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Help with activating dry starter
I am brand new to sourdough..... well I had a starter years ago but it was given by a friend and I just had to feed it. I ordered a Friends of Carl sourdough starter and followed these instructions beginning last night.Italicized text below is so you can the instructions I followed.... | This is what my starter looks
This is what my starter looks like if you look down inside the top of the jar. |
Why do some bread books use such large starters?
Some books, like the recently reviewed Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast (Ken Forkish), and Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery, use large starters or levains- much larger than the amount used in the main dough, so that there is a lot to throw out. For instance, in... | No idea
I've always prepared just slightly more starter than I need for the bread I'm making. I've never had any trouble. |
Final Starter Feeding Before Baking
I'm feeding my 100% hydration starter with a 1:4:4 ratio. However, I'm not sure how much to feed to arrive at the amount needed for the dough. I need 10 oz. for my recipe, so thought that for doubling I should feed 5 oz. of starter. I ended up with WAY TOO MUCH starter for my baki... | X+4X+4X=10 oz
X+4X+4X=10 oz9X=10 ozX=10/9=~1.2 oz of starterYou do the rest. |
Starter Maintenance
Hi from OzI need some advice. I bake bread weekly for myself. Now I have an urge to attempt sourdough bread. I know nothing about starters, but have been the recipient of 100g of mature white starter from a fellow poster (a baker by trade) on an Oz forum. The donor amazingly lives just 15 mins f... | Wonderful!
What's the name? I'm dying to know.If you keep the starter in the fridge at 65% hydration, you should only need to feed it once per week. Take it out of the fridge, let it warm up an hour or two first. Feed it and let it sit for at least an hour, up to maybe 4 hours, when you see it start to rise and bubble ... |
Starter dead?
I have a fridge stored starter. I got it from a class, and maintained it for months, but I didn't have a regular feeding schedule. I'd feed it a couple of tablespoons of flour and water every now and then. Recently when I use it, the leaven doesn't seem to rise and ferment as much, and the bread had an "u... | In teh winter when I build a levain
for a loaf of bread, I just put it in a ice chest with a cup 0f boiling water so the temp is in the 80's. Same thing for you deveoping dough too. Feeding your starter a couple T of flour every once in a while probably isn't the right thing to do and you might end up with what you... |
My second loaf, still not fluffy
My second attempt at a (mostly) whole wheat sourdough, I decided it might be easier for me if I exchanged some white flour and some bread flour for some of the WW flour. I used JMONKEY's suggestions, I did one stretch and fold during the long rise, and did the final rise at 80-85 degre... | I'm no expert but I'd
I'm no expert but I'd suggest:1) Increase the hydration, try 72-75%.2) Autolyse the flour and water for atleast an hour before adding salt or kneading. |
Proofing temps- Starter & Loaf (revisiting the topic)
Hi, newbie to the forum, so sorry if I’m revisiting an old topic. I’ve a new kitchen, equipment workflows etc, and just starting to bake again after 5 months off. The monogram (dual-fuel) oven has a proofing setting but it tends to run warm and isn’t adjustable. ... | Not necessarily. Since you
Not necessarily. Since you mention work flow, that'll be the thing you'll have to play with - if the new temps are different than the old. The fundamental relationship between time and temp still applies. Enjoy! |
Sourdough Bread Concepts & Summary
I'm new to posting on the Fresh Loaf but I've searched this site quite a bit for tips and ideas. I'm looking to create a brand-new recipe for gluten-free sourdough bread and I was hoping some people on this forum more experienced than I am can help me sort through some sourdough theo... | Idea
Hi Gina,Have you thought about conducting your experiments by baking in a tin? This should help you to avoid collapse. Once you have become happy with your process, then start to adapt it so it will bake directly on the hearth.Honestly, the best Gluten Free baker I have seen on TFL is Sharon K see: http://www.... |
Can I feed the start different things?
Like Oat Flour?Bread FlourWheat germSemolinaOr give suggestions and pros/cons of other things.Thanks!! | Yes, to all those you've
Yes, to all those you've listed! |
Sourdough Rye Loaf never turns out the same way twice....
I'm looking for advice on the following recipe:2# 67% hydration sourdough starter1 TB yeast8oz. rye1#12oz. bread flour2 TB cocoa2 TB salt1/4 cup brown sugar2 oz. espresso6 oz. apple cider10 oz. water1 oz. oil The main issue that is driving me nuts is that when b... | how long are you proofing?
There doesn't seem to be anything terribly out of whack with the recipe. I calculate that about 35% of the flour is prefermented, and the overall hydration is 56%. This might be a bit too dry, but probably doesn't have an impact on your bursting problem. I would suspect that the loaf needs ... |
Looking for suggestions- Hamelmans bagels with a sourdough tang
I've been sticking to formulas from the BBA and Hamelmans book, but I'd like tio try an experiment. I have a ripe and vigorous culture ready for use and I'd like to try to make bagels with similar texture to Hamelmans formula, but with some sourdough taste... | Sourdough bagels
Here's one recipe. You could sub in your regular starter for the rye, no problem. Might want to dial back the water a bit. |
Bringing a starter back to life
Over the last months I have neglected my sourdough starter and I only baked yeasted breads. Now I want to start baking with a starter again when I took my old starter out of the fridge today, it smelled really funky, much like acetone, so I dumped it. I am left with two options now:1. st... | Reactivated a Starter
Juergen,I reactivated a frozen starter that was just about a year old. It took a couple(3-4) days for it to come back to life. What I did was rehydrated it with some warm water to a thin paste and then added flour and water to the hydration level I desired and kept at it for a few days, removin... |
My first loaf with my first starter
Hello!I have made my first loaf of bread with my homemade whole wheat starter. I've been makin the sourdough english muffins here:http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/3241/sourdough-english-muffinsfor a while, getting practiced up for actual bread, I love the english muffins, have tried ... | This looks pretty good for a
This looks pretty good for a 1st attempt but the crum looks a bit dry. Use more water next time especially when using whole-wheat flour since it absorbs more water than plain white flour. |
Confused re proofing/fermenting
Trying to make my sourdough more sour, trying to take in all of the forum posts on the topic. I'm confused on one thing in particular - I read that cold helps the more sour bacteria and a couple of folks recommended an overnight proof in the fridge. But though my starter iisn't produc... | Yes, it works. I do it all
Yes, it works. I do it all of the time but I let my dough warm up for a couple of hours before shaping and proofing in the morning. A warm up time makes the dough easier to handle. In the evening, after mixing the dough, I let it sit out at room temp. for a couple of hours too. When the d... |
cinnamon scented starter and chocolatey perfumed bread
my starter has a faint cinnamon aroma to it. its interesting. i baked with it yesterday,today and my bread smells kinda like brownies. i dont know if its a craving for brownies or if it actually smells like that. its cooling now so ill be able to cut into it in abo... | the imagination can be powerful
Sometimes as I page thru the site, I often smell bread baking or during a bake smell other baked goods. A memory trigger of cinnamon toast or caramel rolls can often pop up without cinnamon actually being there. I know I'm not the only one that drools over baked goodies on the computer... |
interesting rye
Has anyone ever tried this recipe or one similar?http://www.newscancook.com/recipes/slow-baked-rye-bread/A wheat grower where I source my organic flour from said that he tasted this bread in Denmark and it was the best he has ever had in his life. He was on a wheat growers conference there. I am unsure ... | I'd throw a roast in to bake at the same time.
