Looking for a healthy pastry? We have a recipe for homemade sourdough bread

Sourdough bread has become increasingly popular recently. Home-baked sourdough bread has several advantages.

If you prepare your own bread in your own kitchen, you can be sure that it does not contain added colouring or other harmful substances. You do not need a baking school, a special stove or a sourdough starter. Even with a normal kitchen and a little time, you can enjoy your own bread.

A large number of people report a reduction in various digestive or other health problems, such as heartburn, bloating and constipation. It is definitely worth a try.

You may also be interested in the articles:

• The best treatment and diet for heartburn
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• Constipation in pregnancy often makes waiting for the longed-for baby unpleasant

If you also have difficulties after eating ordinary bread, do not hesitate to try this recipe with us.

Before you get started, you need sourdough starter:
You can get it from someone who already sourdoughs, i.e. grows their own sourdough starter.
Or make your own, preferably from rye, wholemeal flour.
For instructions on how to make a mother starter, see this article:
Want homemade sourdough starter?

Recipe for wheat-rye sourdough bread

The preparation may seem challenging at first, but if you master the process and plan your time, making honest homemade sourdough bread will be a breeze.

First, prepare the leaven:

• 1 tablespoon of sourdough starter (made from rye flour)
• 150 g flour (should be the same as in the sourdough)
• 150 g water

Mix everything thoroughly in a glass bowl and cover with cling film, otherwise the leaven may dry out. Ideally, prepare it sometime in the morning.

After a few hours, the starter should have slightly increased in volume and be ready for the next stage. You can watch the bubbles form in the dough through the glass bowl. This can take up to 12 hours, depending mainly on the ambient temperature.

Next we will need:

• 170 g of water
• 300 g wheat bread flour
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

In the afternoon or evening, mix 170 g of water and 300 g of flour into the prepared roux. Add a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of cumin.

You can use a food processor or a mixer with kneading hooks to knead the dough, but you can also knead it with your own hands.

As you work with the dough, you can add flour or water as needed. Each flour has slightly different properties and different absorption capacity. The dough should not be too stiff and should not spill. It is slightly sticky, but it will stick to the sides of the bowl.

Once the dough has been thoroughly kneaded, we can start folding the dough. This means that we fold the dough from the edges towards the top and into the centre. We gradually turn it over to fold all the sides. We are thus creating something like a backpack.

We fold in this way every half hour or so, for about 2 to 3 hours. The first folding is difficult because the dough is still stiff and heavy. Later it will become fluffier and softer.

When folding, you can spread a little flour on your hands to prevent the dough from sticking to them.

After each folding, cover the dough with cling film. After the last folding, shape the dough into the shape of the wrapper. If you don't have a wrapper, you can use a colander lined with a tea towel and lightly dusted with flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the tea towel. The joints caused by folding should be facing upwards.

Do not expect the dough to rise significantly. Compared to conventional yeast dough, the rise is not as pronounced.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, turn the dough out and let it come to room temperature outside. Turn out of the bag onto a baking sheet or baking pan lined with baking paper. Now the joints formed by folding the dough down into the bag will be made. Use a knife to make small indentations in the top of the dough.

Place an empty baking sheet in the oven, on the bottommost part. Preheat it to 250 °C.

Place the dough in the oven and immediately pour about 2 dcl of water onto the prepared empty baking tray and immediately close the door. Bake at 250 °C for about 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, carefully remove the baking tray and lower the temperature to 220 °C. Bake the bread for about 20-30 minutes.

A little test will show whether it is cooked properly. Take a tea towel and press on it with your fingers from the bottom. If it makes the typical rumbling or ringing sound, leave it to cool on a wire rack.

The only thing left to do is to slice it and enjoy the unmistakable taste of sourdough bread.

If the bread is not quite to your liking, check the quality of the sourdough starter. It may not be strong enough, it may be starving or it may need to be cured. You can also consult someone who has been sourdoughing for a long time and has more experience.

Growing sourdough starter and sourdough baking is a little alchemy, but definitely worth it. So fingers crossed, have a good one!