Starter for sourdough bread

you can also add a tsp of dried yeast to a cupfull of flour and water batter then after it starts bubbling use that as a sourdough starter, feed it and over time it will turn into a real sourdough starter naturally. It won't be sour to start but will develop that over time.

Quotebeaker59 (6 )12:34 pm, Sat 16 Jul #2
try this site as they sell sourdough starter: http://www.mybreadmix.co.nz/modules/cpshop/index.phpQuoterobman7 (327 )12:53 pm, Sat 16 Jul #4A sourdough starter takes time. I've made one, in the summer in about 3 days but have had to take extra care when making my first loaf of bread from it or I'd have ended up with a rather heavy, unrisen, brick. The longer you keep your starter going the better and stronger it becomes, making yeasts that work with all the flours you use. I started a sour dough thread on here so long ago I cannot remember when. It was called Sour Dough - Success At Last. It may still be on here.
Here is a link to the site I used. This link was the best and easiest, even though I now have books with step by step instructions by some of the best bakers in the world I still love this guy's method and the bread recipe that comes with it.

http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/blueroom/sour.htm

fyi, Hugh Fearney Whittingstall of River Cottage fame made one overnight by dropping in a piece of fresh rhubarb but I don't know how strong it would have been and whether it would have worked so well on flours but it is another way to get a starter going.

For what it is worth, I really like beaker's advice. It is the best around.

Don't try and make a sourdough starter and expect it to be producing anything by this evening.

Because of the health benefits we only ever eat sour dough, when we do have bread, now.
Here's a sourdough starter from The New Zealand Bread Book by the Holsts.
2 cups high grade flour, 1 cup low fat milk or unsweetened yogurt, 1 cup water, 1 tsp active dried yeast: Mix all ingredients in a clean jar, leaving about 1/4 of the jar clear for headspace. Cover the jar and leave it in a warm room, out of the sun, for 4-7 days, depending on the temperature. Each day, stir the starter with a clean spoon. For the first few days it may have a tendency to bubble up and overflow, but it will quieten down and become thinner after a few days. Refridgerate in a lidded jar after the mixture takes on a definite sour smell and develops a clear layer on top. To use: stir well and pour off as much as you need. Replace each cup used with a cup of water mixed with a cup of high grade flour. Leave the jar at room temp for a day before using any more. If you do not use your starter regularly, give a cupful away once a week or throw it out. Starters need a long rising time and the dough needs extra yeast to speed up the process.
Happy pizza making!

Quoteskippie1 (176 )6:36 am, Tue 19 Jul #8
kanoo wrote:

Here's a sourdough starter from The New Zealand Bread Book by the Holsts.
2 cups high grade flour, 1 cup low fat milk or unsweetened yogurt, 1 cup water, 1 tsp active dried yeast: Mix all ingredients in a clean jar, leaving about 1/4 of the jar clear for headspace. Cover the jar and leave it in a warm room, out of the sun, for 4-7 days, depending on the temperature. Each day, stir the starter with a clean spoon. For the first few days it may have a tendency to bubble up and overflow, but it will quieten down and become thinner after a few days. Refrigerate in a lidded jar after the mixture takes on a definite sour smell and develops a clear layer on top. To use: stir well and pour off as much as you need. Replace each cup used with a cup of water mixed with a cup of high grade flour. Leave the jar at room temp for a day before using any more. If you do not use your start

you can also add a tsp of dried yeast to a cupfull of flour and water batter then after it starts bubbling use that as a sourdough starter, feed it and over time it will turn into a real sourdough starter naturally. It won't be sour to start but will develop that over time.

Quotebeaker59 (6 )12:34 pm, Sat 16 Jul #2
try this site as they sell sourdough starter: http://www.mybreadmix.co.nz/modules/cpshop/index.phpQuoterobman7 (327 )12:53 pm, Sat 16 Jul #4A sourdough starter takes time. I've made one, in the summer in about 3 days but have had to take extra care when making my first loaf of bread from it or I'd have ended up with a rather heavy, unrisen, brick. The longer you keep your starter going the better and stronger it becomes, making yeasts that work with all the flours you use. I started a sour dough thread on here so long ago I cannot remember when. It was called Sour Dough - Success At Last. It may still be on here.
Here is a link to the site I used. This link was the best and easiest, even though I now have books with step by step instructions by some of the best bakers in the world I still love this guy's method and the bread recipe that comes with it.

http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/blueroom/sour.htm

fyi, Hugh Fearney Whittingstall of River Cottage fame made one overnight by dropping in a piece of fresh rhubarb but I don't know how strong it would have been and whether it would have worked so well on flours but it is another way to get a starter going.

For what it is worth, I really like beaker's advice. It is the best around.

Don't try and make a sourdough starter and expect it to be producing anything by this evening.

Because of the health benefits we only ever eat sour dough, when we do have bread, now.

kanoo wrote:

Here's a sourdough starter from The New Zealand Bread Book by the Holsts.
2 cups high grade flour, 1 cup low fat milk or unsweetened yogurt, 1 cup water, 1 tsp active dried yeast: Mix all ingredients in a clean jar, leaving about 1/4 of the jar clear for headspace. Cover the jar and leave it in a warm room, out of the sun, for 4-7 days, depending on the temperature. Each day, stir the starter with a clean spoon. For the first few days it may have a tendency to bubble up and overflow, but it will quieten down and become thinner after a few days. Refrigerate in a lidded jar after the mixture takes on a definite sour smell and develops a clear layer on top. To use: stir well and pour off as much as you need. Replace each cup used with a cup of water mixed with a cup of high grade flour. Leave the jar at room temp for a day before using any more. If you do not use your starter regularly, give a cupful away once a week or throw it out. Starters need a long rising time and the dough needs extra yeast to speed up the process.
Happy pizza making!