Molke is whey, so most likely a whey product full of Lacto-beasties. Concentrated?hørfrø is linseed or flax seed (take your pick) |
Carmichael Sourdough
Hi All bread enthusiasts, tell me what you think, I appreciate all feedback and comments!I think I've got the process down but...I didn't really like the flavor. It smells sour! It doesn't taste sour. It's pretty! but .. alas, not really sour.This loaf is made from Mike Avery's Black Canyon SD Brea... | Development
Hi LisaE,Mike Avery's recipe gives little away about the starter. Maybe you should go back to him about how he maintains his starters?It's not that easy to tell, but your starter in the photo appears under-ripe to me. A photo of the top of the starter may be more instructive, as it is not just about how... |
My starter and lievito madre do not triple
Hi there,I have two happy and healthy starters that have given me many decent loaves. One I grew myself and the other is 6 years old that I got from a sourdough class. I'm trying to take my sourdoughs to the next level, and from perusing Instagram, it seems that other peoples'... | Increase the feeding ratio.I
Increase the feeding ratio.I did go from 1:2:2 to in a week time to 1:5:5And is no much stronger. |
How much regular yeast replaces natural leaven?
If I normally use 200 grams of leaven made from 1 TS of starter mixed with 50/50 white/whole wheat flour and 2oo grams of water left overnight, how much regular yeast could I replace this with if I wanted a non-sourdough recipe from the identical recipe? | Apples and oranges
Not sure what you are after but you can't just replace one for the other. Is it that you do not have a starter going from which to construct a levain? Or, is it the "sour" in sourdough that you want to avoid? But even before answering those presumed questions, my best advice is to use another reci... |
Carrots and Peppers and Olives Oh My
This morning my refrigerator looked like it should be in a chemistry lab. Decided I only really needed one starter as a base so I gathered up the rest and made two loaves of bread. Since the Carnival season that culminates in Mardi Gras starts next week, I thought it would be fun to... | PICTURES - I HAVE THE PICTURES!
Of Barb's Mardi Gras loaves. Here they are. They speak for themselves I think. These loaves look so beautiful.and the crumb looks nice and moist... Boy, that crumb looks like a baby compared to the wholeloaf... you can tell it is the end piece. Beautiful Bread Barby.... New Nickname f... |
ancient sourdough
Hello from Italy! I discovered this site that gives a very useful map of SOURDOUGH DEALER all over the italian peninsula!Thanks to this initiative I have now a new friend and she gave me last week 100g of a very old sourdough which origin are from the south of Italy (Calabria). This sourdough is older... | I wouldn't worry about the
I wouldn't worry about the sourdough; in fact, delight in the fact that you have a new friend who shared some old sourdough with you. If you keep feeding it to maintain it, any "strangeness" that it may contain will become your own, in the sense that you are feeding it the flour & water you b... |
Friesisches Schwarzbrot
My first attempt at this bread from this post:http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/18037/friesisches-schwarzbrot-friesian-ryeEasy and fun to make and fortunately I had a German friend here on sabbatical that taste tested for me and she approved! | Looks good!
Mer-rye Christmas! :) |
Yeasted Panettone with Buttermilk?
After a 600 mile drive down the east coast, my firm starter gave up on life and got really gooey and sluggish. Poor thing.I can't afford to wait on its recovery, so I'll forge on without it. I am planning on making a yeasted panettone. I've done this before, and I found that it lacks ... | I don't think you can scald
I don't think you can scald buttermilk. It will almost surely curdle(separate into solids and whey). That's what happened to me, but it's not like I was objectively experimenting. Maybe I let it get too hot, too fast. Let us know if you try it.I like to make my own buttermilk from from milk ... |
Crumb gone mad
My first time posting after being a lurker for some time. I have been working withe Tartine Country Bread recipe and have made several loafs. This last one was one of the more beautiful ones on the outside, but ended up having GIANT holes which made the crumb look unattractive inside. Any ideas what woul... | My Guess
The source of your cavernous crumb is most likely a result of what you did, or didn't do, during shaping. In an effort not to overworwork the dough, sometimes if you treat it too gingerly during shaping you can get oversized air pockets that end up looking like mouse holes. When shaping the boule, you must fla... |
Problem like this with rye breads only
This is driving me nuts! I only have this issue with rye breads. I am assuming this is due to underproofing but both of these loaves were from the same batch and one loaf is clearly worse than the other. I swear I am shaping them the same! This is Eric's favorite rye. I am doing t... | baked the same?
Were both of the loaves baked at the same time on the same level (side by side) in your oven, or was one baked lower in the oven than the other?-Mark |
Sourdough Starter Info
HiI live in South Australia and bake bread most weeks. I have been reading many posts on sourdough, and have quite a few books too. Although I don't really like sourdough bread I am thinking about attempting a starter (hey, I didn't like white bread till I made my own!).My question is, temperat... | Why wait till autumn?
