Garlic Parmesan Sourdough Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to good sourdough bread? ›

There are two main acids produced in a sourdough culture: lactic acid and acetic acid. Acetic acid, or vinegar, is the acid that gives sourdough much of its tang. Giving acetic acid-producing organisms optimal conditions to thrive and multiply will produce a more tangy finished product.

What Happens If You Feed a Sourdough Starter Too Much Flour? If you add more flour than water into your sourdough starter jar, it will be a very stiff starter. This is not always a bad thing, and sometimes extra flour is necessary to rectify a runny starter or make the starter peak at a later time.

I love the combination of cheddar, gruyere, Havarti, and parmesan here. It gives the grilled cheese a slightly elevated and gourmet feel. Some other great cheese options would be mozzarella, brie, gouda, pepper jack, Monterey jack cheese, or American cheese.

The signature sourdough flavor comes from a combination of lactic and acetic acids, created as the dough rises and ferments. Refrigerating the dough encourages the production of more acetic acid, which is the tangier of the two. Thus, this bread with its refrigerated starter has the ideal balance of sour flavor.

The best flour blend for creating a new sourdough starter is 50% whole-meal flour (whole wheat or whole rye) and 50% bread flour or all-purpose flour. I recommend a 50/50 mix of whole wheat flour and bread flour. Why do you need to use these two types of flour?

For more tang: Incorporate some rye flour and/or whole wheat flour early in the bread-making process, such as when feeding the mother culture and the preferment. Rye flour in particular will help your culture produce some acetic acid.

Longer fermentation

When it comes time to proof your dough, the longer you proof, the more sour the dough will be. As your dough proofs, the good bacteria eats up sugars and starches in the flour. This decreases the sweet undertone and creates a more sour undertone.

Sourdough bread may be easier to digest than white bread for some people. According to some studies, sourdough bread acts as a prebiotic, which means that the fiber in the bread helps feed the “good” bacteria in your intestines. These bacteria are important for maintaining a stable, healthy digestive system.

And you guessed it..the more starter you use, the faster your dough will ferment - resulting in a less sour loaf. Using less starter in your recipe will help slow down the fermentation process.

Do I have to discard sourdough starter? ›

Room-temperature starter should be fed every 12 hours (twice a day) using the standard maintenance feeding procedure: discard all but 113g, and feed that 113g starter with 113g each water and flour.

Typical signs of food spoilage and mold include pink, orange, or green colors, white fuzzy spots, or sometimes areas that are darker with white areas on top. If you see any of these signs, I would recommend throwing your starter away and creating a new one.

Slice loaf of sourdough bread into 8 slices. Place 5-6 ounces of thinly sliced deli ham, smoked turkey, and pastrami onto 4 slices of bread. Place slices of onion on top of meat. Add slices of green pepper to sandwich.

Yes. Choose whatever cheese you like. I think sharp cheddar pairs really well with this bread. If you prefer chunks of cheese instead of grated cheese, you can also cut the cheese into small chunks.

It does, and it tastes delicious. If you love peanut butter, this is the one for you.

Longer fermentation

As your dough proofs, the good bacteria eats up sugars and starches in the flour. This decreases the sweet undertone and creates a more sour undertone. The longer you ferment, the more starches and sugars the bacteria eats, and the more sour your bread will be.

You can get the sourdough starter to rise more by putting it next to the stove while you're cooking. The warmth from the stove can help to activate the yeast in the starter and make it rise more. For dough you should cover it with a damp cloth or plastic wrap so that it doesn't dry out.

You'll find I use honey in many of my recipes. I love to use it in my no-knead 100% whole wheat sourdough bread because it makes it much softer and less dense than it would be without it. Subbing it in recipes that call for sugar is not usually as simple as a one-to-one sub, though.

Think Beyond White Flour

Instead of going 100 percent white, try mixing in 10 percent to 30 percent of another flour. Consider rye, spelt, hard winter wheat, or whatever special wheats your local mill carries. This is a painless way to layer deep, robust notes into your sourdough.