Once you have an active starter, these three recipes cover your everyday baking needs. All made with a bread machine overnight — wake up, shape, rise, bake. The sourdough process means these are gentler on the gut and better for gluten-sensitive families than anything from a shop.
🍞 Sourdough Bread — under R20 a loaf
Ingredients:
- 1¼ cup water
- 140g bubbly sourdough starter
- ¼ cup butter or oil
- 3½ cups flour
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Method: Add all ingredients into bread machine the night before. Set to "Levern Dough" and leave overnight. Next morning, remove, shape into a loaf, place in a pan, let rise until doubled in size. Bake at 180°C for 45 minutes. Prep: 5 min. Bake: 45 min.
🥖 Sourdough Buns & Rolls — under R17 per batch
Perfect for braai rolls and burger buns. Cheaper than shop-bought and genuinely better.
Ingredients:
- 1⅔ cups water
- 2 tsp yeast
- 180g sourdough discard
- 2 tbsp butter or oil
- 4⅓ cups flour
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
Method: Add all ingredients to bread machine, set to "Levern Dough". Once done, shape into buns or rolls. Cover and let rise until puffy. Bake at 180°C for 15–20 minutes.
🍝 Sourdough Pasta — 4–6 servings
No pasta machine needed. Rich, filling, far better than a packet.
Ingredients:
- 300g flour
- 3 eggs
- 40g fresh sourdough discard
Method: Combine eggs and sourdough discard. In a stand mixer with dough hook (or knead by hand), mix with flour until combined. Knead on medium 4–6 minutes. Rest 1 hour. Divide into 4 pieces. Roll each piece paper-thin, roll up, cut into 2cm strands. Boil in salted water for exactly 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
Tips from The Hutchi Homestead
- The wetter your starter the more sour the flavour — adjust water in starter to taste
- If your bread is too dense, let the starter get more active before baking (it should be domed, not flat)
- Don't open the oven during baking — it causes the loaf to collapse
- Slice only once completely cooled — the inside continues cooking after removal
