Perfect sourdough
Age
10Years
Color
Country of origin United Kingdom
Taste
& Flavour
Mixture
100%
Liquid
Flour
Other
Murdo
Since 2014
I have always loved good bread, but in the UK it is difficult to find - especially rye breads (I am Scandinavian, and we enjoy a lot of rye!). So I decided to try baking my own.
Characteristics
Murdo is very hardy, and bounces back quickly after a period of neglect. He is very easy to maintain in the fridge, where he has a light fluffy honeycomb texture after fermentation. After 4-5 days a tough layer forms on the surface, but no hooch. When missed with larger quantities of wheat flour and water, Murdo produces nice glutenous liquid levain with fine bubbles.
Taste & flavour
Recipe
Starting ingredients
- 25g Wholemeal rye flour
- 50g Water
- 25g Wholemeal rye flour
- 50g Water
- 25g Wholemeal rye flour
- 50g Water
Feeding ingredients
- 50g Rye starter
- 50% Water
- 50% Flour
- 50% Wholemeal rye flour
- 50% Water
1
I bake once a week or so, and the night before a bake I take my starter out of the fridge and use a tablespoonful or so to start building up a starter to bake with. This is usually around 50g of rye starter at 100% hydration.
50g Rye starter
2
I then add equal weights of water and flour to give me around 250-300g of starter to use in my bake. So my rye starter is used to build a larger quantity of starter for my dough. Depending on what I am baking, this leaving can be made using mostly wheat flour, rye flour, or whatever is suitable for the bake.
50% Water
50% Flour
3
To my jar of rye starter, I add wholemeal rye flour and water in equal weights, stir, cover and out back in the fridge until next time. I only keep a small amount of starter in the fridge and don't discard.
50% Wholemeal rye flour
50% Water
Working method
1
Mix 25g organic wholemeal rye flour and 50g water, cover and place somewhere warm for 24 hours.
25g Wholemeal rye flour
50g Water
2
Add 25g wholemeal rye flour and 50g water to the previous day's mix. Cover and place somewhere warm for 24 hours.
25g Wholemeal rye flour
50g Water
3
Repeat these instructions two more days. By Day 5 you should be ready to bake, and switch to feeding your established starter with equal weight flour and water (for a 100% hydration starter).
25g Wholemeal rye flour
50g Water
Result
Breads
Bere and rye (bere is an ancient form of barley); emmer; rye and wheat; seeded rye.
Danish style seeded rye bread
A heavy, moist seeded rye bread.