I suggest do it now. I also suggest you read two threads here on TFL by our resident starter expert Debra WinkThe Pineapple Juice Solution, Part 1, and The Pineapple Juice Solution Part 2. You can find them using the Search engine in the left hand column. Just type in Pineapple Juice Solution. Deb... |
Why did my bread not rise?
So as an experiment I made my usual sourdough leaven, and mixed the dough and then immediately put it in the fridge for rising. It rose for about 10 hours, and then I put it into some proofing baskets which I also left in the fridge for about 24 hours.When I baked them last night, they did no... | over proofed
Looks like a classic case of over proofed bread to me.10hr+another 24hr, even in the fridge, is a LOT of time for a ripe starter, try adjusting your times. |
WHY? Change in flour fed to starter yeilds dead starter after 10 weeks
I've maintaned a 100% hydration sourdough starter fed with Gold Medal bread flour for 3 yrs. I bake several sourdough loaves once a week and keep about 50 grams in reserve (in a glass jar in the frig) between bakings. The starter has always been rel... | When the temperatures dropped from Summer...
did you also increase the portion of starter to flour or reduce the amount of flour to starter to make up for slower yeast growth? Or before refrigeration, leave the starter on the counter longer before cooling it down in the fridge? Temperature could have slowed it down a... |
My sourdough is reluctant to rise
I started my own starter - thanks to the directions found on the Clever Carrot site - and have now tried making bread three times. In all three attempts, I've had a problem with the rise. On this last attempt, I upped the warmth and by morning - some 12 hours into the bulk rise -- the ... | Would be interesting to know
the recipe and the temperatures for the dough and bread. It does look like it rose some. The bulk rise sounds like it might have been too long before shapng but right now, hard to say without more detail. Have you taken a crumb shot, a close up picture of the bread slice including the cru... |
Is this sourdough gone bad?
Hi, this is my first attempt at making my own sourdough so I really have no idea what to expect. I made this (see attached photo) on 1st August at 16.30 (it’s now 3rd August 09.16 at time of writing). I used 50% Rye Flour and 50% water on first day and yesterday fed with half cup all-purpose... | Normal at this stage. Keep
Normal at this stage. Keep following the instructions you have. Enjoy! |
Pumpernickel recipe
Anyone have a good pumpernickle recipe for me? Sourdough starter based or otherwise? | Mary Moore's Pumpernickel
Mary Moore's Pumpernickel BreadMary Moore was a Canadian newspaper food editor who's column appeared in Canadian newspapers for 50 years, from 1928 through 1978. She was born in 1903 and died shortly after her cookbook, "The Mary Moore Cookbook", was printed in 1978. It's a rare book and used ... |
help! I think I'm unbalanced, in more ways than one (newbie)
Still a newbie, had gotten the starter going and to a good place, it smelled like fruit and was rising nicely, you can see my posts on the pineapple solution part 2, but with busy shopping etc, feeding has been eratic, fruit smell turned to vinegar, and now t... | I think the vinegar smell is what you're looking for
the fruity smell comes before the peaking of the starter. Your starter must be old enough now to be on a 12 hr feeds. Try 1:5:5 with only 10g of starter or if your temps are low 70's°F try 20g for starter. A starter eats thru 1:1:1 rather quickly over 75°F. If y... |
Preventing baguette "explosions"
Good morning -I've been on a sourdough baking streak for a few years now and am being tasked by a kink I still need to work out: baguette explosions (evident on the topmost baguette, and a bit on the lowermost one in the photo below). I'm hoping the more experienced bakers in this forum... | Its all in the scoring. Watch
Its all in the scoring. Watch this video from KAF.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaLnzomvEF8 |
Making a Sourdough starter with water kefir
Hello, I have neglected my sourdough culture in the back of the fridge and it looks and smells beyond recovery! I have water kefir (sugar, water & kefir grains/culture) which I regularly ferment for a probiotic drink... can I use this to make a super quick sourdough culture -... | I seem to remember some experiments in the archives.
Try searching under: Kefir bread Kefir sourdough Kefir starter or ask your Q directly How to make a kefir starter?Are you sure your sd culture is beyond saving? If you pour off the hooch, clean off the surface with a spoon or two and get a clean sample... |
german sour dough starter
I recently returned from Germany and a friend sent me home with both the wet and dry packaged sour dough starters. I won't be baking for the market again until April and am wondering how often I will need to refresh the starter to keep it alive until then. I have never made sourdough bread bef... | Daily, at a minimum
For at least the first two weeks to make sure your wet levain is viable and strong. Then start baking with it so you can judge how it's performing as to taste and raising your bread. I keep my own starter at around 50-60% hydration and stash it in an unheated bedroom in between feedings. That let... |
What is the best way to store sourdough bread?
