Tuateawa sourdough

Bread making is great. You can change the shape and make loaves, buns, naan etc., alter the ingredients and make it sweet or savoury, put things on it and have a pizza or in it and get calzonni, quiche or Chelsea buns. Sourdough bread has its own special flavour and texture. You can't beat it but you need a sourdough starter and you can't buy it you have to make it. Starters are cultures of wild yeast and acid producing bacteria. They don't all come out the same but when you get a good one don't loose it, it's precious.

Sourdough starter

My starter is Tuateawa made and has two special Tuateawa ingredients: air and honey.

Bees travel far and, in theory, their honey should be a great source of wild yeast and beneficial bacteria. Our air gets around too. We don't grow our own rye so I rely on the organic shop for rye flour.

Ann's starter



1 cup organic rye flour



1 Tablespoon Tuateawa honey



2 cups warm water

Dissolve honey in the water in a bowl, add flour and mix well. Cover with muslin, to keep out flies and let in yeast spores, and leave outside for 3-4 days until it starts to bubble. You've got some yeast! Transfer to a big jar and add 1 Tablespoon high-grade flour and half a cup of warm water. Repeat every 2 days. You'll know it's working well when you get a layer of clear "hooch" on the top and it smells vinegary. If there is any pink or green colour and/or it smells like nail polish remover, it is infected. Throw away and try again. Your starter will just get better and better but don't forget to feed it. When you feel it is growing well take a cupful and freeze, then you can revive it if the original gets contaminated.

Ready to rise

The baked loaves

Purists use only the starter to rise their bread. I've done it but it takes hours or even overnight. I use "Surebake" yeast to rise my bread and add the starter to any recipe. The starter gives the bread a special flavour and texture, a thick crust with a caramel taste and light, elastic crumb structure.