Sourdough gives flavor and leavening power to the rye bread. Once you get a sourdough, it can last forever because it is renewed every time it is baked. There are several ways to acquire a sourdough:

• • Get it from family, colleagues or new friends via #rugkop
• • Buy it from your baker
• • Make your own sourdough in 4-6 days (recipe below).

Sourdough is an organic mass in which lactic acid bacteria and yeast cells multiply actively. Therefore, the sourdough can also change its appearance. It may bubble, it may be separated with brownish liquid at the top, or it may look like a lump of dough.

It is difficult to destroy a sourdough. A little wheat flour and water plus possibly a little yeast can refresh an inactive sourdough. Otherwise, a few rounds of baking can usually get it going again. An inactive sourdough causes the bread to rise less and requires an extension of the rising time. Try yourself out. Rye bread also tastes good, although it is not risen and is therefore more compact.

Recipe for sourdough :

1. Mix 1.5 dl water with 0.5 dl wheat flour, 0.5 dl whole wheat flour and 0.5 rye flour in the rye cup or a container with a loose lid. (the wholemeal flour can be any kind)
2. Leave it at room temperature for 4 days. Stir it daily. It should bubble a little and smell sour. If it does not, it must be left for a few more days. (see the activity over 6 days in the video below)

Storage of sourdough :

Sourdough with rye flour is acidic and therefore very rarely moulds. It can last several months in the fridge. It can separate in brown water and milk pastes, but then just needs to be stirred. It can "fall asleep" in the fridge and become inactive if it is not used for several weeks, but then it just needs to be left for a few days at room temperature with a tbsp. rye flour or wheat flour every day until it shows bubbles and activity. The more often you bake, the more active the sourdough becomes. If you bake once a week, it just needs to be left on the kitchen table and does not need to be fed. If it really smells terrible, the wrong bacteria may have taken over and you have to throw it out and make a new one.