I am making Boules to be given out next week.. my question is what is the best way to store the bread so it will not go stale? | Yes, well wrapped and
then frozen. |
In need of a new starter - Seattle, WA
Hi - I just made the move to seattle and had to leave my starter behind. I now am in search of a new starter and would prefer not to build one up from scratch again so if there are any seattle people out there who have a little starter they are willing to part with i would be so g... | Friends of Carl starter works great and is FREE
http://carlsfriends.net/I have used it for years.wayne |
Seed Culture versus Starters
If I make a sourdough seed culture, the beginning of the starter, with high gluten white flour, rye pumpernickel flour and water when it finally manifests itself then I move on to make the starter. Afterwards I put it in the refrigerator till I am going to use it, is that okay? Then when I ... | try this
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/10251/starting-starter-sourdough-101-tutorialtry this link. also if you type in "starter" or "sourdough" in the search box you will find tons of information. Also see Lessons tab at the top left of web page.cheers! |
Whole grain miche
I baked this miche using 25% sifted flour and 75% whole grain flour. I used 30% spelt, 65% wheat and 5% rye. The dydration was 66%.First I mixed 25% of the dough (including a 100% sourdough starter made of half rye and half wheat) and let the dough proof for 12 hours. I then mixed the rest of the doug... | Under-baked
Hi Regicollis,From what I see in the crumbshot photograph, the loaf is significantly under-baked. It would be useful if you posted the weight the dough piece was scaled at. However, half an hour at 220*C is unlikely to be sufficient time for a loaf such as this, and not hot enough either...even though y... |
Care and Feeding of a Whole Wheat Sourdough Starter
For those who maintain a whole grain sourdough starter, what is your care and feeding schedule? At what hydration level do you keep your starter? I keep my starter in the fridge. Before baking day, I remove the starter from the fridge. My starter is at 100% hydrati... | I keep 80g
of 50% each dark rye and WW Desem starter in the fridge at 60% hydration. I use from 1g to 20g to build various levains for breads depending on what it is and my time constraints. I never feed it, even if 2 weeks old. but do use it up till there is about 5-g left or so and then build that back t0 60% hydra... |
Changes moving from 1:2:1.1 to 1:5:5.5
As much as it kills me, because it was going so well and I feel I was staying true to M. Rubaud's formulas and baking creed, I'm growing tired of refreshing the stiff chef every 5 hours, then trying to slow it overnight to some extent so I could sleep without waking to a stressed ... | Paul, you’ve got some unusual
Paul, you’ve got some unusual feed ratios. Not a bad thing, just over complicating, IMO. What are you trying to accomplish? I’m not familiar with Rubaud’s starter maintenance.After years of experimentation, I’ve come to believe that starter maintenance is not near as complicated as we make... |
High Hydration Sourdough
Sourdough having hydrations in the range of 60-65% are easy to handle and, if good practice has been followed, produce acceptable loaves. Why, therefore, do many authorities specify significantly higher hydrations in their recipes ?In addition to pursuit of the "Wholey Grail" crumb and the skil... | open crumb
Higher hydration leads to a more open and irregular crumb. I see by your signature that this is not what you are looking for. But some of us like the large holes in our sourdough bread. There may be other reasons, but this is mine. |
Back into sourdough with a few loaves, and lots of pictures
Good morning Fresh Loafers! It's been a looooong time since I've made a post, so I thought I'd share my recent success with sourdough.I've wanted to make a starter from straight up flour+water for a while--my last one used a pinch of commercial yeast to get it... | Very nice bakig!
I too struggle with peel, a 16" stone and 20" baguettes / batards. Without these problems there would be no reason for the the term 'Rustic' Bread. We do lots of 'Rustic' around here :-) Thanklfully, you can't taste anything bad with rustic.Both breads look great and they have to taste wonderful. |
A Tale of Two Loaves
Today I baked two loaves of SF Sourdough using David Snyder's formula. The loaves didn't oven spring as much as previous bakes. The crust of the first loaf(boule) remained pale throughout the bake which started at 500F and then was reduced to 460F per the formula. I baked the second loaf(batard?... | It looks like
the first bake was too low in temp, not enough pre heat or too little time time or some combination. After seeing the 2nd bake brown up nicely, I would make sure that you test the temp of your oven by heating it to 460 F for 45 minutes and see what it really reads with an oven thermometer. Do you have... |
Sourdough, and problems in the oven
So my sourdough has not been behaving lately and I was wondering if someone could troubleshoot for me. I am following this recipe http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2007/07/08/my-new-favorite-sourdough/ which previously given me good results. I will post some shots of the crumb and recent ... | Underproofed Loaves
Appears your loaves are underproofed. Try extending the proofing time or increase the proofing temperature. Try and maintain a consistent proofing temperature - it will go a long ways in maintaining a semblance to timing to the bake.Wild-Yest |
Sudden change in performance
Hi Baker Friends,I have been successfully making Tartine bread style loaves (75 - 80% hydration) for the past 8 - 9 months using a starter that I have been lovingly feeding. It's a 100 - 125% hydration liquid starter that I have been feeding with 50-50% ww and bread flour using only 20% sta... | Let's See
First allow me to submit that, unless your water supplier has changed the way it treats your water, you can probably forget about the chlorine having had an adverse affect on the yeast. It takes quite a lot of chlorine in treated water to "kill" yeast. I use chlorinated water exclusively without any problem... |
Hard and chewy sourdough bread
I recently baked some loaves with sourdough and a formula of 20% whole grain wheat, 5% whole grain rye and 75% bread four at a hydration of 70%. I placed the dough in the fridge overnight to develop flavour.The bread has a really great, almost peppery sourdough flavour. However it did not... | Raise
Hi Regicollis,I would suggest, as a first measure, you try omitting the overnight retard from the process. Temperature has a massive impact on rates of fermentation.Best wishesAndy |
Sprouted Wheat Sourdough Boules
Hi Everyone! I have tried two times to make a sprouted wheat sourdough boule, and both have tasted lovely and looked amazing, but unfortunately were very very wet, despite using all my usual techniques, times and temperatures. I can only assume that the ground sprouted wheat flour must... | Did you
Did you dry the sprouts in the oven, at say 200 degrees, before grinding? Maybe you could let the bread bake longer and develop a darker crust too? |
REALLY sticky bread dough!
I've tried making the basic sourdough bread recipe from The Bread Bible a couple of times with questionable results. The book says that the dough will be sticky.....major understatement! I keep ending up with a completely uncontrollable mess that refuses to stiffen up even with a conside... | Sticky sourdough
The sticky stuff is hard to handle, but it will give you better bread: larger holes, more open crumb, more intense flavor.To handle it, here's a few things you can do:
Dampen your hands: Just dip them in a bit of water, and then shake most of it off. Wet dough won't stick to wet hands.Generously sprink... |
No sourness in bread
Any ideas why my bread had no flavor or sourness? I let it ferment in the refrigerator for 23 hours. But to no avail. I have also tried my starter after 8 and 24 hours after feeding and it has a complex sour taste. But this did not transfer over to my bread. Any ideas? | Read This
Read this thread http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/30959/125-liquid-nonbleached-allpurpose-starter-no-sour.A lot of good info here. |
Eliminating Starter Waste
I like to control the waste of starter (1:2:2 feeding ratio) by using this method. I change containers often, so ten grams was added to the total to offset the lost weight that remains in the old container and any hooch that may be removed.Divide the weight of starter needed for a recipe by th... | Update
Sorry for the delay, the correct numbers have been posted (I think!). |
No Muss No Fuss Starter
I thought I would make a post on how I keep my starter for those who have an interest in doing the same. My method is based on several wants. First, I don’t want to maintain or feed a starter for up to 16 weeks. Second, I want to keep as small amount of starter as possible so that I can bake ... | I was converted......
