Sourdough

Ok thanks. Its hard trying to get my head around this. My hot water cupboard only gets to 22degrees (husband brews beer in there). Theres so many different versions of how to do it.
So my recipe (to make the bread) says to use X amount of starter and mix it with the other ingredients, knead etc and put it in the loaf tin then cover it and let it sit overnight (or 4-7hours). Then bake in oven.

Does this sound right!

I am not sure what sort of bread you are making. It may be correct for that recipe.

A standard loaf made with a sour dough starter is made this way:

1 - Sponge - mix starter, less 1 or 2 teaspoons (to innoculate the next feed), with flour and water - quantities as specified by recipe.

2. Dough making - When sponge has become active add in the ingredients as per recipe to form a rough dough and then knead to make it elastic and stretchy.

3. Prove - Prove to approximately double in size inside an oiled bowl covered with gladwrap (I put mine into a shopping bag and tie up the handles) to prevent a skin forming.

4. The press back - Tip risen dough onto a floured bench and press is gently till most of thair is out. Flatten and form into a ball via folding and turning tin cupped hands till an unbroken skin is formed on top and a seam is on the bottom. Invert bowl over it and set timer for 30mins to rest the dough and give the yeast time to spring back into life.

5. Sizing and shaping - Self-explanatory.

6. Proving til when it is tested it only springs back slowly but not left so long that it doesn't spring back at all, but stays deflated.

7. Cook as per recipe times and temperature.

Apart from the time it takes for proving (which gives the yeast time to eat up 90% of the gluten) the only difference to a standard loaf is the making of the sponge, which is an important part of the process - I think I explained this in another thread.

I am not sure what sort of bread you are making. It may be correct for that recipe.

A standard loaf made with a sour dough starter is made this way:

1 - Sponge - mix starter, less 1 or 2 teaspoons (to innoculate the next feed), with flour and water - quantities as specified by recipe.

2. Dough making - When sponge has become active add in the ingredients as per recipe to form a rough dough and then knead to make it elastic and stretchy.

3. Prove - Prove to approximately double in size inside an oiled bowl covered with gladwrap (I put mine into a shopping bag and tie up the handles) to prevent a skin forming.

4. The press back - Tip risen dough onto a floured bench and press is gently till most of thair is out. Flatten and form into a ball via folding and turning tin cupped hands till an unbroken skin is formed on top and a seam is on the bottom. Invert bowl over it and set timer for 30mins to rest the dough and give the yeast time to spring back into life.

5. Sizing and shaping - Self-explanatory.

6. Proving til when it is tested it only springs back slowly but not left so long that it doesn't spring back at all, but stays deflated.

7. Cook as per recipe times and temperature.

Apart from the time it takes for proving (which gives the yeast time to eat up 90% of the gluten) the only difference to a standard loaf is the making of the sponge, which is an important part of the process - I think I explained this in another thread.

Seriously. You should follow the john sourdough link. The recipe is bog standard and the easiest. It is the easiest to muck about with the flours you use as well and I just changed everything to cups so my starter and water and flour etc for sponge are all done in 1cup measurements. I stopped using the malt in the starter. It is unnecessary.

Ok thanks for the lowdown.

Hey angel, you asked if you can use your starter already, i did after only 4 days as it was doing so well and i didnt want to waste the starter I was tipping down the sink everyday, I added a little extra yeast just in case and it worked really well. I was going to make another loaf yesterday but ended up going fishing instead. 2 days fishing in a row. was a bit much and I was very tired, to much sun, wind and salt air

Yeah now im finding i dont have the time to make the bread! I have to get up at 5am to go to work and dont get home till 4pm and i KNOW i wont have the time to make the dough tomorrow before work! my starter is really bubbly. Dont have a day off till sunday. Maybe I should put it in the fridge till sat night and then feed it again sat night and leave it overnight to bubble and make the bread sunday (hopefully in time for sunday dinner!)

If you do the sponge stage last thing at night and then make dough first thing in morning, you can have a loaf by lunchtime, of course you then have to let it cool beofre you can cut it.thats the hard part waiting

hey buzzy, just been reading some more of the other sourdough thread. you mentioned malt flour. where do you buy this from, I love the taste of malt and would love to try baking bread with it. am up in Whangarei so dont know if we can get it up here.

Malt flour is a very sweet powder and is in the john sour dough link recipe. He adds in a tspn (I think) to the sponge to feed it. I no longer bother as there is no need. The wild yeasts prefer the flours they have been grown from.

