday I went to her house and got to ask her some questions I had. We talked all things sourdough for about 45 minutes! I left her house feeling excited but mostly overwhelmed. I had to remind myself that it was going to be a process, and it’s okay to not nail it in the first go. Friday night I made my leaven. Leaven is a mixture of starter, water, and flour that you use to make the bread. Not all recipes call for leaven (some just use the starter), but I tried it for my first loaf. I let the leaven rest overnight in a bowel covered in plastic wrap. In the morning it had risen and bubbled up so it seemed ready to go. I followed the recipe and made the dough, using flour, water, and leaven. I than let it rise for about 2 hours. Once the autolyse (the first rise) was done I added more water and salt. Then it was time for the bulk rise, about 4 hours. During the bulk rise for the first 2 hours, I folded the dough every 30 minutes. After the bulk rise was done, it was time to shape the bread. Once shaped, the dough had to rest again, this time for 30 minutes, for the bench rest. One more final shaping of the dough and then it was ready for the final rising. I decided to do the final rise overnight in the fridge. The next morning (Sunday) I took the dough out of the fridge and scored it using a knife. I scored it vertically done the middle and then horizontally down the sides a bit. It cooked for about 55 minutes. It turned out! I am not sure how I didn’t seem to mess up any of the steps, must be some beginner’s luck! Although the loaf did turn out, I feel like it could have been cooked a bit better or maybe kneaded a bit more. It is not super airy and is pretty dense and heavy. Next week I am going to try a recipe that is not so tedious. I want to try not using leaven and instead just using part of the starter in the recipe. All in all, though, I think my first attempt was a successful one, and I have been enjoying my loaf. Please see the collage I made of the process on a screenshot of the PowerPoint below.

This week for my sourdough bread journey, I got my starter! I was able to get my very ow starter from my aunts starter, which is so exciting! I started with feeding my starter, by adding equal parts water and flour. I did not want to make a loaf this week, but I still just wanted to practice feeding it. My starter did increase in size, but it did not double in size. I think that it was too cold for my starter to fully double in size. Given it was really cold this weekend, I think my house might have not been warm enough for the starter to fully rise. I will have to try it again and turn up the heat in my house. I decided to do more research and see if there was anything else I could learn in preparation for making a loaf this upcoming weekend. After more research this past week I still feel as though I could benefit from a clear precise step by step instructions. I decided to ask ChatGPT for a step-by-step instructions to help me. Here is the link to the instructions it made for me: https://chatgpt.com/share/67950ed6-9d1c-800e-ba4b-0586e79693fe I am feeling more confident after reading the instructions AI made me and I am excited to try making my first loaf this weekend. 

For my inquiry project, I am going to be learning how to make sourdough bread! I am super excited for this journey and hope by the end of the semester I will have mastered the perfect sourdough loaf, maybe even a sourdough bread bowl. I have quite a bit of baking experience, but mostly just with desserts. I have never made sourdough bread before, so this will be quite a challenge for me, but I think I have some potential. To start, this week I have just been doing lots of research on sourdough. I have read many articles on the tricks and tips on everything sourdough. I am learning the importance of feeding your sourdough starter, how long the dough needs to rise, the temperature your room should be for optimal rising, how long to cook the loaf for, what type of flour is best, and everything in between. Reading through the many sourdough instructions and tips for beginners has me excited, but also nervous, as there is definitely a science to it. Throughout the semester, I plan every week, or every other week to make a loaf of sourdough. I do not expect to nail it in the first few tries, so there will be lots of learning and growing involved. If I do get the hang of it quicker than expected, I will try making different types of loaves and treats. Maybe a cheesy garlic sourdough or sourdough cinnamon buns or sourdough pizza dough would be fun. I will have to see how the original loaf goes. I am excited to share my sourdough journey and incorporate different aspects of technology into documenting it. Next week I plan to get my own starter from my aunt or grandmas starter. Once I have my own starter I will do more researcher, specifically for how to care for the starter. Then the following weekend I can tackle my first loaf. For this week I have attached the hyperlink from one of the articles I read: Sourdough Bread a Beginners Guide and I have attached a picture from Pexels: