Three grain bread

Sourdough consists of rye flour and water and is the oldest bread-making agent. It is especially suitable for baking rye or mixed grain breads. You can easily make natural sourdough yourself (see below) or purchase it at the health food store. Industrial ready sourdough is nowadays used in many bakeries (exceptions may be, for example, smaller farms or whole meal bakeries). Fully seasoned, the dough requires only 30 minutes instead of usual 15 hours sourdough.

To get started on sourdough breads, you need a sourdough substitute. There are three options for this. Finished batch can be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator and be used (provided you bake bread every 8 to 10 days).

Sourdough with organic yeast

This basic recipe is ideal for beginners. Even sourdough breads without yeast are good for baking.
Mix in 5 – 10 g of organic yeast with 250 ml of lukewarm water and 150 g of finely ground rye flour. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rest in a warm, draft-free place for 3 days. Occasionally stir the dough. Do not choose small container because the sourdough rises strongly at the beginning. Also, make sure that the sourdough does not dry out and is covered with a cloth if near the heater. Moisten the cloth time and again when it dries.

After 3 days fill the batch in a screw jar or use according to recipe. Stored in the refrigerator, it is stable for about a week. If you need new sourdough for your next loaf, just mix the rest of the mix with rye flour and lukewarm water. This time you can process the sourdough next day for baking.

Sourdough inserts without yeast

In a bowl, mix in 125 ml of lukewarm water with enough rye flour or meal (about 80 g) to make a creamy porridge. To intensify the sourness and attract desired yeasts and bacteria, add 1 tablespoon of butter or milk. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 48 hours. Stir the mixture daily and keep the cloth moist (mixture mustn’t dry out). On the third day, the sourdough should release light bubbles and smell pleasantly sour. Then add another 125 ml of lukewarm water and about 80 g of rye flour. On the fourth day the sourdough is ready. Now you can use it for baking bread or store in a glass jar in the refrigerator.
Note: Sourdough likes warm (room temperature) and reacts, similarly to yeast dough, to drafts. Although it happens rarely, sometimes the leaven fails, i.e., dough does not blister and smells bad. Should this happen, best is to scrape everything and start over. Such dough does not crack while baking and you will only find a sticky solid inside the baked dough (especially if the bread recipe does not contain yeast).

Purchased sourdough insert

Purchased sourdough substitute is suitable if you are pressed for time. The readymade sourdough substitute is available at the bakery or the health food store either in the form of liquid sourdough or as instant sourdough. (However, homemade approach is cheaper.) Purchased sourdough can be immediately used for baking.

You will save money if you use part of mixture for next bread. To do this, use a bag of purchased liquid sourdough as a starter culture and simply mix with some rye flour and lukewarm water to a thick dough. Leave covered for one day or overnight. This way you have increased the amount of your sourdough and are free to use the desired amount for baking. Keep the unused sourdough in a glass jar in the refrigerator (up to 10 days) for the next loaf and multiply again the day before baking.