I always thought the point of a sponge was the overnight time to allow the yeast to grow in numbers before the bulk of the flour is added. So better made the night before.
I also am tempted to get another starter going. I was once a very enthusiastic sourdough baker.
kaddiew,
Jul 21, 11:15pm
Yep I did make the sponge to sit overnight for buzzy110's recipe. Bread is on 2nd proofing atm. Am "helping" it along though with a little extra warmth as it's my understanding that slow rising is going to increase the "tang" - and as I discovered to my 24-hour detriment, the sourness doesn't like me!
I'll no doubt end up with a loaf that wouldn't be seen as authentic, but it seems it's going to be trial and error for me to be able to eat sourdough.
Never having worked with a starter before, I'm amazed at just how 'energetic' this one is, even in my cold kitchen.
buzzy110,
Jul 22, 12:05am
Don't get all hung up on "authentic". Before technology's ability to isolate just one active yeast from the many that make up wild yeast, all bread was created using a starter and sponge method and there are as many breads as there are people's ability to create them.
And yes, wild yeasts are very 'energetic'. I've never had a problem with rising no matter how cold it is.
Good luck with solving your lactic acid problem. You are correct, the longer the proof the more 'tang' but sometimes there is a lot of tang simply by the age of the starter as well. I purposely use a starter that hasn't been fed for 2 days and even longer, when I make bread because we just love the sour taste here.
kaddiew,
Jul 22, 12:13am
I'm looking forward to seeing how your loaf turns out for me. It certainly was a lot easier to knead (needed a tiny amount of water) than the first recipe, which put emphasis on a VERY soft dough.
This starter was given to me by someone who had got it from a recent sourdough course they did. I was told it had been going for 15 years.
buzzy110,
Jul 22, 12:35am
I too would like to know.
When I mean about the 'age of the starter' I mean the length of time it was last fed or, more accurately, last refreshed. Feeding can be just a simple addition of flour and water or even just flour. Refresh, (my own terminology to differentiate) means a fresh batch made using equal quantities of flour and water and 1tspn or so of the starter. This 'refreshed' batch is young. Leave it on the bench, and if the conditions are right, it will have become very active by the end of 12 hours and even sooner. If the sponge is made at that time then there is likely to be less lactic acid than if the starter had been left to settle back to dormancy, which is about when the bacterias begin to start munching their way through the maltose in the flour leading to the production of lactic acid (by product of bacteria digestion).
The higher the lactic acid component the slower the proofing time but all things are never the same so that may no ring true if temperatures are warm, etc.
kaddiew,
Jul 22, 12:49am
Thanks for clarifying that.
kaddiew,
Jul 22, 4:32am
It's very light and has a nice soft 'normal' looking crumb - but sadly I'm getting a reaction to even a tiny amount eaten. At least I had a go.
buzzy110,
Jul 22, 5:29am
Glad the recipe turned out well for you. Terribly sorry you are reacting to the bread. At least you gave it a go and that is what counts. If nothing else, you may be able to find someone else who would benefit from a lovely active starter and make them a gift.
kaddiew,
Jul 22, 7:46am
Thanks! Have already gifted the bread, so will do same with the starter - once the earth stops moving here!
beaker59,
Jul 22, 9:40am
The one on the left just needs eyes to be a smiley.
griffo4,
Aug 21, 10:17pm
bump for someone asking
uli,
Aug 22, 9:25am
Are you still "sourdoughing" kaddiew ?
bev00,
Aug 22, 10:52am
lovely recipe worth saving for others wanting to give sourdough a go
bev00,
Aug 22, 12:09pm
ou can feed it twice daily if you like but I personally do not bother.
Each time I make bread I make up a mix of 1 cup each of water and flour and add in 1tspn of starter. When I was making bread weekly, I would just leave it in the fridge and pull it out when I wanted to make the sponge (approx 12-18hours before I wanted to make the dough.
I have periods when I don't make bread for months and months. I went 9 months once. I refreshed my starter about twice in that time, took it out 30 hours before I wanted to use it to make bread, and, instead of refreshing it I added in another cup of flour and ½cup of water and left it in the bowl I make the sponge up in, covered. Then I just carried on as usual. It still worked perfectly, maybe it was more sour than usual and took slightly longer for the first proof but that was about it really.
Wild yeasts feed on the gluten and gliadin (binding proteins in flour) and after a while the starter becomes very liquid. You cannot kill wilds yeasts once made if carefully treated. At best, if they are stored in the fridge, once they have munched their way through available food stocks they just go dormant. They wake up again with feeding. The very liquid nature of my long stored starter is why I added flour and ½cup of water to get it going again.
Just be confident, observe and analyse your starter and decision making becomes simply a matter of logic.
I fed my sourdough then put it in the fridge before going away for 9 weeks
as soon as l came home l fed it and left it on the bench overnight and l think it enjoyed it's holiday because it has been so strong and frothy
l have made a couple of loaves since coming home and they are really good
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