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Traditionally prepared using a sourdough starter and 24-hour ferment, this sandwich loaf is full of flavor. When cool, it slices up well as sandwich bread and also holds up well to being toasted.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups freshly-fed, organic teff sourdough starter
- 2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups organic teff flour
- 1 Tbsp molasses
- 1 Tbsp psyllium husk powder
- 2 tsp unrefined sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine starter and water in bowl, and stir to combine. Add molasses and salt. Stir.
- Add psyllium husk powder and stir. Allow bowl to sit until psyllium husk powder has absorbed the water.
- Add 1 cup teff flour and stir. Add the other 1/2 cup by the tablespoon until batter resembles thick cake batter.
- Pour batter into greased bread pan or loaf pan. Allow to rise, covered, until dough rises to top of pan. (This can take up to 24 hours.)
- Bake at 350°F for 50 minutes. Cool before slicing.
Susanna, How do you make the starter? I’d love to try this. I need a good place to put my grass-fed, happy cow butter. I need it to be gluten free so its perfect. Thanks
Linda
Hi Linda! I made my starter by combining 1/2 cup Teff flour with 1/2 cup water in a glass jar, stir, cover, leave on the counter. 8- 12 hours later, I add 1/2 cup water, stir, then another 1/2 cup Teff flour. I continue that process of feeding every 8-12 hours for 3-4 days. At that point, I generally see bubbles and am getting some rise from the starter an hour or so after feeding.
When this happens, I pour some starter into a reserve jar and keep in the fridge to crackers, pancakes, etc. I continue to add water and flour to the jar on the counter until it’s very active. At that point, I’m ready to make bread.
The process is the same as when making gluten bread, except that I find that I need to feed it 2x/day instead of once.
What teff sourdough starter do you recommend buying?
Hey Lindsey-
Cultures of Health has some, but I’ve never bought any. I make my own.
Thank you Susanna!
I find this recipe exceptional because I had never thought of “Sourdough Teff Bread” before and I’m sure I would love it!
What purpose does the psyllium husk powder serve? ………
I;m imagining it’s to congeal the ingredients. Can you suggest a substitute for psyllium husk powder? ………
Thanks again!
The psyllium husk powder helps hold the bread together, yes. You could try powdered chia seed, but I would not trade it 1:1. Something like 1-2 tsp would be my guess. Otherwise, you could try leaving it out altogether. If eggs aren’t a concern, the addition on an egg might do the trick as well.
I often use ground chia seed as a binder, and keep some in the freezer. The addition of egg does also help considerably.
There is an awful lot of starter in this recipe. However, not being an expert, I followed your instructions. My dough rose quickly because there was too much yeast, and I didn’t notice; it was overproofed. The dough did not hold during baking and caved in the centre of the loaf. I might try again using only a cup or even half a cup of starter; my starter is quite robust. But most likely, I’ll look for a more appropriate sourdough recipe. Your recipe needs an edit, by the way. The list of ingredients should be in the same order as the incorporation of those ingredients. According to your instructions, the ingredients should read: starter, water, molasses, salt, psyllium husk powder, teff flour.
That is great news that you have a good starter! I’m sorry that this recipe did not work for you. It’s the recipe I’ve been using in my home bakery for quite some time though, so I’m quite confident in the recipe itself.
I also list ingredients by amount needed; not order of incorporation. Listing by amount is quite common.
Hello! How do you know that the starter is ready to use? Thank you!
Hi there- I know that my starter is ready to use when it almost doubles in amount within a few hours of feeding it.
I had the same issues as Dream Catcher: the dough rose surprisingly quickly. It topped the pan in under 3 hours. Then it fell when it cooked. However, it was yummy and I will be trying again. Thank you!
I just learned some more helpful advice. First, make sure it rises in a cool place instead of a warm place. That will slow down the rise and give the bread a stronger cell structure. Second, cool the bread slower by turning off the oven and opening the door part way instead of pulling it out. Third, may need to reduce liquid slightly, particularly based on your specific starter. Fourth, take its temp at the bottom of the loaf but not touching the pan. It should be about 200-215. Last, if the crust is done but the loaf isn’t, put foil over the top and cook another 10-20 minutes.
With all this in mind, I’m going to try this recipe again.
I have been gluten free for several years. One of the grain items I’ve missed the most was sourdough rye i made with this same method. I always wished I could find a suitable GF alternative that hit all the same notes. Malty, nutty, sour, dark and dense. This is it. Teff flour. I could not stop eating this! Thank you!
Is there any particular reason for the molasses? I am not too fond of it and it is known to spike blood sugar. Is there any substitute? Thanks!
Great question! I’d be curious to know too.
I bought a sour dough starter from a coop. Is it necessary that the starter be the same type, teff sourdough starter?
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I have been experimenting with my around four week old g-f starter, and this is my favorite recipe so far! I just love it. It reminds me of the bread I grew up with in Germany.
For anyone who might be curious, I feed my starter with a gluten free flour blend and it worked great in this recipe. I did add some extra psyllium husk the second time because it was so sticky the first time.