Sourdough bread - rediscovered culinary hobby

[josey]

I just recently rediscovered making my own sourdough bread. My starter took 3 weeks as our kitchen is fairly cool and I was about to give up 20 times but boy, was it ever worth it.

I am still working on technique and have some gadgets like banneton, bread lame coming (thanks Canada Post for sitting on my stuff!) but I love this so much!

Now all I want for Christmas is a wood burning (outdoor) oven! ;-)

Anybody else baking their own bread? I was thinking that might be a good discussion and show and tell.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Wife wants to make bread as well. What is your receipe for starter?

[josey]

I started with King Arthur's recipe (the BEST baking site in my opinion!):
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/reci...starter-recipe

I am following the process for bread on that homepage right now, with some slight alterations on timing to fit our weekend schedule. Check out her instagram for amazing pictures as well:
https://foodbodsourdough.com/the-process/
https://www.instagram.com/elaine_foodbod/?hl=en

[Bulletproof]

I use about 50/50 by weight flour and water. I have just been using Unbleached all purpose flour and it's been working well. Have one starter with some organic all purpose flour too but haven't made bread yet. Still growing.

Pizza crust and pancakes are a big hit in my house with the discard starter from feeding too.

Brett

[josey]

Originally Posted by Bulletproof

I use about 50/50 by weight flour and water. I have just been using Unbleached all purpose flour and it's been working well. Have one starter with some organic all purpose flour too but haven't made bread yet. Still growing.

Pizza crust and pancakes are a big hit in my house with the discard starter from feeding too.

Brett

I do the same. I started out with rye though as it was recommended. But regular AP since then. I do like to play with flours in breads though.

Discard recipes are always handy and I agree pizza crust is great. I haven't tried making pancakes yet. I also want to try this recipe: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/reci...rackers-recipe

[lilsundance]

Ok, since I've never done this, and this thread got my attention. A question for you who make sour dough, after you get the initial batch mixed how thick should it be? Thick enough so it slowly drips off a fork, or thicker so you could actually roll it into a ball if you so desired? Guess I should have read the last few post. Still if someone could answer me it will help.

[anything_but_fish]

There's a bunch of different starter consistencies depending on who you ask. My advice is to pick one version online (lots of people use the king arthur flour recipe for sourdough starter which is available for free online), starting with that, and then honing it from there.

I use rye/all purpose for my starter. Don't forget to name your new pet.

[anything_but_fish]

Part of my message got cut off because I'm technologically inept, sorry.

Basically my starter changes consistency over about a week--I feed it once a week and at the beginning it is pretty chunky or lumpy--think a very thick pancake batter--and then towards the end of the week it gets stringy and can start to smell sour as the yeast and bacteria break down the gluten etc.

Typically, I'll refresh it once a week and leave it in the fridge. Its been super easy for me over the past couple years.

I found Jim Lahey's "Sullivan Street Bakery" cookbook to be the go to sourdough cookbook. He goes through everything including setting up a starter. Anyway, just my 2 cents. Good luck!

[lilsundance]

Thanks for the reply. Gives me something to go by. Looking forward to trying it out.

[calgarychef]

Originally Posted by josey

I just recently rediscovered making my own sourdough bread. My starter took 3 weeks as our kitchen is fairly cool and I was about to give up 20 times but boy, was it ever worth it.

I am still working on technique and have some gadgets like banneton, bread lame coming (thanks Canada Post for sitting on my stuff!) but I love this so much!

Now all I want for Christmas is a wood burning (outdoor) oven! ;-)

Anybody else baking their own bread? I was thinking that might be a good discussion and show and tell.

You can come use my oven, I had it at 700F on Saturday night for pizza.

[KegRiver]

I made sourdough thirty of forty years ago. Wife didn't like at and didn't like me cooking.

Second wife now and she makes bread, better then I ever did.
But just regular white bread.

I might make her some sourdough bread one of these days. If I get ambitious.
I hope I don't. She has loved everything I have ever made or introduced her to. Now she wants me to cook more often then I like to. Oh well, it could be a lot worse, as I learned with my first wife.

[IceDemeter]

Originally Posted by calgarychef

You can come use my oven, I had it at 700F on Saturday night for pizza.

