Sourdough breadmaking
Discussion
Boo152 said:
jmorgan said:
Bit more energetic this morning. Leave it until tonight.
Hows it progressing Jeff?
Houston, we have had a problem.....
OK, been working away for a few days and getting updates and descriptions from SWMBO. Upon inspection last night, too much liquid. transferred the ooze from the Kilner to a plastic oblong with a lid that will pop off, not sure how much a kilner would take as the gas builds up. It settled out and separated. Zero Activity. Added equal amounts of rye and ordinary to mop it up but will get another one on the go today.
OK, been working away for a few days and getting updates and descriptions from SWMBO. Upon inspection last night, too much liquid. transferred the ooze from the Kilner to a plastic oblong with a lid that will pop off, not sure how much a kilner would take as the gas builds up. It settled out and separated. Zero Activity. Added equal amounts of rye and ordinary to mop it up but will get another one on the go today.
Ok. The idea is not to have the container sealed, otherwise the gas build up will inhibit the ferment. Just give it a violent stir each time its fed, and possibly a stir in between. It will probably revive. Oh and dont overfeed. Best time to feed is when activity has almost stopped.....
Boo152 said:
THE KNOCK-BACK AND SHAPE
Next morning, your dough should have risen to at least double the size.
If your starter culture is a vigorous one like mine, it could well be overflowing from the bowl like molten lava from Vesuvius!
1st job, lightly grease all your bread tins with lard: all done and ready. time to take a cup of tea and a slice of last weeks toasted sourdough back to the wife who's still snoring!
8:30 am Definitley ready to knock back now:
Next dust your hands and the worktop with a little more flour, dig your fingers quickly into the dough to ‘Knock-back’
Then tip/scrape out onto the worktop again.
IMHO re-working again at this stage is NOT required; simply divide the dough into your preferred loaf size portions.
I weigh each loaf portion (1LB 14 oz, or 850 grammes for the metrosexuals!)
Then quickly shape each into a large fat ‘sausage’ by folding in.
Then flip over and slap each one seam side down in the bread tins. They should sit between about a third or half way down the tin.
If you want to be arty you can do diagonal slashes or other fancy cuts to the tops before putting in the tins, but this won’t improve the flavour or texture, it just seems to be custom and practice amongst the chattering classes!
For the purpose of the thread photos I've slashed mine this time (I don't always bother) but I'm a bit fingers and thumbs so don't expect pretty looking loaves!
With your 3 loaves the above size, the remainder of your dough should be just enough for a Pizza or some other speciality treat. Instructions for that later for those interested.
Oops miscalculated the amount this time. Not quite enough left for a Pizza, just enough for a big breadcake! Note to self: make slightly smaller loaves next time.
THE PROVE
Leave in the tins for about 1 ½ hours, by which time they should have doubled in size at least and be raising above the top of the tin. If you press lightly with a floured finger, they should spring back.
Proved and ready to bake!
FINALLY THE BAKE
Preheat your oven to temperature (mine is 200 deg c for a fan assisted oven)
Place the 3 loaves in the oven on the same shelf with no shelves above.
Set a timer for 22 minutes, take out after the time and tap the bottoms – they should sound hollow. Flip over in the tins, (this can be a bit of a panicky moment if you are all fingers and thumbs like me when handling hot things!) then back in the oven for a further 2 minutes.
That’s it folks, your lovely sourdough bread is baked to perfection!
Shame about that Pizza though
If you can bear to, wait 10 minutes until it has cooled slightly, then slice off your first warm crust, spreading it generously with best butter and enjoy. Yum Yum!
You may need to experiment with times and temperature – it will of course depend on your personal preferences and on your oven efficiency etc. Larger loaves will need a longer bake, smaller ones less time so it’s trial and error!
Let’s face it, even if you ruin the whole batch, the ingredients have cost you less than 1 pound sterling!
Finally, it never ceases to amaze me how just flour, water, oil, and salt, with the help of organisms that grow wild on the flour can produce such wonderful grub.
Get Baking!
Edited to add photos
That's awesome. Next morning, your dough should have risen to at least double the size.
If your starter culture is a vigorous one like mine, it could well be overflowing from the bowl like molten lava from Vesuvius!
1st job, lightly grease all your bread tins with lard: all done and ready. time to take a cup of tea and a slice of last weeks toasted sourdough back to the wife who's still snoring!
8:30 am Definitley ready to knock back now:
Next dust your hands and the worktop with a little more flour, dig your fingers quickly into the dough to ‘Knock-back’
Then tip/scrape out onto the worktop again.
IMHO re-working again at this stage is NOT required; simply divide the dough into your preferred loaf size portions.
I weigh each loaf portion (1LB 14 oz, or 850 grammes for the metrosexuals!)
Then quickly shape each into a large fat ‘sausage’ by folding in.
Then flip over and slap each one seam side down in the bread tins. They should sit between about a third or half way down the tin.
