It is rather early in the process to share this out, but I’m so excited about it that I just can’t wait. I’ve started to make sourdough starter from einkorn flour and although it isn’t ready for baking yet, it’s actually started to bubble and show signs of life. It takes quite a few days to get it started, and then regular maintenance to keep it going, so why do it at all you might ask. Basically I’m doing it for taste, for health, and for optimum digestibility.
I first got interested in sourdough a few years ago when I read an article about a baker in California somewhere (San Jose?) that made sourdough bread that people with gluten sensitivities could actually digest. His starter was especially potent and his stand at the farmer’s market was so famous that he got into a national magazine about it. (I can’t remember which one~ it was years ago but I do remember I was reading the article in a doctor’s office waiting room so I couldn’t take it home.) Considering my sons and I have had issues with gluten for many years, I wanted to hear more about what makes sourdough more easily digested. After looking into it, I found out it has to do with the fermentation process which balances prebiotics and probiotics in any kind of fermented food such as yogurt of kimchee, which we all know are foods recommended for digestive health. It also seems that sourdough degrades gluten a bit in the baking process, unlike baker’s yeast, although it doesn’t degrade it completely so celiacs need to stick with gluten-free sourdough breads. Sourdough’s digestibility also has to do with the wild yeasts present, instead of baker’s yeast, which is over used and many people have mild to severe intolerances to it, whether they are aware of it or not. Sourdough bread also causes less of a sugar spike according to several studies, and is generally considered to have a lower glycemic index number than other breads.
Not all commercially prepared sourdough breads are necessarily good options. Look for artisan loaves at your local grocery store or farmer’s market, or join me in making your own! I’ve been following the YouTube tutorials by Jovial Food’s founder, Carla Bartolucci, as well as the tutorial in her book, Einkorn. She uses einkorn flour to make sourdough starter, and to bake all of her breads with, because einkorn is an ancient form of wheat that is also known to be more digestible than our current wheat today, even by some who have gluten intolerances. Einkorn still contains gluten, but due to the make-up and action of the gluten in this grain compared to modern wheat, it reacts differently in baking and also our bodies react differently to it. Baking with it is a little trickier than with modern wheat, which is why it has been largely ignored in the mass marketplace, but as Barolucci explains in her book, that ‘flaw’ is probably the same mechanism that makes it a blessing to those of us with sensitive digestive systems. I’ve made cinnamon scones and bread with einkorn before, and seem to be able to digest it, but I’ve also put a lot of effort into healing my intolerances. I’m excited to bake with sourdough and see if I can really make some breads that the whole family can eat, enjoy, and digest without any problems.
Here’s what I have so far: 
It took about six days for the starter to show any signs of life, and it’s still not quite ready to bake with because according to Bartolucci, the starter needs to bubble up within six to ten hours of refreshing to be truly ready for the job of baking bread. Mine is close. I’ll post pics on Instagram as soon as I get a loaf baked. I’m not in any hurry though, knowing that this starter will last forever, as long as it gets routinely refreshed. I feel like I have a lifetime to work with it and am happy I’ll be able to pass some of it on to friends and family who bake.
Here’s what refreshing looks like by the way:
Push away the top layer of the starter and scoop out the better looking stuff underneath into a fresh bowl.
Add warm water and stir it up into a creamy state.
Add more flour, mix it all together and form a ball, then place it in a clean container with a lid and let it rest for 12-24 hours.
Have you baked with sourdough before? Do you have a starter of your own that has a story? I’d love to hear how long you have had your starter and how you first obtained it~ whether it was given to you or you started from scratch like I’m doing. Any tips and tricks would be appreciated too! Thank you for reading, sharing, and subscribing.
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