Next time you've got 'er cooling down, can I drop by with a couple of tins of rye to do a proper pumpernickel bake? I've been waiting to hear if you had tried it, and how it turned out!

As for starters - I've got a rye starter, a durum wheat starter, and an oat starter all at 80% hydration, and all used regularly. They all use whole grains that I grind myself, and I keep them refrigerated in between bakes (I bake once every 2 to 3 weeks), but do a 2 or 3 stage feed each bake. I'm more than happy to share starter if anyone needs.

I love this site for all things sourdough: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/ I maintain my starters using the "NMNF" plan from that site, and have had no issues at all with them.

My current "daily" breads are a 100% whole wheat (mix of spelt, durum, hard red, and khorasan), a 64% whole grain (22% rye, 21% spelt, 21% hard red or durum), and a 60% whole grain (30% oat, 30% durum or khorasan). I'm due for some 100% rye soon - ideally done as a pumpernickel (20-24 hour bake in low oven).

There really is nothing that suits wild meat better than sourdough, as a sandwich or to make sure that not a single drop is wasted

[josey]

Originally Posted by calgarychef

You can come use my oven, I had it at 700F on Saturday night for pizza.

Oooh! So tempting. Can you tell me more about your oven? Any pics?

Originally Posted by IceDemeter

Next time you've got 'er cooling down, can I drop by with a couple of tins of rye to do a proper pumpernickel bake? I've been waiting to hear if you had tried it, and how it turned out!

As for starters - I've got a rye starter, a durum wheat starter, and an oat starter all at 80% hydration, and all used regularly. They all use whole grains that I grind myself, and I keep them refrigerated in between bakes (I bake once every 2 to 3 weeks), but do a 2 or 3 stage feed each bake. I'm more than happy to share starter if anyone needs.

I love this site for all things sourdough: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/ I maintain my starters using the "NMNF" plan from that site, and have had no issues at all with them.

My current "daily" breads are a 100% whole wheat (mix of spelt, durum, hard red, and khorasan), a 64% whole grain (22% rye, 21% spelt, 21% hard red or durum), and a 60% whole grain (30% oat, 30% durum or khorasan). I'm due for some 100% rye soon - ideally done as a pumpernickel (20-24 hour bake in low oven).

There really is nothing that suits wild meat better than sourdough, as a sandwich or to make sure that not a single drop is wasted

Thanks for the link. I am a huge rye and spelt fan. I wish we had some close by local mills (at least I don't know of any). Where do you buy your flours?
I have been looking for cracked or whole rye but I can't find any.

Sourdough is a mile above all yeast breads in my opinion and the more sourdough-y it tastes the better. I also believe the fermentation make bread more digestible.

I also love to use a bread spice mix (caraway, coriander, fennel) that adds great flavour to any loaf.

[omega50]

http://www.bulkbarn.ca/en/Products/C...s,Flours-Mixes

[Xbolt7mm]

Ive made some but certainly wish I was better at it, congrats on your passion

[calgarychef]

Originally Posted by IceDemeter

Next time you've got 'er cooling down, can I drop by with a couple of tins of rye to do a proper pumpernickel bake? I've been waiting to hear if you had tried it, and how it turned out!

As for starters - I've got a rye starter, a durum wheat starter, and an oat starter all at 80% hydration, and all used regularly. They all use whole grains that I grind myself, and I keep them refrigerated in between bakes (I bake once every 2 to 3 weeks), but do a 2 or 3 stage feed each bake. I'm more than happy to share starter if anyone needs.

I love this site for all things sourdough: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/ I maintain my starters using the "NMNF" plan from that site, and have had no issues at all with them.

My current "daily" breads are a 100% whole wheat (mix of spelt, durum, hard red, and khorasan), a 64% whole grain (22% rye, 21% spelt, 21% hard red or durum), and a 60% whole grain (30% oat, 30% durum or khorasan). I'm due for some 100% rye soon - ideally done as a pumpernickel (20-24 hour bake in low oven).

There really is nothing that suits wild meat better than sourdough, as a sandwich or to make sure that not a single drop is wasted

Sure any time you want, I can heat it to the temp you want. Pm me for contact info

[Big Grey Wolf]

Josey, thanks for starter reciepe, wife will appreciate it.