.....and now I use this technique exclusively. Beautiful loaves with good oven spring especially when using Very Strong Canadian Flour (white and wholemeal).Thanks dabrownman. |
Second try
Well here they are my next batch of sourdough.This is from yesterdays prep and baked this morning. Dough was much more wet, although like last time I just eyed it and improvised. I did use the S&F method though having learned that here in my browsing, MUCH easier to work with the wet dough. Neighbor has got... | In a Word .......
In a word - beautiful. Congrats ..... |
I think i killed my sourdough
I have been keeping my sourdough on the counter because i was baking with it for a while and then i took a break and i kind of neglected it for about a week and it hasnt been the same. Ive been feeding it every day, sometimes 2-3 times a day and the texture of it just isnt right. It's glo... | Take about 50g of the oldest starter batch you have
and add 50 g water and 50 g flour, stir well and stir 3-4 times a day. Let it sit for 24 to 36 hours until you see the starter stop separating (flour and water separation) and more activity. Then stir in more flour to thicken (do not discard) and wait another day b... |
sourdough quick breads
I found a recipe here for sourdough banana bread, which uses a cup of sourdough starter in the batter. I've also made sourdough pancakes. The pancakes had the distinctive sourdough taste (a half cup of the starter fermented all night with the water and flour from the recipe). The banana bread ... | Forgot to say
And today I tried some oatmeal cookies with sourdough starter in them, but again, they just tasted like normal oatmeal cookies. I was hoping for a little of the twang to come through. I did let the starter ferment a couple of hours with some of the oatmeal. |
Increasing starter strength
I have a 2 week old starter that is doubling in just under 24 hours.I have been using a 2:3:5 ratio so it is relatively stiff.Tastes sour, smells right.Lots of bubbles.I have been using AP flour - however I switched to a cheaper lower grade flour about 4 days ago...this is when I noticed thi... | I should have mentioned
I should have mentiond that when I refer to doubling - this is the maximum height it acheives - i.e. peaks.So, the starter is only reaching double its original size when it reaches its peak.From what I have read on this site, a mature starter should be quadrupling or thereabouts at its peak and ... |
Sharing My Senior Moment
Amazing what the human mind can do when given the opportunity. I thought I'd share with anyone interested.After spending approximately 17 days creating a sourdough starter and ending up with a bubbly active starter that smelled of brandy and doubled in 4 hours, I decided to try some sourdough w... | The important part of the equation is the temperature
and if on the cool side (under 72°F, you may need to use more ripe starter in your mixture when feeding. (or more water so it ferments faster, or less flour for the same reasons) I haven't found "the warm spot" in my new apartment yet and it has already happened t... |
Help please - Question on Crumb - Fig & Walnut Sourdough
Hi everyone can anyone tell me what impact the autolyse and or preferment has upon the tenderness of the crumb? I've been making the Tartine country bread most of ths year. Recently i began to vary the procedure and borrowed from Txfarmers 36 hour baguette. I a... | What a beautiful
bread Moya. We love this bread too along with prune and brazil nuts. We like to put pistachios in there too as a sub and to mix things up. I don't know why the crumb is softer but autolyse does make the bread more SD tangy so it also might soften the crumb some too. One of the the fine 'Bread Scien... |
Optimal time to use a rye starter after feeding?
My starter is a typical 100% hydration. Do rye starters differ at all in this aspect from wheat? | Yes and No
No simple answer I'm afraid.The time it takes for a starter to mature depends on flour type (wholegrain or refined), grain type (wheat, rye, spelt, durum ... ), hydration, amount of mature culture you added, and temperature. Another factor to consider is what kind of bread you are going to make: Some breads... |
Help with Leaven Bread with Walnuts and Raisins...
I tried to make a Tartine bread with walnuts and raisins and it did not turn out as high and opened crumb as my usual Basic Tartine Country Loaf.Do I have to add more leaven to lift the nuts and raisins?Should I be doing something else special or different when adding ... | Mystery of the Tartine
It's common to suspect that the new ingredients to a bread recipe as responsible if something doesn't work out as we had planned. Very often, however, it's something we simply overlooked (over proofing, improper handling/shaping, etc.) that caused the problem. I'd suggest making your bread agai... |
used too much levain
So, in my haste to get things going this morning, i used twice as much levain as was called for in the recipe. What arr some of the ramifications of doing this? | The
dought might develop, ferment and proof twice as fast and be more sour. Depending on the hydration of the levain,. the hydration will be more or less than what the recipe called for. Since recipes can call for 10% to even 50% of the the total weight of the dough, it probably won't make much difference unless y... |
125% liquid non-bleached all-purpose starter = No Sour
I know there's a wealth of information already posted, specifically by Debra Wink, when it comes to sourness. However I have hit a wall and am perplexed.I maintain a white, non-bleached all-purpose flour starter at 125% hydration. My feeding regimen is 5g starter... | I think it's the recipe for
I think it's the recipe for starter, how you created the starter and how you maintain it. It determines how sour it is. Because the way you feed your starter during creation and later during maintenance stage pressures some microbes to die off and others to thrive. A natural selection takes ... |
My New Proofer
My daughter gave me a Brod & Taylor proofer for Christmas. It's the best thing since sliced bread. Here are a couple of pics of the product: | Lovely looking bread. What a
Lovely looking bread. What a nice present. |
My first Sourdough
I have to say, I am surprised. It was much less terrifying than I anticipated. (and i can anticipate terrifyingly with the best of them) Sadly I cant relate any useful information as it was an interesting amalgam of techniques and styles gathered from all over the web and various books. I began my st... | The wonders of sourdough
are amazing. Once you get good at it you won't go to work anymore and those pesky Shrek outings will be long forgotten and a thing of the past - never to almost get in the way of making SD ever again :-)I have to get me a hat like yours too! Welcome to SD baking. |
building a new starter
I began with 1 tbsp of rye and ww each and 2 tbsp unb AP and an equal weight of around 90F water.I've been adding every day or 2, another couple of tbsps and equal water, except once when hooch developed and I compensated the amount of water, based on feel.It's been smelling quite nice, a little... | When?
