People ask what's in our sourdough. The answer is short: flour, water, salt and starter. What takes longer to explain is the time.
The schedule
- Mixed at 2pm on day one, after the starter has been fed that morning
- Folded four times over the afternoon to build strength
- Shaped at 8pm and moved to the fridge overnight, and the whole next day
- Baked at 4am on day three, on the shelves by 7
Why the cold matters
At fridge temperature the yeast slows right down, but the bacteria in the starter keep working. They make the acids that give sourdough its tang and help the loaf keep for four or five days instead of one.
A slow loaf is a better loaf. There isn't a shortcut we've found that tastes the same.
