Getting Baked with Rhino
After successfully tackling the outdoor cooking world, I’ve decided to bring the deliciousness indoors. I am trying my hand at sourdough breads.
I created my own starter in 2017, but I didn’t bake much. The starter had gone a year without being fed. It got a little ‘funky’ in the fridge, so I tossed it.
In 2023, I had the opportunity to take a Sourdough 101 Class. The instructor was Jenny Rader-Bakos, the sourdough queen of Let’s Get Sourdough Baked. I learned a lot of techniques that were missing from my first baking rodeo. From the class, Jenny gave me two starters, “Kill Bill Vol. 2” (KB2) and “Florence”.
KB2 was Jenny’s year-old creation. We used it in the class to make our own loaf of take-and-bake. “Florence” was given as a dried starter.
Florence immigrated (legally) to the United States with an Italian family member of a friend of Jenny’s. The friend gifted Florence to Jenny and told her that Florence was “‘born” around 1900. This made her about 123 years old when she made it to my kitchen.
I “woke” Florence up in December of 2024 to share with a friend and bake up some deliciousness. Delicious she was so I decided to share her with friends who wanted to try their hand at sourdough awesomeness.
How to Revive / Wake Up Dried Sourdough Starter
No need to re-create the narrative of how to ‘wake’ up a dried sourdough starter. I recommend checking out the MANY tutorials available online. The links below are pretty simple and easy to follow.
NOTE: You can use All-Purpose Flour (AP) instead of Bread Flour, if that’s what you have in the pantry. I use AP more than Bread Flour with great results. If you’re going to us AP, I suggest using unbleached. The most important thing is to not overthink the sourdough process and to HAVE FUN!
Revival Tutorials:
1847 Oregon Trail Starter:
https://carlsfriends.net/revive.html
(Great resource from a nonprofit dedicated to preserving “Carl”, the 1847 Sourdough Starter.)
A Beautiful Plate:
https://www.abeautifulplate.com/how-to-revive-dried-sourdough-starter/
(A for profit blogger with great free pictures, tutorials, and recipes!)
My Go-To Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe
Since so many of you have asked about the sandwich bread I make, here’s exactly how I do it. It’s simple, delicious, and makes the best toast and sandwiches. Let’s get baking!
Step 1: Mix the Wet Ingredients
In a large glass mixing bowl, whisk together:
- 250g active sourdough starter
- 600g warm water
- 25g agave nectar (I grab mine from Costco, but honey works too!)
- 30g extra virgin olive oil
Step 2: Add the Dry Ingredients
Mix in:
- 1000g all-purpose flour (or do a 50/50 blend with bread flour if you have it—unbleached is best)
- 20g sea salt (fine or table grind)
The dough will be sticky and “shaggy” at this stage—totally normal! Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm-ish spot for one hour. This step allows the flour to fully absorb the liquid.
💡 Tip: If your house is chilly, place the bowl in your oven. Keep just the oven light on. It creates a cozy, slightly warm environment.
Step 3: Strengthen the Dough
After an hour, the dough will still be sticky. That’s where we start working it!
- Wet your hands (this prevents sticking).
- In the bowl, fold the dough over itself a few times, shaping it into a rough ball.
- Cover again and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Now, we do a series of three stretch-and-folds, each spaced 30 minutes apart:
- Grab one side of the dough, stretch it upward, then fold it over itself.
- Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat.
- Do this all the way around the dough.
After the third stretch-and-fold, drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the dough. Gently rub it all over the surface and around the inside of the bowl. Cover again and let it bulk ferment for 8–12 hours, until it doubles in size.
Step 4: Shape the Loaves
Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Shape it into a ball, then divide it in half.
- Lightly flour your hands if needed, but don’t go overboard!
- Take each half, stretch it into a rectangle, and roll it up like a cinnamon roll.
- Tuck the ends under, then place the dough seam-side down into a greased 9”x5” loaf pan.
Cover the pans with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let the loaves rise again. They should reach about an inch above the rim.
💡 Want a more pronounced sourdough tang? Do not proof at room temperature. Put the dough in the fridge for 8 to 18 hours for a slow ferment.
Step 5: Bake the Bread
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Uncover the loaves and score the tops however you like.
- Bake for 25 minutes, then rotate the pans and bake for another 25 minutes.
For perfectly baked bread, use an instant-read thermometer—the internal temp should be at least 205°F, but not more than 212°F.
Step 6: Cool & Store
Once baked, let the loaves rest in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing—at least an hour, maybe two.
(If you cut too soon, the inside will be gummy. Think of it like resting a steak. Let it do its thing!)
For storage, I either:
- Wrap the loaves in plastic wrap and leave them on the counter, or
- Store them in a big Ziploc bag to keep them fresh.
If you’re on Facebook and want to find a safe place to learn, join the Sourdough for Beginners group. It’s a great way to grow with your sourdough adventures!
