Sourdough breadmaking
Discussion
We usually eat one loaf fresh (always taste best when just baked!) then, when fully cool cut the rest of the loaves in half, polybag each half individually and freeze. Reason for halving is between the 2 of us thats about our normal daily consumption.
Take out of the freezer a couple of hours before you need it, or if you forget - microwave from frozen for a couple of 30 second bursts, and it will be sliceable.
Take out of the freezer a couple of hours before you need it, or if you forget - microwave from frozen for a couple of 30 second bursts, and it will be sliceable.
My second attempt from a starter; first attempt at Rye bread.
Initially it released a lot of water and was way too wet, so extra flour added and re-rolled:
Prove overnight, turned out, left for two hours on the tray, and baked.
Not quite enough if you look closely.
It was very nice, and the (near enough pure, now) rye starter smells fanstastic!
A great way to get a 4 y.o. into cooking, too.
Initially it released a lot of water and was way too wet, so extra flour added and re-rolled:
Prove overnight, turned out, left for two hours on the tray, and baked.
Not quite enough if you look closely.
It was very nice, and the (near enough pure, now) rye starter smells fanstastic!
A great way to get a 4 y.o. into cooking, too.
Edited by grumbledoak on Wednesday 8th May 13:00
The rye loaf looks good, I definitely find that rye in the starter makes it more active - at least with the flour I am using.
My next attempt is going to be a half rye starter with all white flour as I'm thinking that might give me the best taste - but we'll see.
Need to finish my first attempt at croissants first!
My next attempt is going to be a half rye starter with all white flour as I'm thinking that might give me the best taste - but we'll see.
Need to finish my first attempt at croissants first!
JRM said:
My next attempt is going to be a half rye starter with all white flour as I'm thinking that might give me the best taste - but we'll see.
Need to finish my first attempt at croissants first!
Thats exactly the mix I use -Need to finish my first attempt at croissants first!
Starter =50/50 rye/strong white
Flour =100% strong white
Let us have photos of your croissants when done!
Right, did 1/2 your recipe, still not had time to get a bigger bowl and its a faff dealing with it in two bowl set up. Doubled in size, knocking back shortly.
Edit 09:50. This is bugging me now. I went from a vigourous rising mass twice what it was last night, knocked back around 08:00 and have two loaves doing nothing. I am getting something fundamentally wrong. Giving it more time.
Edit 2. Scrub that. I am being impatient, it lives....
Edit 09:50. This is bugging me now. I went from a vigourous rising mass twice what it was last night, knocked back around 08:00 and have two loaves doing nothing. I am getting something fundamentally wrong. Giving it more time.
Edit 2. Scrub that. I am being impatient, it lives....
Edited by jmorgan on Thursday 9th May 09:51
Edited by jmorgan on Thursday 9th May 10:23
Yep you are being a bit impatient Jeff!
My overnight rise normally takes between 6 and 8 hours depending on room temperature and how active the starter is. I would say that it has normally [MORE THAN DOUBLED] in size by the time I knock back, in fact its often overflowing out of the bowl.
Once knocked back and in the tins it will take between 2 and 4 hours to have doubled in size again, dependant on room temp, so yes, I think you are expecting results too fast!
Sourdough bread may be easy to make but fast food it aint!
My overnight rise normally takes between 6 and 8 hours depending on room temperature and how active the starter is. I would say that it has normally [MORE THAN DOUBLED] in size by the time I knock back, in fact its often overflowing out of the bowl.
Once knocked back and in the tins it will take between 2 and 4 hours to have doubled in size again, dependant on room temp, so yes, I think you are expecting results too fast!
Sourdough bread may be easy to make but fast food it aint!
Nah, understood with the time. Lots going on elsewhere at the moment.
Anywho. Found a cold spot in the oven, that and it is playing up again says the temp guage. Think what I need more than anything now is a new food heating device. For some reason I have a loaf half cooked. Top half was OK the bottom half was soft, that was in the tin on the right. Tin on the left seems a bit better but perhaps I should not have split the 1/2 mix I did. Either way its orfski to the oven shop I think. This is the third time recently it has gone south.
Gave it loads of time to warm up as well.
Anywho. Found a cold spot in the oven, that and it is playing up again says the temp guage. Think what I need more than anything now is a new food heating device. For some reason I have a loaf half cooked. Top half was OK the bottom half was soft, that was in the tin on the right. Tin on the left seems a bit better but perhaps I should not have split the 1/2 mix I did. Either way its orfski to the oven shop I think. This is the third time recently it has gone south.
Gave it loads of time to warm up as well.
Decided to have a go at this so my question relates to the starter dough.
250gm of a 50/50 mixture of organic white bread flour and organic rye flour
250 ml tepid water
5 organic green grapes roughly chopped
Mixed to a stiff batter put in a sterilised sealed kilner jar left in shady place on kitchen worktop.
Expected to see it beginning to bubble a bit after three days.
Only 30 hours after mixing it's errr frothy man! In three days it will be like Quatermass.
So I propose to do the feeding after two days rather than three.
Is this a good sign or a bad sign? Should I put it somewhere cooler to slow it down? In the garage perhaps?
