Wow! What a winter that was! We here things in Minnesota were pretty brutal and we were happy to have been away, taking our sourdough starter all across the USA on an amazing road trip and picking up wild yeasts from the South West and West Coast of the USA. We are now back and baking again. Our bakery is open for business again and looking forward to a lovely growing season in 2022.

On Sunday, April 19, 2020, Our Urban Farm hosted our first online sourdough pasta making class. It was a ton of fun!

To help spread the joy of sourdough pasta even further, we are posting the class online in a form that is intended to help anyone follow along with the class to begin baking their own sourdough pasta. Rather than sitting down and watching the following videos from the class, which were recorded live during the class, we encourage you to spend a day, making your own pasta as you watch the videos. During the class there will be specific references to times of the day. The live class began at 10 AM. The exact timing will vary somewhat. Sourdough pasta is much less time-sensitive than sourdough bread.

Before starting the class, you should already have made your sourdough starter and leaven. Instructions for making your own sourdough starter are here. If you prefer (and you live in the Twin Cities, Minnesota area) you can purchase starter here.

The Basic Steps We Follow:

• Prepare the dough.

• Let it rest, hydrate and ferment

• Knead and shape the dough into noodles. We demonstrate shells, bow tie and hand-cut noodles.

Part 1: Preparing Your Pasta Dough

Part 2: Shaping, Cutting and Cooking

Recently, thanks to George and Mike, my partner and I have been eating sourdough bread instead of the type of breads we were raised with. Yesterday, I unwittingly ran an experiment.

For lunch I had a large bowl of homemade lentil soup. I have no idea how many carbohydrates are in that bowl. What I do know is the next few hours were fraught with “signs” that my blood sugar had spiked. Then, of course, it crashed and it was naptime. For those who don’t know, taking a 20 minute nap frequently resets the body.

Later that afternoon we baked a loaf of delicious sourdough bread. I ate two slices slathered with olive oil. George and Mike have told me more than once that this bread is very low on the glycemic index. What I know from my experience yesterday is that they must be correct. One bowl of soup took me out for hours while two thick slices of bread did nothing but sate my appetite and give me energy.

We are so grateful for our sourdough and look forward to making pasta, pizza crust and other yummy things together.

Thanks guys!

On Sunday, March 29, 2020, Our Urban Farm hosted our first online sourdough bread baking class. It was a ton of fun!

To help spread the joy of sourdough bread baking even farther, we are posting the class online in a form that is intended to help anyone follow along with the class to begin baking their own sourdough bread. Rather than sitting down and watching the following videos from the class, which were recorded live during the class, we encourage you to spend a day, making your own bread as you watch the videos. During the class there will be specific references to times of the day. The live class began at 8 AM. If you are starting watching the videos at a different time, you will need to adjust your times accordingly.

Before starting the class, you should already have made your sourdough starter and leaven. Instructions for making your own sourdough starter are here. If you prefer (and you live in the Twin Cities, Minnesota area) you can purchase starter here. The night before starting this video series (and baking your sourdough bread) you should make your leaven, which is used in making your sourdough.

Things you will need when the class starts:

• Your leaven (in a large mixing bowl)

• 1.75 cups of dechlorinated water (dechlorinate water by leaving it sit out on the counter for about 24 hours)

• 4.5 to 5 cups of organic wheat bread flour or all purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon of salt

• A bread proofing basket (optionally, you may use a colander with a smooth hand towel)

• A cookie sheet or dutch oven

Once you have those things, watch these videos and bake your bread along with the class!

The Basic Steps We Follow:

• Make leaven the night before using 2 tablespoons of starter, 1/3 cup of dechlorinated water and 1/2 cup of flour.

• In the morning, add 1.5 cups of dechlorinated water to the leaven and mix it. Then add 4 cups of flour. Mix well.

• Let sit for at least an hour.

• Dissolve 1 tablespoon of salt in 1/4 cup of dechlorinated water and add it to the dough and mix well then knead until the dough is smooth.

• Shape the dough and place in proofing basket. Place the proofing basket in a plastic bag and let rise until proofed well.

• Bake at 500 degrees for 20 minutes. Then reduce temperature to 450. Cook until the crust is dark.

Part 1: Preparing Your Bread Dough

Part 2: Kneading, Setting Up & Proofing

Part 3: Washing, Scoring & Baking

Part 4: Your Finished Bread!