Murdo recipe

Murdo

Dunfermline, United Kingdom
Perfect sourdough

Mixture

100%
Liquid Flour Other
Murdo

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Since 2014

I have always loved good bread, but in the UK it is difficult to find - especially rye breads (I am Scandinavian, and we enjoy a lot of rye!). So I decided to try baking my own.

Characteristics

Murdo is very hardy, and bounces back quickly after a period of neglect. He is very easy to maintain in the fridge, where he has a light fluffy honeycomb texture after fermentation. After 4-5 days a tough layer forms on the surface, but no hooch. When missed with larger quantities of wheat flour and water, Murdo produces nice glutenous liquid levain with fine bubbles.

Taste & flavour

Murdo top shot
Murdo jar shot
Murdo front shot
Murdo rising shot

Recipe

Starting ingredients

  • 25g Wholemeal rye flour
  • 50g Water
  • 25g Wholemeal rye flour
  • 50g Water
  • 25g Wholemeal rye flour
  • 50g Water

Feeding ingredients

  • 50g Rye starter
  • 50% Water
  • 50% Flour
  • 50% Wholemeal rye flour
  • 50% Water
1
I bake once a week or so, and the night before a bake I take my starter out of the fridge and use a tablespoonful or so to start building up a starter to bake with. This is usually around 50g of rye starter at 100% hydration.
50g Rye starter
2
I then add equal weights of water and flour to give me around 250-300g of starter to use in my bake. So my rye starter is used to build a larger quantity of starter for my dough. Depending on what I am baking, this leaving can be made using mostly wheat flour, rye flour, or whatever is suitable for the bake.
50% Water 50% Flour
3
To my jar of rye starter, I add wholemeal rye flour and water in equal weights, stir, cover and out back in the fridge until next time. I only keep a small amount of starter in the fridge and don't discard.
50% Wholemeal rye flour 50% Water

Working method

1
Mix 25g organic wholemeal rye flour and 50g water, cover and place somewhere warm for 24 hours.
25g Wholemeal rye flour 50g Water
2
Add 25g wholemeal rye flour and 50g water to the previous day's mix. Cover and place somewhere warm for 24 hours.
25g Wholemeal rye flour 50g Water
3
Repeat these instructions two more days. By Day 5 you should be ready to bake, and switch to feeding your established starter with equal weight flour and water (for a 100% hydration starter).
25g Wholemeal rye flour 50g Water

Result

Breads

Bere and rye (bere is an ancient form of barley); emmer; rye and wheat; seeded rye.
Murdo Breads first overview
Murdo Breads second overview
Murdo Breads first slice
Murdo Breads second slice

Danish style seeded rye bread

A heavy, moist seeded rye bread.
Murdo Danish style seeded rye bread first overview
Murdo Danish style seeded rye bread second overview
Murdo Danish style seeded rye bread first slice
Murdo Danish style seeded rye bread second slice

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