I'm trying to be diplomatic here but I have deep reservations about the Holst's sour dough breads and even their normal breads. A decent starter never uses milk. The thought of leaving milk out on the bench for days on end sort of worries me. Plus, having been making beautiful, fluffy and long lasting sour dough loaves for a while now, without recourse to commercial yeasts I know that commercial yeast is completely and utterly unnecessary.

I looked at their book and the pictures of their breads left much to be desired. If that is the best they can do they should not have published that book because there will be many home cooks making bread that is always inferior to bought bread, when it absolutely shouldn't be. The bread I produce is always superior in texture, size, shape, taste and longevity , every time.

I think that yeast is necessary with their starter because the wild yeasts produced using milk are not well adapted to flour and water. The best wild yeasts are those that grow on the ingredients used in the dough.

Edited by buzzy110 at 10:31 am, Tue 19 Jul

Quotebuzzy110 (69 )10:29 am, Tue 19 Jul #9
That interesting that you say that, I'm always a bit disappointed that my loaves never look the same as in the book, and they are definitely inferior to bought bread. I've never been patient enough to make my own sourdough starter. Your answer was wonderfully diplomatic ;)

Quotekanoo (163 )7:56 pm, Tue 19 Jul #10

I have had this recipe for at least 30 years, it comes from The Tassajara Bread Book, I thoroughly recommend it:

A sourdough starter can be made by combining 1 tb dried yeast (not Surebake), 2 ½ cups warm water, 2 tsp sugar or honey and 2 ½ cups flour. Let it ferment for 5 days, stirring daily. The starter may be kept indefinitely in the fridge, although it is perhaps best to use it 1x a week. Stir well before using.

I would love to try and make my own sourdough bread but understand the key is a good starter. Does anyone here make their own sourdough bread - and if so how did you get a starter going and what recipe works best for you! Cheers

I put mine in my hot water cupboard as its nice and warm in there, perfect environment for my one.

Morning henpen.here is a recipe ( Annabelle Langbein) with the instructions for the sourdough starter below and also the bread recipe. Hope that helps.
http://www.nzlifeandleisure.co.nz/node/938

it sounds very similar to a rewana bread

i have a recipe for rewana bread ( bug) starter would you like that!

What a wonderful un-athentic recipe. This should be posted in the un-athentic thread. rflmao.

I have cut and pasted this un-authentic recipe into the thread JUST for the poster above as she cannot seem to help herself. if you wish to use it henpen, be my guest. Hope it helps. As for the poster above.nothing changes, once nasty, always nasty.

Thanks cooks. The starter recipe is definitely not authentic and using fruit to begin a sour dough starter is asking for trouble (toxic growth and all that stuff) unless you know what you are doing. the furthest I'd go to adding fruit to a start up starter would be a piece of rhubarb (a-la-Hugh Fearney Whittingstall) and even then, only over night and only once.

Post #1. You are indeed most welcome to follow that recipe but do watch out because fruit juices, when left to their own devices for any length of time can, and most usually do, grow toxic moulds, not the healthy lactic acids that Ms Langbein has grown.

http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/blueroom/sour.htm

henpen. This is an updated link to one posted in the Sour Dough - success at last thread that beaker gave. The original link has been superseded by this one.

I followed this link with great success and now have a fabulous starter that I have used at least once a week, since starting it to make fabulous bread. We have never bought a loaf of bread since and I am now expanding my regime to make bread and sundry products for my daughter's family as well.

If you need further help with making bread that is light and fluffy and which stays fresh for up to 4 days then I will be only to happy to assist you. However, I would prefer to do it by e-mail because of the acrimony and rancour that can develop in any thread I am associated with.

has any body tried rewana breadit uses potato water you could make it sweet or sour either ither

Used to be able to get beautiful Rewana bread at Victoria Park market.this would have been in the mid eighties. There is a great recipe for Rewana breadand I am sure it was posted on the recipe section at some stage.

Here it is and its and authentic Maori recipe.
http://www.maori-in-oz.com/index.php!option=com_content&task=view&id=107&Itemid=75

take it over cooke.

baking soda is not tradtional for rewana .and i think that post was last yearso been there and done that i bake it all the timei havethe original starter plant which i made last novwith no problems i also keep it in the fridge when not in use.and YES it can be kept in the fridge .lol!
you just have to take it out the day b4 you want to use it

Don't worry, henpen has lost interest anyway.

Hardly surprising. Most posters do lose interest after the shenannigans of certain posters all over the boards.it becomes yawningly boring.

I take it you are including yourself in this rant!

Give poor henpen time!

Not everyone races to the computer first thing every day.she posted only on Thursday!

True elli. I usually don't race to my computer every morning but I've been getting early morning video Skype calls recently and the temptation to log into here afterward is strong. Time to go and do something more positive with my day. What about you! Anything positive planned for your day or will you wait for me to come back later so we can "talk", nicely I might add.

Well, my work is on my computer, so I'm at it at all hours (often well after midnight connecting with the Northern Hemisphere) but there's 'manual' work in my life also, so I'll be off doing that soon.

Have a happy day!

You really need to breathe buzzy110.just deep breaths, relax and settle yourself down. All that nastiness coursing through your veins is not good for you. I do have the Annabelle Langbein book and if, as you say, that her recipe will "poison" people, I am sure it would not be being published for general use. I am sure there are lots of things you know nothing about.however,does that stop you posting in many threads to add your "opinion"! I think not. I am sure there are a great number of ways of making sourdough bread and yours would be one of them. So, instead of being your usual combative self, why not just post what you know for the original OP and then they have various ones to try and choose for themselves.

Have a wee rest Cooke