250gm of a 50/50 mixture of organic white bread flour and organic rye flour
250 ml tepid water
5 organic green grapes roughly chopped
Mixed to a stiff batter put in a sterilised sealed kilner jar left in shady place on kitchen worktop.
Expected to see it beginning to bubble a bit after three days.
Only 30 hours after mixing it's errr frothy man! In three days it will be like Quatermass.
So I propose to do the feeding after two days rather than three.
Is this a good sign or a bad sign? Should I put it somewhere cooler to slow it down? In the garage perhaps?
I take it you've been reading/watching Paul Hollywood then FiF? I've been working away a fair bit recently so currently starterless. Should be back home again after next week so I think the grape thing is worth a try to start a new starter, if the speed yours has got going is anything to go by. My Rye flour one took a couple of weeks to really get going.
Yes and no in a way. First got interested in trying sourdough after seeing the two hairy idiots in a German bakery that specialised in sourdough. Tried some from Sainsburys and was distinctly underwhelmed.
Then called in a small place for lunch one day and had a chefified cross between a BLT and a bacon and egg butty on toasted home made sourdough.
This was the best toast had eaten in a long time.
Remembered sourdough cropping up on one of the British Bake Off episodes which led back to Hollywood and used his recipe.
As for update, fished out the grapes, took out half the mixture which by now was stinky sour, fed it and got it back to thick batter from the quite runny consistency to which it had deteriorated. Now sitting on the side looking more like I expected and quietly bubbling rather than fizzing and looking like a long abandoned pint of dodgy beer.
Then called in a small place for lunch one day and had a chefified cross between a BLT and a bacon and egg butty on toasted home made sourdough.
This was the best toast had eaten in a long time.
Remembered sourdough cropping up on one of the British Bake Off episodes which led back to Hollywood and used his recipe.
As for update, fished out the grapes, took out half the mixture which by now was stinky sour, fed it and got it back to thick batter from the quite runny consistency to which it had deteriorated. Now sitting on the side looking more like I expected and quietly bubbling rather than fizzing and looking like a long abandoned pint of dodgy beer.
Slow is better.
In my opinion the addition of grapes, raisons, etc or anything else that contains yeasts not naturally in the flour itself is counter productive.
You may find if adding grapes it starts off quicker, but this is probably due to the suger content within the grapes etc anyway, and ultimately the yeasts on the grapes may fight with the naturally occuring flour yeasts.
Providing you are using some good quality stoneground flour within your starter, [I use a 50/50 mix of stoneground organic rye and ordinary supermarket strong white flour] all you need to add to this is water.
There will be enough natural yeasts present in the flour mix to start the ferment, and remember, the aim is to have a slowly developing starter to build up that lovely full flavour/aroma in good sourdough bread.
Also, as soon as your culture is bubbling strongly (by about 3 days) you need to move it to the fridge in order to slow it down and develop those full flavours.
So for this purpose, you need something like a plastic tupperware container which can sit permanently in the fridge, feeding it regularly, then taken out half a day before you make each bread batch.
You can usually start baking in about a week to 10 days, and the starter will still continue to improve for a few weeks as it slowly develops its flavour, and each bread batch wil get better and better.
Its then just a case of practising with oven temperatures/timings to develop your prefered loaf.
Easy Peasy!
In my opinion the addition of grapes, raisons, etc or anything else that contains yeasts not naturally in the flour itself is counter productive.
You may find if adding grapes it starts off quicker, but this is probably due to the suger content within the grapes etc anyway, and ultimately the yeasts on the grapes may fight with the naturally occuring flour yeasts.
Providing you are using some good quality stoneground flour within your starter, [I use a 50/50 mix of stoneground organic rye and ordinary supermarket strong white flour] all you need to add to this is water.
There will be enough natural yeasts present in the flour mix to start the ferment, and remember, the aim is to have a slowly developing starter to build up that lovely full flavour/aroma in good sourdough bread.
Also, as soon as your culture is bubbling strongly (by about 3 days) you need to move it to the fridge in order to slow it down and develop those full flavours.
So for this purpose, you need something like a plastic tupperware container which can sit permanently in the fridge, feeding it regularly, then taken out half a day before you make each bread batch.
You can usually start baking in about a week to 10 days, and the starter will still continue to improve for a few weeks as it slowly develops its flavour, and each bread batch wil get better and better.
Its then just a case of practising with oven temperatures/timings to develop your prefered loaf.
Easy Peasy!
Edited by Boo152 on Thursday 4th July 13:07
Seeing as I'm using Dove's organic flours from Sainsbo's, which considering the bulk purchase when staff discount is upped at hidays and holidays, then it does make for economical bread making.
Starter all looking much better, going to feed it and stick it in the fridge.
Next target while waiting for the sourdough is an attempt at stotties. Not that healthy but packed with the kit of parts for a triple decker full English who cares.
Starter all looking much better, going to feed it and stick it in the fridge.
Next target while waiting for the sourdough is an attempt at stotties. Not that healthy but packed with the kit of parts for a triple decker full English who cares.
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