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Did I ever mention how much I just LOVE sourdough? Well, apart from the deliciously tangy and flavorful taste, Did you know that it is actually pretty healthy? It seems that the wild yeast used to produce this wonderful bread actually changes the nature of the starches in the bread and cause less spikes in blood sugar levels; You can read more about this study here. Sourdough breads are traditionally made with a wild starter culture that is "fed" and left to develop the yeast and enzyme activity. These types of breads are usually a bit more high maintenance to make, but the resulting breads are generally far more superior in both the taste and nutritional value. Peter Reinhart's version goes into depth about the making of the seed culture and feeding it to develop the "barm" that is used to make a mother starter. You can read all about this and get the recipe here.
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Adam happily bubbling away

If you have been following along this challenge with me, you know that I have been using wild yeast the entire time in place of commercial yeast in all the recipes thus far. Here is my starter; "Adam" once again active for his role in the making of the delicious bread.

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the dough will be a little sticky
Here is the mother dough which has the consistency of french bread and needs to be left to rise for about 4 hours or so until it doubles in size. Then it goes into the fridge overnight.

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dough ready for the bulk rising
The next day I took the mother starter and let it come to room temp for one hour before proceeding. When making the final dough, I substituted whole wheat flour for half the bread flour, to get some beneficial fiber into the mix. I then let it rise again, so they doubled in size before splitting them up into boules.

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wish you could smell this
Somehow I know this photo doesn't really do much justice for this bread. The taste is extraordinary if you like sourdough, and will make you forget how hard you worked to make it.
yeastspotted.