Just starting to try out sour dough bread.If my starter is made with white flour can I use it with 4 grain flour to make a 4 grain loaf or will I need to make a starter using 4 grain flour.(wheat, rye, barley and oat).
Thanks
coolnzmum,
Sep 20, 12:59am
Hi anyone out there who can answer my question.
davidt4,
Sep 20, 1:18am
Your white flour starter will be fine as long as it is active.
coolnzmum,
Sep 20, 2:27am
Thanks.My starter is just starting to bubble.Started it yesterday so will keep feeding it until it is really active.Hoping it will be good by next week so I can try it while my daughter, who loves to cook from scratch is here.Have never done sourdough before.
elliehen,
Sep 20, 4:13am
This was a very long-running thread on baking sourdough bread.You might find some answers there.
coolnzmum,
Sep 20, 5:29am
I have just finished reading that thread lol.Took me half of last night and most of today lol.That was what got me interested in sour dough bread.
coolnzmum,
Sep 20, 8:24am
My starter is now growing in size.Will resist the tempation to make a loaf until the weekend when it will be a week old.Will just keep refreshing it until then as per other thread.
beaker59,
Sep 20, 9:20am
Yes let it develop well, mine is a year or so old now and works very well. Its asleep in the fridge right now having a break for a few weeks.
But if it is working then there is also no harm in making a small trial loaf.
coolnzmum,
Sep 21, 3:08am
I have got your recipe copied down beaker which I plan to use to try my first loaf.My daughter is coming down this weekend and bringing the mixed grain flour with her.Might try one loaf before she gets here just to test it with on Saturday.
buzzy110,
Sep 21, 6:09am
coolnzmum is there any chance of you posting the quantities and ingredients of your 4 grain bread. No need to give the method of making but if it calls for precooking or pre-soaking the grains then that sort of knowledge would be appreciated.
To answer one of your first questions, you can use the starter made with ordinary flour but maybe, when you feed/refresh your starter for the last time, before making the 4 grain loaf, why not use the sort of flour that is in the recipe. For instance, if your recipe has wholemeal flour in it, then use that for your starter. That would make it more authentic.
I do that when I am going to make rye bread. The very last feed before making the dough, I use pure rye flour and 1 tlbspn of my regular starter.
Because I keep my starter going, if I am not going to be making bread before the next refresh/feed I just use cheap Champion flour and only use organic or specialty flour or flour appropriate to the type of bread I am making for the feed before I want to use it. So saying this remember to use flour and not meal flour like corn meal, kibbled wheat, semolina, etc.
coolnzmum,
Sep 24, 7:54am
The 4 grain flour comes from a place in Auckland.My daughter is bringing it down and I thought it would be good for trying out.It comes from www.allgoodfood.co.nzI will post once I have tried it and let you know how it works.
buzzy110,
Sep 24, 11:26pm
Well, seeing as your daughter lives in Auckland she might also want to check out the Paris-Berlin Boulangerie in Michaels Ave in Ellerslie. They are open Friday to Sunday and possibly Thursday (new owner new hours so not sure). They produce glorious organic sourdough and handmade breads. Rather pricey but well worth it.
coolnzmum,
Oct 4, 4:19am
Hi, I tried using the 4 grain bread my daughter got for me (60% wheat, 20% rye, 14% barley and 6% oats) but found it to be very sticky.It didn't rise very well, possibly my starter was not quite ready but it did taste ok but was very dense and heavy.Anyway went on to make white bread using beakers recipe and now using a mix of white and wholemeal flour and it is working well.I can use my starter to make either 1 or 2 loaves as it seems to handle both with ease now.Bread is coming up with a nice shape and texture so happy with that.Today I have added some grains to mix to see how that goes.
uli,
May 6, 12:41pm
In that old sourdough thread I have said several times that new starters will not have the strength yet to raise heavy doughs. The sour bacteria will always develop faster than the yeasts.
So if you used whole grain flour - it would be very advisable to add bakers yeast - to the final bread dough only - not to the sourdough starter! - until the sourdough yeasts are strong enough to raise your bread without additional help.
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