I’ve tried sourdough repeatedly this year. I made temporary progress with a starter I began in February, but by May, a missed feeding invited bad bacteria to pop up. It took an unfortunate amount of time to disinfect the jar and bamboo lid, which seemed to keep regrowing mold each time we’d get it clean.
I finally got a second jar for my birthday and had the first jar successfully sterilized at the same time. I mixed a new starter in the new jar and after a couple of weeks, transferred some to the old jar as a backup. Not two weeks later, the original starter was showing orange.
Jar two is still in play, but the starter never seemed to get bubbly and active looking.
Shouldn’t It Be Simple?
The world’s been making sourdough breads and recipes for centuries and then some. Starters have been transported by horse and buggy and kept without technology until recently. I’ve joined sourdough groups this year and the pages are full of acronyms and tools and devices I’ve never imagined. Crumb reading, bulk fermenting, aliquot, and unloafing to start. Add in the horror stories of exploding jars and Dutch ovens, the dreaded Serratia marcescens bacteria, and family members killing beloved named starters, it’s easy to see why taking it on is a daunting task.
What About the Store?
But there’s sourdough at the store! Why make it yourself? I’ve got a handful of qualms there too! Have you looked at a sourdough loaf at the store? Homemade sourdough is flour, water, salt and maybe some inclusions if you’re feeling adventurous. Look at everything in a sourdough loaf at the store!
Let’s not forget about buying ingredients with pantry moths in it or ones that have been on the shelf so long they barely count as food.
I Complain, but I’m Still Trying
Frustrations aside, I’ll keep trying to make my sourdough work. We’ve enjoyed making cheese crackers and pastries with the discard and soup and pasta bowls since our usual pizza place got rid of theirs. I haven’t dived into a standard sourdough that makes you bring your mixing bowl to the store. And I’m so afraid to try inclusions. But there’s a joy to trying it all!
Bonus: Cheese Cracker Recipe
These were one of my favorite things to make with the starter discard.
200 grams sourdough discard
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
¼ tsp fine sea salt
1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Melt the butter in a mixing bowl and let it cool until just lukewarm. Measure in the discard and salt and stir together with a spatula until well combined. Add cheese and stir until well incorporated.
Pour the mixture onto your parchment-lined baking sheet and roll it into a layer about an 1/8 inch thick.
Lightly sprinkle the top with flaky salt.
Bake for 10 minutes then remove from the oven and use a pizza cutter to score your crackers into bite-size squares.
Use the back of a wooden skewer to poke a hole in the center of each crack.
Return to the oven and bake another 20 minutes or until the crackers are golden and hardened.
Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet to let them fully dry out. Once they have cooled completely, store in an airtight container or zip bag.