Zuurdesem Brood, Sourdough Starter

Sourdough Starter, the REAL one! © by Tony van Roon

Makes about 125 gram

Day 1:
Mix 8 heaping tablespoons 100% whole wheat flour with enough warm (distilled) water to make a thick, porridge like mixture. Cover this mixture with a moist towel and let it rise on a draft-free warm location for 24 hours. You can double this recipe for your convenience and keep half of it in the refrigerator.

Day 2:
Stir the mixture 3 times a day.

Day 3:
Stir the mixture again 3 times a day.

Day 4:
Add 3 heaping tablespoons of 100% whole wheat flour and a bit of warm distilled water. Stir this mixture again 3 times daily.

Day 5:
Same as Day 4!

Day 6:
The dough is ready when you see little bubbles coming from the mixture.
I use distilled water (purchased from the drugstore), for sourdough, because my area of living contains very hard water and contaminents like chlorine and others added by the city.
Don't be fooled by the sour smell (like barf) of this mixture, this is what the dough needs to rise and provides the sour taste to the bread, which taste really good. Use this starter as your see fit or with the Original Sourdough Bread Recipe.

This particular starter originates from The Netherlands and was used by my family for generations, so a very long time (pre 1900), before the ready-to-use dry yeast now found in every supermarket. Through the very long rise time (5 to 6 hours) most of the nutrients will be partly broken down which means that it will be better absorbed by the body. Also, this old Dutch bread will be good for at least 2 weeks! Making this bread yourself is very easy and a blessing for the digestive system. It will asure you of a soft stool. This bread has a specific, light sour taste and the original Dutch name for the bread with this sourdough was called "Zuurdesem Brood".