If you want to be arty you can do diagonal slashes or other fancy cuts to the tops before putting in the tins, but this won’t improve the flavour or texture, it just seems to be custom and practice amongst the chattering classes!
For the purpose of the thread photos I've slashed mine this time (I don't always bother) but I'm a bit fingers and thumbs so don't expect pretty looking loaves!
With your 3 loaves the above size, the remainder of your dough should be just enough for a Pizza or some other speciality treat. Instructions for that later for those interested.
Oops miscalculated the amount this time. Not quite enough left for a Pizza, just enough for a big breadcake! Note to self: make slightly smaller loaves next time.
THE PROVE
Leave in the tins for about 1 ½ hours, by which time they should have doubled in size at least and be raising above the top of the tin. If you press lightly with a floured finger, they should spring back.
Proved and ready to bake!
FINALLY THE BAKE
Preheat your oven to temperature (mine is 200 deg c for a fan assisted oven)
Place the 3 loaves in the oven on the same shelf with no shelves above.
Set a timer for 22 minutes, take out after the time and tap the bottoms – they should sound hollow. Flip over in the tins, (this can be a bit of a panicky moment if you are all fingers and thumbs like me when handling hot things!) then back in the oven for a further 2 minutes.
That’s it folks, your lovely sourdough bread is baked to perfection!
Shame about that Pizza though
If you can bear to, wait 10 minutes until it has cooled slightly, then slice off your first warm crust, spreading it generously with best butter and enjoy. Yum Yum!
You may need to experiment with times and temperature – it will of course depend on your personal preferences and on your oven efficiency etc. Larger loaves will need a longer bake, smaller ones less time so it’s trial and error!
Let’s face it, even if you ruin the whole batch, the ingredients have cost you less than 1 pound sterling!
Finally, it never ceases to amaze me how just flour, water, oil, and salt, with the help of organisms that grow wild on the flour can produce such wonderful grub.
Get Baking!
Edited to add photos
Edited by Boo152 on Tuesday 5th March 12:42
The 'pizza' is just crying out to be halved and stuffed with mushrooms and steak for a shooter's sandwich
uncinqsix said:
jmorgan said:
Ah. I was worried the kilner was too open or shut sealed solid, no in between. It has started again. Leave for a while now.
Take the rubber seal off the kilner and close it normally. Lets enough air in, but still stops any bugs or whatever getting in. I use a bread machine on the grounds I can shove everything in and set the timer before I go to bead, and have a loaf ready and waiting in the morning to make my sarnies.
Been meaning to experiment with sourdoughs for a while so this is a useful thread, I will ahve to give this a go. I presume it's going to need to be a weekend thing though, has anyone tried putting together a dough in an evening and leaving it in the oven with the timer set?
Been meaning to experiment with sourdoughs for a while so this is a useful thread, I will ahve to give this a go. I presume it's going to need to be a weekend thing though, has anyone tried putting together a dough in an evening and leaving it in the oven with the timer set?
dmulally said:
Okeydokey. Does strong white flour go by any other names? I went to both local supermercatos and they had all sorts of flour but strong white. They did have bakers flour. Same s
t?
Did you manage to get all the ingredients for the starter in a supermarket? Having failed to find Muscvado Sugar in either Coles or Woolworths last week I'm expecting to have problems with these "fancy" flours!t?Also, whats the Aussie equivalent of Lard? (used here to grease the tins)
jmorgan said:
Hmm, after second feeding it is separating and going a tad limp. I assume we need a texture here and water is not always required?
Correct. You just have to play it by ear. These days I dont measure when feeding. Just sprinkle a bit of flour in, then trickle enough water on to suit. You may be overfeeding.One other thing you could try Jeff:
Next time you make your 'ordinary loaf' take a small lump of dough from it, and start another new culture from that, i.e add just a sprinkle of rye flour to it and a drop of water, and then feed daily as per normal instructions, but again, dont overfeed.
Doing it that way will mean that initially it will be a fast acting culture (because of the commercially bred fast acting yeast) but eventually, the wild spores on the flour will take over, and it will turn into sourdough, especially once it gets to the fridge stage.....
HTH
Edited by Boo152 on Thursday 14th March 08:08
200bhp said:
Did you manage to get all the ingredients for the starter in a supermarket? Having failed to find Muscvado Sugar in either Coles or Woolworths last week I'm expecting to have problems with these "fancy" flours!
Also, whats the Aussie equivalent of Lard? (used here to grease the tins)
Also, whats the Aussie equivalent of Lard? (used here to grease the tins)
Lard is 100% pork fat.
What channel? ETA: forget that, found it, BBC2
Just given mine its second feed, dind't look like much activity going on but there were a couple of bubbles when I gave it a stir this morning, so hopefully the Doves Organic Rye from Sainsburys is doing the job.
Just given mine its second feed, dind't look like much activity going on but there were a couple of bubbles when I gave it a stir this morning, so hopefully the Doves Organic Rye from Sainsburys is doing the job.
Edited by RizzoTheRat on Friday 15th March 18:46
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