[IceDemeter]

@ josey:

I pick up my grains and wholegrain flour at Community Foods (either the 10th Ave or Chinook locations - I haven't been to the other one: https://www.communitynaturalfoods.com/locations ). They have a great selection in their bulk bins, and are more than happy to give you the source information on any of the grains.

I hear ya on the lack of local small mills - I have heard that there used to be one in High River, but haven't seen anything that is still open and will sell smaller quantities to the public. There is always the option of ordering from Saskatoon: https://www.daybreakmill.com/ ).

For a great selection of malts (different grains, diastatic and non-diastatic), I like Grapes to Glass: http://grapestoglass.com/

For day-to-day use, I just pick up Roger's All Purpose or Dark Rye flour when on sale.

@ CalgaryChef:

Thank you! You are amazingly generous

I have only been working with typical home-oven recipes (using the non-traditional sourdough approach, including some rye malts and a scald, and a 16-24 hour bake at 120 deg C / 250 deg F). From the The Rye Baker and other sources, it seems like there should be no starter involved - just a long scald and a low, slow bake (traditionally, in a cooling brick oven - so starting around the 300-350ish mark and going 20-24 hours while falling to around the 200ish area???). https://books.google.ca/books?id=Wty...nickel&f=false

I'm a total beginner with a bit of an obsession with pumpernickel (was corrupted as a kid), so would love to learn more from your experiences! I'll drop you a message later tonight. Thanks again!

[dave99]

Here is mine.




Self isolation has rekindled my interest in bread baking.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Fitscottn]

Any suggestions for a first loaf of sourdough now that my starter seems to be happy?

Keep in mind I only have white unbleach, dark rye and whole wheat on hand.

Most other fixings I do have (salted/unsalted butter, eggs, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder etc) on hand.

Bread is a little foreign to me, cinnamon rolls, not so much lol.

Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[josey]

Originally Posted by Fitscottn

Any suggestions for a first loaf of sourdough now that my starter seems to be happy?

Keep in mind I only have white unbleach, dark rye and whole wheat on hand.

Most other fixings I do have (salted/unsalted butter, eggs, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder etc) on hand.

Bread is a little foreign to me, cinnamon rolls, not so much lol.

Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is a really easy approach: https://foodbodsourdough.com/the-process

[Tfng]

Josey my starter still does not double in size. It does grow and does have bubbles throughout, they’re small bubbles. I’d estimate it grows by one third. The starter is kept at about 70 degrees.

I’m using a 1 to 1 flour to starter ratio by weight when feeding daily but it always seems soupy by the next day.

Should I just go for it? I don’t want to waste our limited flour.

[nitro]

Just thought I would share what I made with the discard while I am waiting for it to be ready

[josey]

Originally Posted by Tfng

Josey my starter still does not double in size. It does grow and does have bubbles throughout, they’re small bubbles. I’d estimate it grows by one third. The starter is kept at about 70 degrees.

I’m using a 1 to 1 flour to starter ratio by weight when feeding daily but it always seems soupy by the next day.

Should I just go for it? I don’t want to waste our limited flour.

How old is it? It can take a couple of weeks. They are all different. Mine took 3.5 weeks.
Soupy means it's hungry. Do you feed once or twice per day?
Don't bake a loaf until it at least double after each feeding for a couple of days.

Does it smell yeast or fruity? If so you can however try crackers or biscuits with the discard now. Do you need some discard recipes?

Edit: One more thing, do you weigh the starter as well? Ideally you feed 1:1:1 otherwise you might starve it

[calgarychef]

Originally Posted by josey

How old is it? It can take a couple of weeks. They are all different. Mine took 3.5 weeks.
Soupy means it's hungry. Do you feed once or twice per day?
Don't bake a loaf until it at least double after each feeding for a couple of days.

Does it smell yeast or fruity? If so you can however try crackers or biscuits with the discard now. Do you need some discard recipes?

Edit: One more thing, do you weigh the starter as well? Ideally you feed 1:1:1 otherwise you might starve it

My first starter died, it was chugging away so well then it just went kaput.
So I kept feeding it while starting a new one, the new one is coming and the old one was still dead/dormant yesterday when I tossed it.