I cannot tell from your narration how old the starter is at this point, but it sounds to me that it is no older than about a week. That being the case, it is not yet a mature starter. It will take about six weeks to get a mature starter, but you might still be able to make a loaf with a good taste much before t... |
Now what do I do?
Thanks to SourdoughLady's encouragement and advice, I now have definintely created a monster. I have named her Ursula =D This pic is 4 hours after a 1:3:5 feeding, holy moly. And wow, it smells like brandy......I love the smell of brandy so.....wow.So now, I need a little help. How do I maintain her, ... | Lisa, Type: Now what
into the site search machine and you will see many answers to this question. :) |
Begging for Mature sourdough starter in northern Chicago suburbs
Hello!I know this is probably not a good time to be asking, but should anyone in the northern suburbs of Chicago be reading this and have mature sourdough starter available to share, I would be grateful to partake of it. I have the long weekend to do som... | No problem
No problem |
Newbie help
I have been trawling through the starter pages on this site trying to find information on how to resurrect my starter. So much fantastic and helpful information. thanks.So...basically I started my first starter about 6 days ago with whole wheat flour and tap water. At day 4 I had a layer of hooch on top of ... | You are on the right track, cantrelephant
First, your diagnosis that the starter is underfed is spot on.Second, using weight measures will give you more accuracy than volume measures. Also note that the proportions and percentages you see bandied about here are all based on weight; if you use those numbers with volume ... |
My Starter (Culture) smells like paint thinner! HELP!
Hi there! I am trying to start a starter, and I desperately need some help and encouragement. I will give you a little history.I started this with a recipe from a site other than this and I don't want to give a link cuz after smelling the starter after 4 days I was ... | Bottled water
I can't say enough about using non-chlorinated water in the beginning stages of growing your new babies. i had the same experience and threw mine away and started a new one with filtered tap water. It didnt work but the day i switched to bottled water, the thing took off like a shot. |
Overnight retarding
I am planning to make this recipe to bring to my family's for Thanksgiving http://www.northwestsourdough.com/discover/?p=1423 The recipe calls for 4 hours of bulk fermentation (with folding) and then 2 hours in the fridge before baking. I would like to mix and bulk ferment the dough on Wednesday nig... | I Wouldn't
The folding process is critical to success with this recipe. If you bulk ferment overnight without folding I don't believe you'll achieve the desired texture (crumb) she describes. The time to experiment is when the risks are low. If you're baking for a crowd and don't want to be embarrassed I'd suggest f... |
Friends of Carl Starter doing nothing
Yesterday afternoon I got out the Friends of Carl Oregon Trail starter that I recieved back in July. I followed the instructions for "Reviving the Start" that are listed here. I accidentally put in 1 tsp of the starter though, instead of 1/2 tsp (it was one of those days. That w... | Be patient, it's an living
Be patient, it's an living organism which is not on human time table. Feed it and wait, if your house is too cold you might want to place it in our oven with the oven light on. Don't worry, be happy. |
Alaskan Sour Dough Starter
Hello I have been doing SD for a few years now and fairly good results from and a recipe and help from Mike Avery at Sour Dough Home. A friend bought me back 2 packages of starter from Alaska. I followed the directions perfectly and had what lookedlike a starter from their directions th... | Ignore the directions
If you've been making sourdough successfully for a few years, why should you abandon all your proven techniques because a random recipe directs otherwise? The sourdough culture from Alaska is just a different strain of wild yeast than the one you normally use. Treat it as if it were your regular c... |
Question on Eric's Favorite rye
I am having issues with the loaves bursting sometimes even beyond the slashes. I beleive this is due to overproofing. My second proofing seems to be happening way to fast and I keep getting caught off guard. Would sticking the loaves in the fridge to delay the second proof help this matt... | Sounds more like underproofing
Hi Abbygirl,An overproofed loaf would be flat and have no oven spring. If I understand your description, this is not what you are getting. Instead, your loaves are getting too much oven spring which usually indicates underproofing. 20 minutes for a final proof seems very short. How ar... |
Help - struggling to get oven spring and proper rise
Hi,Thanks for reading, I've been baking sourdough on an off for the last 18 months and since I started up most recently (about 4 week ago) I've been struggling to get a really good oven spring and the nice open crumb I am aiming for.My starter is very active and usua... | Benny is the expert on these
Benny is the expert on these things, but in my experience, if it goes into the oven too early during final proof, you will get great spring but it will be dense. Based on the photo of the great ear, that would be my guess, though I am not familiar with that recipe, and I generally bake wit... |
Brazilian Flour
Hi,I'm brazilian, unfortunately, and I've tried cultivating starter from many flours that are avaible in our market, from the cheapest to the most expensive, but the only one that worked was a whole wheat oragnic flour.I came up with three possible explanations why that happend, but I don't know for sur... | Local bakeries?
I know that Panama is a long way from Brazil! When I lived in Panama and found that the flour sold in markets did not work for sourdough at all, and I had trouble with packaged yeast there as well. I just couldn't give up!
So what I did and maybe you could do? Is found a small bakery that had bulk impor... |
Today's JH 5 Grain Levain Bake
Today I baked my 4th attempt at the JH 5 Grain Levain bread. I don't mean to bore everyone with yet another post of this bread, but I would like to show everyone the help that David Snyder's tutorial post on scoring bread gave me. I am finally producing some ears and slashes that are lo... | Beautiful loaves
Hi John, looks like you hit it. You got good blisters and a nice color. I'm sure the crimb will be perfect. Congrats!-Brad |
Would anyone mind helping me convert this to sourdough?
