Sourdough Starter and a Healthy Gut

This week I have been busy watching my sourdough starter culture grow – it is fascinating to say the very least and such a lesson on life. I am interested in trying my hand at sourdough for a few reasons but there's no time like right now to get going with it.…

Actually I just love to cook, bake and eat – so that’s reason number one right there. I also love bread – good bread and I must say I get the most wonderful comments on my Irish Soda Bread from all over. And I wanted to expand out my bread experiences.

Then there is the adventure aspect of learning something new and doing something from the absolute beginning – then seeing it turn into a final product. One that only you and your own hands produced.

I love that part of it far more then anything else. I like that the starter culture which grows is mine and most likely unique to me, my family and the place where I live.

It has our own unique bugs in there – and that reflects the health of our guts. Which after many years of detox, healing, fasting, cleanses and being very careful with our diets are finally about as whole as they are going to be.

Right now I am eating a wider range of foods (all homemade) then I have ever eaten, organic, fresh, real and wholesome. And my energy is good, my digestion is good – I can actually sense more ‘life’ in my gut.

It feels different. Especially after this last cleanse – 30 days on water and herbal tea. Of course I would be different, it was life changing and I would recommend it to anyone. (supervised by a nutritionist might be better!)

So, back to my sourdough starter….on day 1, I placed some rye flour and some water (clean well water) in a jar, stirred it for 30 seconds and put the lid on. Then left it in the warmest spot in the kitchen for 24 hours.

Day 2 – I took out about ½ of the mixture and added another 2 -3 tablespoons rye flour and 2 tablespoons water, stirred for 30 seconds and then left it to stand for 24 hours in the warm place.

On day 3, I did the exact same thing. Then on day 4 it had bubbled up (you can see the air bubbles), it smelled sweeter – I threw out a little more then ½ of the mixture and then replaced it with more rye flour and water.

No, I was not fussing about exact measurements. I just added what looked like enough (the flour feeds the culture) flour and water and then stirred. I always use a  clean spoon for everything – the flour, then the water and stirring.

By day 5 I had a growing sourdough culture that was easily doubling in size (or nearly triple) in the 24 hours. It smelled slightly fruity and nice….on day 6 I used it for the first time….

And as of right now I have a sour dough bread rising (it’s a slow process) in the warm spot. I will keep you posted on how this goes…and my recipe tomorrow!

April

Sourdough Rye Starter