Sourdough is the oldest bread leavening method. It is based on spontaneous fermentation that naturally occurs in a mixture of smashed fresh fruit or ground grains. Wild yeasts, that are always present on the fruit or grain, are mixed with fruit’s juice and start processing it’s sugars. If we use grains some water is added. Then the yeast is joined by lactobacillus and vinegar producing bacteria in a symbiotic relationship that effectively prevent any other unwanted bacteria from settling in our sourdough. Breads prepared with sourdough take longer but result in better flavor, better smell and in excellent keeping quality.
In this post we will see how to make a sourdough from fresh fruit. I use mulberries but the same can be made from fresh grapes or apples.
Day 1:
Pick some fruits. The best time is in the morning before the sun is too high. Only a small amount of fruit is needed.
Bring the fruit home and place it in a clean bowl. It is important not to wash the fruit so the yeast will stay there for the next stage.
Smash berries using your hands and let rest for a day.
Day 2:
After a day or two we can see bubbles and light foam on the surface. These are signs that fermentation started. There is still plenty of sugar in the mixture so we let it stay for one more day.
Day 3:
Drain and keep the liquid. Mix the liquid with wholegrain flour in a 1:1 ratio. This is called 100% hydration dough. For example mix 50 grams liquid with 50 grams of wholegrain flour.
Day 4:
Our mixture of flour with juice starts looking like a sponge. Throw half of the mixture and add 50 grams of water and 50 grams of wholegrain flour and let stand for another day. Important: at this stage you must throw away that half of the dough.
Day 5:
Repeat the procedure as in day 4.
Day 6:
We have beautifully looking sponge that is ready to prepare our sourdough bread. Recipes for rye, spelt and wheat breads will follow in future posts.