I enjoy making this bread for many reasons, it is a consistanly good versatile dough, that relieves a ton of stress in it's creation. I follow this recipe to the letter, knead exactly as shown ...and it turns out ( go figure)
I would like to convert and try it as ... | "Sourdough"
There's a lot of confusion about "sourdough" bread. It's actually strictly defined as a bread prepared using the addition of dough left over from a previous batch. To lend the "sourdough" technique to the recipe in your link, simply save a portion of the dough and set it aside to ferment. Then add it to... |
the last rise and no big holes
Help!! I have a great starter and it will lift the bread but there are no large holes and it kind of lays there spreading out and not going up. the crumb is good I use Harvest King Commercial flour and get a reasonable sour taste and a great crust the only thing I do not get is a signifi... | Link - dmsnyder Knows Best
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/8638/big-holes |
Starter Victim of Sandy
I've been without electricity since 2 PM this past Monday, the day Sandy hit NJ with a vengeance. I really can't complain much because my house and family came through it unscathed. Having been without electricity since Monday I fear my starter may be a goner. Very sad if true because it's been ... | Lost starter during ice storm.
It was the Nancy Silverton starter, made with grapes, and I called it Bubbles. It died during the ice storm in 1998, along with most of our plants, and I didn't bother with another starter until 4 years ago, and this one is very active. I use it all the time. |
Successful revitalization of starter
Just thought I would share... I have been away from sourdough bread making for a while. I put my starter in the refrigerator over 6 months ago (I think it may have been March or April, but possibly May). I took it out last night, stirred in the hooch, and mixed in a 1:1:1 refresh to... | I've tried
everything possible to kill mine over the years but it's .......ALIVE! and survives non the less. Glad you could save yours. Don't forget to freeze some of the new when it is well. That way it will live forever in care the worst happens :-) |
LIQUID LEVAIN BUILD TIMINGS
Hi all,I regularly make sourdough for the local market.I use Hamelman's "Bread" Vermont Sourdough formula as a basic for most of my breads. The suggested liquid levain build time is 12 - 16 hrs at 21C. This is also the suggested build and ferment time for many other sour dough formulae. What... | Yes!
A retard during the build is no problem. My personal sourdough doesn't particularly like retards and is slow to get going again but...with most levains I don't think you will have any signifcant impacts though you may have to experiment to get the same results. In general you will extend the proof time by a bit le... |
fun with a mistake
Not sure what happened last night but as I was weighing ingredients for some dough I was planning to make, I had a mental lapse and lost track of what I was doing. So instead of throwing out the stuff in the mixing bowl, I decided to try a very wet dough, fermented at room temp with a very small amo... | Discovering the joys of slow fermentation...
The malt tends to speed up fermentation. Must be cold indeed in your shop. What I think you did was bring out the flavours inherent in the flour. What flour(s) did you use?Mini |
Oakland Sourdough Fail
Can anyone help with this one? My third attempt at the Oakland Sourdough was a failure. After last weekend's successful bake, I was confident - perhaps too confident (especially after all your kind compliments). My dough today would not keep shape at all during shaping and was extremely sticky. I... | http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/2577/sourdough-ciabatta Same exterior look, same height (or lack of), and same hole structure. Sure it tastes fine for a ciabatta but I need to know where the I might have gone wrong. What would have been the main reason(s) for this failure at the Oakland sourdough? Too much hydration? ... |
Can I Autolyse for 12 or more hours with just flour and water?
I want to try a twist to the Tartine Bread I have been making. I want just the flour and water to sit for 12 or 15 hours and then add the leaven and start the process. (instead of the book instructions of Autolyse with the flour, water and leaven for 40 m... | Hi Bread Head,Yes it would
Hi Bread Head,Yes it would be possible. I will often use an autolyse of 5-6 hrs while the last levain/starter is developing. How much 'wet time' your dough can handle will come down to the flour you are using. Experiment and give it a go ... it will leave you with a silky dough at the end of ... |
82% hydration, 50% whole wheat sourdough - crumb issues
Hey guys! So I baked this 50% whole wheat sourdough at 82% hydration and I’m glad it didn’t overferment this time. Whilst it has the oven spring and ear, I do feel that the crumbs could be more open for a 82% hydration? I’m using the recipe by TPL. | Judging from the picture on
Judging from the picture on the recipe, the crumb could be more open - but the crumb you got is excellent for 50% whole wheat. Unless you were really looking for a very open crumb, I'd be very happy with this bread. |
Difference in bubble size in starter?
What do the bubble sizes tell you?My starter info;Feed it everyday in the morning.Keep it in the basement, average temp 66 degrees during winter and 74 degrees during summer. (Pittsburgh PA.)Feed it 50/50 mix of Whole wheat and All purpose.I keep a small amount, about 50 grams.Ques... | need more info: how much
need more info: how much water do you feed your starter, in relation to the fresh flour?give us these ratios for your feed:old starter (weight in g):flour (weight in g):water (weight in g):If your starter is very liquid, it may not bubble much. You want to use your starter just before it has pe... |
Is it safe to keep my starter in a fridge with an antibacterial filter?
Hi, I have recently moved and as part of that bought a new refrigerator which has some antibacterial air circulation system built in. Sounds good on the box, but I didn't stop to think about how it could affect my sourdough starter...Yes, I keep my... | I think (no proof mind you) the active antibacterial
action happens in the filter and no where else. I would not be worried about your starter if it is somewhat covered. Most germs get active when the power is off and it is dark, warm and moist inside a closed fridge. I line my vegetable bin with a folded sheet of n... |
My 1st attempt was a success, but....
I started out with trying to bake the loaf in the 2nd lesson. As far as ingredients, the only thing I did different was use whole milk. It is now cooling off in MS and our house was cool, so I just left a loosely covered bowl in the microwave to keep out of the drafts, but I did ... | Melt a little
butter with some milk in the microwave and brush it on the crust as soon as it comes out of the oven. Soft crust every time! |
Tried Ultragrain flour with 30% WW in a Sourdough, and so far I don't care for it.
