Sourdough breadmaking
Discussion
illmonkey said:
ChocolateFrog said:
If I left mine for more than a week without doing anything it'd get a black liquid on top, I'd have to purge it and top layer of yeast and top it up.
Did you not get that by leaving it for some time?
It had had separated a little but the liquid was fairly clear, maybe with a yellowish tinge.
Most of the yeast must have been dead or very dormant I'm assuming as it's only the last two days that I've been getting any sort of rise out of it.
Need to stop being lazy and give it a weekly feed from now on.
joshleb said:
Anyone got any banneton recommendations, the missus dropped several hints before christmas she wanted one and I completely missed them, so about time I got one.
She's currently just proving her loaf in a glass mixing bowl with tea towel.
I got one from Amazon, they really do make a big difference to the whole experience. And rice flour, too.She's currently just proving her loaf in a glass mixing bowl with tea towel.
Lynchie999 said:
Whoozit said:
ChocolateFrog said:
I need to get some Rice flour, doesn't seem to be something my local Tesco does.
Could be hidden in the gluten free section rather than baking. Varies from shop to shop. devnull said:
Probably sacrilege, but can anyone recommend a sourdough starter by post which I can use to fast track some sourdough into my mouth? I've made sourdough a few times now, but waiting the 10-14 days for the starter to get going kinda takes the edge off things.
If you use wholemeal flour without any additives I reckon you can get your starter going before the postman arrives. 3/4 days I would have said.My first attempt.
ebay rye starter - I have a homemade white one but thought I'd give this ago first
I used a benneton but did so with the cover in the basket as opposed to on top, so the stripes aren't on.
Cooked on a shelf in the oven (235 for 30 mins) with a steam burst at the beginning
Could have been more aggressive with the stanley knife I think.
So (genuine question) How long before I can cut it open?!
.
ebay rye starter - I have a homemade white one but thought I'd give this ago first
I used a benneton but did so with the cover in the basket as opposed to on top, so the stripes aren't on.
Cooked on a shelf in the oven (235 for 30 mins) with a steam burst at the beginning
Could have been more aggressive with the stanley knife I think.
So (genuine question) How long before I can cut it open?!
. Thanks 
Turned out to be all fur no knickers. Not the lightest of loafs! Tasted lovely though!
I used 300g super strong (Churchill) white and 100g wholemeal, 160g rye starter and 230ml water (so basically freestyling/making it up)
Any ideas? I thought it might have been the wholemeal which from limited shop bought experience, tends to be quite dense like that? It had a 3hr prove then fold/shape and 3.5 hr prove with a good active starter.
Turned out to be all fur no knickers. Not the lightest of loafs! Tasted lovely though!
I used 300g super strong (Churchill) white and 100g wholemeal, 160g rye starter and 230ml water (so basically freestyling/making it up)
Any ideas? I thought it might have been the wholemeal which from limited shop bought experience, tends to be quite dense like that? It had a 3hr prove then fold/shape and 3.5 hr prove with a good active starter.
It looks ok for a first attempt with a new starter, honestly. Maybe underproved, it should feel bouncy when shaping? From here it's about tweaking your recipe. Could be any one of a few things so start with the easy stuff.
- Room temp where you were proving. Given you proved for 7 hours, I'd guess 16-18C, or draughty? 21C is good, 23-24C better, 26C best. At 21C I go 5.5 hours total, 23-24C 4 hours, 26C watch very very carefully and 3 hours!
- Proportion of levain (made up starter) to the flour + water mix. Around 20% is a good starting point (no pun intended), and the levain should be ripe (at least doubled)
- Oven temp, start with 250C covered then 220 uncovered.
- Room temp where you were proving. Given you proved for 7 hours, I'd guess 16-18C, or draughty? 21C is good, 23-24C better, 26C best. At 21C I go 5.5 hours total, 23-24C 4 hours, 26C watch very very carefully and 3 hours!
- Proportion of levain (made up starter) to the flour + water mix. Around 20% is a good starting point (no pun intended), and the levain should be ripe (at least doubled)
- Oven temp, start with 250C covered then 220 uncovered.
Edited by Whoozit on Wednesday 24th February 20:56
ben5575 said:
Thanks
Turned out to be all fur no knickers. Not the lightest of loafs! Tasted lovely though!
I used 300g super strong (Churchill) white and 100g wholemeal, 160g rye starter and 230ml water (so basically freestyling/making it up)
Any ideas? I thought it might have been the wholemeal which from limited shop bought experience, tends to be quite dense like that? It had a 3hr prove then fold/shape and 3.5 hr prove with a good active starter.
I use a higher hydration when using stronger flours.Turned out to be all fur no knickers. Not the lightest of loafs! Tasted lovely though!
I used 300g super strong (Churchill) white and 100g wholemeal, 160g rye starter and 230ml water (so basically freestyling/making it up)
Any ideas? I thought it might have been the wholemeal which from limited shop bought experience, tends to be quite dense like that? It had a 3hr prove then fold/shape and 3.5 hr prove with a good active starter.
ben5575 said:
Did I white today that I won't spam the thread with. Came out a similar density.
How much extra water do you add? Another 10%? 20%?
Your recipe above works out to 64.6% (yes, I have a sourdough calculator Excel sheet. I'm a PHer of course I've made it all complicated). That's the TOTAL water in the recipe in starter and dough, divided by the TOTAL amount of flour in starter and dough. I've assumed your starter is 1:1. How much extra water do you add? Another 10%? 20%?
70% hydration is usually an easy step. That's 256g water. If that's ok, then try 75% = 280g water. Don't skimp on the stretch and folds, they help build gluten strength which is what mostly traps the gasses and gives the bread its rise.
Whoozit said:
Your recipe above works out to 64.6% (yes, I have a sourdough calculator Excel sheet. I'm a PHer of course I've made it all complicated). That's the TOTAL water in the recipe in starter and dough, divided by the TOTAL amount of flour in starter and dough. I've assumed your starter is 1:1.
70% hydration is usually an easy step. That's 256g water. If that's ok, then try 75% = 280g water. Don't skimp on the stretch and folds, they help build gluten strength which is what mostly traps the gasses and gives the bread its rise.
I need myself a sourdough calculator! 70% hydration is usually an easy step. That's 256g water. If that's ok, then try 75% = 280g water. Don't skimp on the stretch and folds, they help build gluten strength which is what mostly traps the gasses and gives the bread its rise.
As luck would have it, I'd gone to 280ml and a 'regular' strong white flour this morning already (rye starter).
Looked great in the benetton basket and then on the tray:
But collapsed the moment I took the blade to it so I'd obviously over proved it (2 x 3hr at 30deg in the oven - as it's cold oop north!).
Tasted great, but the crust was soft (whilst still looking that dark brown)
I'm quite enjoying the challenge atm. We'll see how long it lasts!
And don't worry, I shan't spam the thread any more, thanks for all of the help.
Gassing Station | Food, Drink & Restaurants | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff