Starting sourdough can be scary. You will come across people who say it is the hardest thing to do, however you will also come across people who say it is really easy. There are stories of dead starters in fridges, exploding leavans in fridges, burnt fingers, flies in jars and flat pancake loaves. However don't let this scare you if you are debating starting the sourdough journey. The first loaves will be awkward... but after a little practice, you will get the hang of it and start leaving your fingerprints on your unique loaves.
I never thought I would become a bread person (besides my large consumption of it of course), yet I now find the whole process calming, humbling and so rewarding. Not to sound like 'a teacher in school', however it has also taught me patience, planning and research. I am now 9 months into this sourdough journey, making loaves that I am proud of and learning every step of the way. Below are the recipes I used in the beginning, that are starter friendly (pun intended). I scrolled through the internet, did research, tried them out myself (and a lot of others) at the beginning of my sourdough journey - so you don't have to.
My big tip for a starter?
Patience is key. Master a skill before moving onto the next cool fun thing. And don't beat yourself up over a non-perfect loaf - the bread will still taste amazing.
Artisan Bryan's Simple Country Bread
There is no better place to start than a simple Country bread. And before moving on to anything else, it's key to master this one loaf. In a way it's the basic recipe for everything else, laying the foundation to your sourdough knowledge. It probably took me fifteen tries till I finally got the feel for it, and felt comfortable with the recipe. Only after laying down that foundation did I start venturing out to other loaves. It might sound a little intense at first - to do one recipe that many times, but I found it so rewarding and confidence building. With each loaf you become more and more comfortable with the sourdough process.
Simple country loaf recipes are all over the internet, and I also tried many, however the one from Artisan Bryan I found the best. This is the recipe I adapted for my Country loaf using German flour that you can find here. Whenever I move, need a simple good bread, or want to go back to basics this is the recipe I make, and it doesn't fail.
Click here for Artisan Bryan's original recipe.
Tartine's Olive Bread
Once you master the basic country loaf, the next step naturally is the urge to spice things up and add everything to your bread. Olives, Tomatoes, Jalapeños, Cheese, raisins - the list is endless. However here again, I wanted to stick to the basics and opted for the Olive and Walnut Bread from Tartine. I'm sure we have all heard of the famous Sourdough bakery in San Francisco and it's bread, so why not try it at home yourself. Tartine's sourdough cookbook is a classic, and the defiantly worth a read if you are starting out. As stated in the book, one of my favorite aspects of this recipe is how the walnuts turn the bread purple.
To adapt my classic Country Loaf Recipe to a similar version of Tartine's Olive Bread, add 1 cup of pitted olives and walnuts each, and any herbs, during the first stretch and fold (Day 2, 2:30PM).
Potato Rolls
Rolls are a new shape for me. It's not a whole loaf, but made up of lots of 'little loaf balls'. This scared me at first. Imagine having to shape more than one loaf, when you have only just gotten the hang of one! However, this is now my favorite part of making rolls, seeing all the smooth rolls on my board and the satisfaction of this. Rather than the classic rolls you find at thanksgiving, these have a lot more flavor (from all the additives), slight sweetness (from the potatoes), and are just overall more fun. Just a note - these come out big. Great for a thick sandwich filling, however if you want a smaller piece my aunt taught me a trick to cut it sideways (vertically) rather than across the traditional way (horizontally). I took mine on a hike, and it was a treat to have mid way.
Recipe is from Artisan Bryan again (his website is overall really great), and you can find it here.
Pain de Mie
Pain de Mie is a classic everyday sandwich loaf, and addicting when you start eating it. I never knew sandwich bread could taste so good. Regarding the logistics of making this though - a loaf pan is needed for this rather than 'a banneton with a cast iron situation'. Also, a stand mixer is needed... and now that I have moved and no longer have access to this, I am not sure I can keep making it...
This is an enriched dough, and a good and easy enriched dough to start learning with. Enriched doughs are doughs that have fat added to them, usually in the form of butter. They therefore do require a lot more concentration to make, and are a whole new process compared to making only country loaves. Also, don't substitute alternative milks (eg. soy milk, skimmed milk) for the full fat milk in this recipe - you need that fat. As nice as the Pain de Mie looks above, that was my fourth attempt, so don't be disheartened with your first loaves, just try again!
Recipe is from The Perfect Loaf and you can find it here.
If you know of any other good beginner friendly recipes let me know in the comments below.
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