I'm not sure if it can be bought from the supermarket. I just go to Huckleberry Farms for things like that. Packets are usually quite small.

Check out recipes for malt breads. They may actually just use malt, which, I think, you can buy in either the flour aisle of supermarkets or in the brewing section - but don't take my word on it. I'm not really into sweet stuff so am not knowledgeable about it.

Lol. I often get up in the morning only to find that DH has gone into the kitchen when I wasn't looking and sliced off a large chunk of bread which has just come out of the oven that evening and is stitting on the rack to cool. He leaves the rest sitting on the bench. I could murder him sometimes. He knows it tastes better once it cools - much more sour. Also not slicing into it while hot keeps all the moisture in it so that it stays fresher longer.

Its hard not to. bread is so nice when its warm. I'm hanging out to make another loaf but havnt got the time, worked till 5 tonight, start at 8 tomorrow morn, will have to try for friday - have a day off

just trying a rye and grain loaf this time. it seems to be working well, the 1st rise only took 1hr and 2nd rise 1 1/4. much quicker than usual. Can your yeast change! Go from beinga good riser to being much faster at rising!

My starter has been bubbling hard out - ive been putting the bugger in the hot water cupboard - totally loves it. So this morning when i got up for work i fed it and then when i got home i mixed it with the loaf ingredients and kneaded it - but i do fear i suck at kneading. But just waiting for the first rise.

It's important not to swear at your starter or it'll curl up and die.Just enjoy yourself with the kneading, it can be very relaxing and soothing.Again be gentle with it and you can knead it too much.Or at least that has been my experience.

Well i didnt swear AT it! Does that make a difference! lol
I couldnt wait as long as i shouldve and baked it anyway. Just had a piece before and it is quite nice! I only made it with white flour coz if it was a flop then i wouldnt have wasted expensive flour.I also randomly added sesame seeds. nom nom nom as toast!

I don't think we have ever left a loaf uncut before cool :)

Ya just have to throw a bit of butter and honey on and eat a bit. I tend to cool on rack for 20min or so then into a plastic bag (with the crust over the cut end :) as my wife prefers a softer crust.

She's wise, if she's got her own teeth and wants to keep them.My dentist says crusty bread can break a tooth ;)

She is wise, she stuck with me after all unlike previous less wise wives, and still has all her teeth, but then she is the new younger model. Why would a hen go to a dentist I heard your lots teeth are fairly rare!

Not just teeth. One of my bosses sustained a very nasty gouge when she came into accidental contact with a French stick whilst cycling around France. Lol.

On the other hand I like crusty bread so ours is stored in a clever bag with fancy zip and drawstring. I pull a silicone lid tight over the cut end.

well i had my first sourdough failure yesterday. I m not sure what i did wrong. possibly had the oven on a bit to hot when i was raising the dough first time round. The loaf wouldnt raise much at all. ended up leaving it in the hotwater cupboard overnight to rise and got maybe a 50% increase from original dough size. Had big airpockets at the top to. Any way i went ahead and baked it this morning and even though it looks likea 'small windowless building'(as my ex would say) it tastes Ok, not my best loaf by any means but still edible and seems to have more of a sour taste than usual. Would be OK toasted I reckon. So i'm going to have it with pumpkin soup tonight, pumpkins from my own garden so a very frugal meal. Hows yours going angel. better luck than last time!

Hey dibble, mine pretty much turned out the same as yours - still edible but nothing to skyte about lol. We ate ours as toast with pumpkin soup as well for dinner!

A serial monogamist, beaker!

Maybe all the other wives were the wise ones. We have only your word for it ;)

And you're correct.It's a very rare and special hen who has hen's teeth :)

Heya I made my first loaf last night and followed the link on here, the John Ross one, my question is, I made my loaf and had a wee bit of starter left over i added a cup of flour and 1 cup of water and put it in the fridge is this right! what do i do next time i want to make bread! and if there isnt two cups of starter in there! as thats what the recipe suggests! do i have to start from the start again! do i start back at the start! sorry for the 20 questions, My first loaf was a great success! But I dont think i have enoguh starter each time to keep going if it needs 2 cups. how does this work

cheers

Im not 100% on this but I think you have to keep feeding it every 24 hours to build it up to 2 cups!

right so you feed everyone 24hrs until u get it up to the same quanity!i thought it was feeding once a week once in the fridge! argg LOL

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