I have been using King Arthur's AP White (Unbleached) and it seems like a good AP flour. Most have less gluten (only 3g protein where KA's has 4g).BUT we recently tried a bag of ConnAgra Ultragrain (30% Whole Wheat). It was there so I fi... | RE:Whole Wheat Sourdough
Don't make a hasty judgement based on using the ConAgra ultraGrain whole wheat flour. I had a mild flirtation with it because I could buy 20# for less than $10 at Costco. However, after going through the flour, I found I didn't care enough for the flavor to buy it again.Try other brands of flou... |
Real Scalded Milk instead of bakers powdered milk (or even more importantly instead of water)?
I have been looking for a softer loaf and used milk instead of my starter. I like things to be more real than fake/processed (part of why I prefer to bake instead of eat the nasty store bought lumps of chemical flavored goo).... | No harm with milk
Indeed, the King Arthur recipe for sourdough English muffins that I typically use calls for milk as the liquid, rather than water. I was a bit nervous the first time I tried it, thinking that the overnight ferment might not be so wonderful, but it came out just fine. So has every batch since then, w... |
Oakland Sourdough 99.99999% Success
Here is this weekend's Oakland Sourdough bake, attempt #2. I was much happier with this loaf and I owe thanks to Ford and Dabrownman for all their help in crunch time. Also, I finally made an ear! - And have no idea how I did it. As you can see, one slash made an ear and the other... | What a great loaf of bread SOTB
You can only get that kind of deep dark non burnt crust in DO and that crumb is spectacular too! Glossy crumb with irregular open holes - just magnificent ! You can't make it or bake it better than that.Way to go! |
Baking Tartine Country Bread
Just started making the Country Bread "Tartine" recipe... the bread is great, but after the final proof, the loaves are too big for my cooking vessels.Either:1) I need bigger vessels. One is a Le Creuset 9" round pot, the other a ceramic 9.5" deep pot.Comparatively...2) I might need smaller... | I use La Cloche to bake and a
I use La Cloche to bake and a baker's couche during final proofing. Shaping it a bit tighter would be good because the raise is more controlled and it becomes easier to handle. I would suggest following the shaping instructions from Tartine Bread or Hammelman's Bread book.Hammelman even ha... |
Anyone use a 'sponge' for Sourdough? I think that's the word for it... i.e. not all the ingredients upfront.
I just took on the task of keeping up with the sourdough in our home. My wife describes a sponge as part of the mix (usually 1/2 or so of the flour, water, and yeast/starter) that sits overnight to grow/ferment/... | Refreshing starter
The night before I make my sourdough bread, I always make a 'primary batter', that is, I dump the whole starter into a bowl and mix it with flour and liquid, cover it and let it sit overnight. Next day, I take out two cups to make the bread, and put the rest back into the fridge. |
Honig Salz Brot (German Honey-Salt Bread)
HEY there everyone, A long hiatus since my last post. Anyway, I heard about this bread, the Honig-Salz Brot, in passing a few weeks ago, and found a recipe. Anyone heard of this bread? No yeast or sourdough starter is added to the bread. A mixture (the first mix) of salt, h... | you should submit your photo to the recipe link
Looks like a good result. Did you use the spices?Mini |
PreFerment Problem
Quick help needed once again...I made the following pre-ferment last night:50g mature 100% hydration sourdough starter180g water130g flourThis morning, after about 9 hours, it passed the float test, however I wasn't ready to make the dough yet. 3 hours later, so after 12 hours of fermentation, I was... | Add Flour & Water
Take half of the present preferment (180g) and add 78 g flour and 103 g water. Let this ferment for about an hour and continue with your recipe. I believe the little critters (lactobacteria and yeast) ran out of food and so they went to sleep, so to speak.Hastily,Ford |
Total Titratable Acidity (TTA)
A recent discussion of TTA in another thread prompted me to start this thread. This question is aimed at chemistry nerds (like me) and/or diehard sourdough users.TTA is considered an important parameter in sourdough development. I don't have a copy of the AACC Method 02-31.01, Titratable ... | I think it's to obtain a
I think it's to obtain a value corresponding to so called Thorner's degree acidity, which is measure for 100 g sample, not 10 g? And/or it's just a convention to standardize to 100 g of sample. |
First Ciabatta Attempt
Well I made my first ciabatta loaf and it turned out just okay. I got great browning, which I suspect came from the long 24 hour room temp bulk fermentation where it tripled in size, but I didn't get great oven spring and the bread was a bit gummy even after baking it to an internal temp of 209 d... | If I made this bread
like you did with a 24 ferment in my AZ kitchen, even in the fall, I suspect there would be nothing left to proof except goo. You might try fermenting it for an hour and half and chuck it in the fridge for 22.5 hours and then bring it out of the fridge and let it sit for 1.5 hours to come to room ... |
General Discussion about Prefermenting Dough
I've been baking yeasted bread at home for more than forty years; and have always paid particular attention to the life of the yeast. I am now baking bread in four-loaf batches about two or three times a week. I am not particularly interested in "sourdough" bread as such; bu... | Depends on the pre-ferment, process used
Just so we're comparing apples to apples: when most people talk about %'s here, they mean baker's percentages - that's ingredient x's proportion compared to the total amount of flour used, not compared to the total weight of the loaf.For example, I use a 70% hydration pâte ferm... |
Deleted/Removed Post
None | starters in warm climates
I live in the subtropics, but experience only slightly cooler temps & identical humidity. When I attended a baking class taught by King Arthur Flour's Jeffrey Hamelman back in April, he suggested that a firmer starter would behave more predictably in a warmer climate. The idea is that a drie... |
Dark spots, streaks in dough
I'm mystified. For the second time, I have dark spots/streaks in my dough. But different circumstances.The first time was over a year ago. I was using a starter I had had for a while. I kneaded the dough by hand, on my counter. It had been cleaned previously with a Clorox wipe, so at t... | Show photos, please.
Show photos, please. |
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