Rosemary Sourdough Bread
The Story
A few months ago, we started introducing more fermented foods into our family's diet, including kombucha, sauerkraut, and sourdough. Why? For gut health. According to my partner, these foods naturally contain probiotics, which repopulate the friendly gut bacteria. This can help with everything from digestion to sleep!
We're no experts on these subjects, but we're passionate foodies, learning through discovery. My first introduction to sourdough was through a friend, ten years ago, who gifted me a jar of his family's multi-generational, age-old, ultra-awesome sourdough starter, straight from the Yukon. I learned that sourdough bread is made from the "starter," which contains the culture, mixed with new flour and water. This culture expands as it is "fed," and so it lasts as long as it is maintained.
Sourdough is an everlasting "living" food that moves, breathes, and evolves over time, so I had the opportunity to see its subtle variances in texture, taste, and hue. Apparently, sourdough has a personality and preferences, e.g. water quality and room temperature, and in a worst case scenario it may turn pink and stinky–signs that the sourdough is unhappy. Somehow, this happened to my first batch, and I had to let it go. :(
This time, we found a fantastic source for gluten-free sourdough starter, called Cultures For Health, with products and resources about sourdough, along with kefir, kombucha, yogurt, and other cultured foods. We're a few months invested into our current brew of sourdough starter now, and we've had great successes with a pancakes and breads. We simply add equal parts water and brown rice flower every once in awhile, and the sourdough amplifies endlessly.
The Benefits
Sourdough bread is said to be superior in health benefits, compared to other breads! Here's an excellent article and video on this subject: Why Sourdough Is The Healthiest Bread - Explained. I mentioned the fact that sourdough bread sustained the Eskimos through cold winter weather in the 1800s. Also, the tangy, sour flavor is coveted by some of us as a pleasant taste along with a flavor enhancer, similar to the way sour tomatoes enhance salads, and sour lemons enhance ginger tea. Personally, I savor the flavor of sourdough.
The Recipe
Ingredients: 2 C sourdough starter (actively bubbling), 2 C flour (gluten-free, i.e. brown rice flour), 2 T coconut oil, 1 T cane sugar, 1 t sea salt, 2" sprig of fresh rosemary, and optionally <1 C water (warm).
Instructions: Coat your 9"x5" bread pan with 1 T coconut oil. In a mixing bowl, mix your sourdough starter with the gluten-free flour of your choice, such as brown rice four, and stir together with cane sugar and sea salt. Note: Examine the consistency of your mixture, adding water if necessary to create a cake batter consistency. Because the consistency of sourdough starter varies in every household, you'll want to be careful with the amount of water you add, because: (1) too much water will result in bread that is overly moist in the middle; and (2) too little water will result in bread that is overly dry. Cake batter is a good consistency to aim for. Pour your dough into the coated pan. In a skillet, gently sauté your rosemary sprig (green herb only) in the remaining coconut oil, achieving a nice crisp texture with the rosemary. Artistically, decorate the top of your dough with this rosemary/coconut drizzle.
Wishing you an incredible edible day!
–Cabe
