In times such as these, we are all looking for simple, economic and surefire ways to sustain ourselves.
Bread is the ultimate comfort food, but given the food shortages, bread and especially yeast have become hard-to-find items at the store. I realize that a lot of people are scared right now with the pandemic crisis, but if you look around your kitchen, chances are you have what you need to sustain yourself – you just have to get creative.
Years ago, I wrote an article on 3 ways to make your own yeast and wanted to expand on that in order to help readers see how easy it is to get back to the basics. Making your own bread starter is a great way of simplifying the bread making process and there are advantages to this. By making a starter, you significantly increase your chances of making perfect bread. The reason being is when a starter is established it already has the yeasts activated and the fermentation process naturally occurring. You can read more about the process here. As a result, once the starter gets going, you’ll never need yeast for bread again because the starter will be collecting wild yeast from the air. How cool is that?
I started researching ways of making bread with little to no yeast and wanted to share some information with all of you. I’ve made sourdough starter in the past but started reading more about how bakers get better results with their breadmaking when using boiled potato water.
1. Quicker Rise: Potatoes contain potassium which causes the yeast to rise faster than it would with breads that contain only wheat.
2. Light Crumb: When you boil potatoes, it enlarges the starch molecules. This makes it difficult for the proteins in the flour to form gluten (the enemy of light, airy bread, and pastry).
3. Moist Texture: Potato starches absorb more water than wheat starches, leading to a moist texture.
4. Longer-Shelf Life: The bread will stay soft for days thanks to the potato starch molecules’ ability to keep wheat starches from getting stale.
As I read each of the above-stated points, I was literally on the edge of my seat. That’s exactly how I wanted my homemade bread to be! So, that night I started trying a new sourdough out made with potato water. And guess what? I’ve had success every time with my bread using this starter. It’s literally no fail! And, it’s so versatile, it can used for making other baked goods like cinnamon rolls and English muffins.
Overnight Sourdough Bread Starter
- 2 potatoes, unpeeled (about the size of a large hen egg)
- 2 cups potato water
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 Tbsp. yeast
- 1 cup bread flour
- Boil potato, save potato water (unsalted).
- In a mixing bowl, add cooled potato water, sugar, yeast, and flour.
- Cover with a kitchen towel and allow the mixture to sit overnight.
- Put the mixture in a wide mouth jar and cover loosely–never use a tight-fitting lid. In about five or six days it should be ready.
- Feed starter regularly. Each time you remove a portion of the starter for a recipe, reserve at least 1/4 cup and replace the amount you have taken out with equal amounts of flour and water. I normally feed my starter 1 cup flour and 1 cup filtered water.
Once your starter has been established, its time to start baking some bread! This is my favorite bread recipe and it rises easily, has a crunchy crust, and the dough has great structure.
Basic Bread Recipe
- 1 cup bread starter
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1/2 – 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- Grease bread pan and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, add the starter and remaining ingredients and mix until combined. Note: Add water a little at a time until the consistency is right.
- Knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes until the dough comes together. The trick is to coax the dough into a soft, smooth ball. When you begin to feel air in the mass, it’s approaching the right consistency.
- Add dough to bread pan and brush with melted butter.
- Allow bread to rise for 2-3 hours.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes or until bread is golden brown on top.
If you do not plan to use your bread starter, simply store it in the refrigerator. The cold temperature of the refrigerator will cause the starter to go dormant and can be left for up to three months in the fridge. When you are ready to use your refrigerated starter, take it out of the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature before use.
What is your favorite bread recipe? Help the community by leaving a recipe in the comments.
Tess, just read this article and am eager to try it out. Tried normal starters in the past but, wasn’t using it enough and was wasting a lot of it…not to mention all the flour.
A couple of questions for you on this: you call for butter, can you use ghee instead? And, in your directions, you call for two potatoes and two cups of potato water… I’m assuming you will boil the two potatoes in the two cups of water then save the water? And last, does potato type matter?
Sorry, I’m new to this…can you tell?
Hi Jose,
It’s the water from the boiled potatoes that you will use to make your starter. I used basic Idaho potatoes but I’m sure that any potato will work. And, I’m sure that ghee is fine; I just like to brush a little on top for a little added crunch.
This is pretty stupid. To make bread starter so I don’t need yeast (when I don’t have yeast), I need YEAST! Not terribly bright
Connie,
I’m trying to help people find alternatives to store bought items that may be out of stock at their local stores. Also, feel free to try another sourdough starter like this one.
In all honesty, there is no need to leave rude comments. if you don’t need the recipe or are not interested in trying it out, just move along. It’s that simple.
Thanks,
Tess
Yeah, nice attitude!!
Hi, Tess. I’ve never made bread before so excuse this if it’s a dumb question but what makes this “sourdough?” Thanks!
Hi Dee,
I feel that we are all here to learn from each other, so no question is ever dumb. I know that trying a new recipe can be challenging. What makes sourdough “sour is the fermentation process that naturally occurs in the starter.
I love this post. The potato water makes perfect sense and I love sourdough.
This seems like a very doable recipe for me as I make about 1 loaf of bread per week!
Thank you for posting this!
I’m looking forward to trying this! This time of year, we frequently leave windows open for the fresh cool air. Should I wrap a towel around the bowl/jar until the kitchen remains at warm temperature (like 65+ degrees F)? I’m afraid the cool mornings will prevent my starter from growing or kill it once it’s established. I also assume room temperature water is fine when replacing what is removed.
This is a question rather than a comment.
When you are feeding the starter mix after using a portion, should you also replenish the potato water periodically? And if you don’t, will the sourdough still maintain the beneficial “potatoey” qualities?
Thanks!
After you let the starter sit overnight and then put it in the jar for 5 days, do you feed it at all during the 5 day waiting period? Thanks
Hi Lora,
You will want to feed your starter every day. I normally feed mine a 1:1 portion of water and flour.