instruction stringlengths 2 23k | output stringlengths 3 23.1k ⌀ |
|---|---|
Needing a little help!
New to the forum and very new to the bread making fun! OMG what a blast it is! I have been making beer and wine for 18 years! Bread is on the same path for me! I do need a little help! I am having an issue that I wanted to throw and toss off you all and see if you have any insight to my proc... | overproofing?
Quickly deflating dough sounds like an overproofing issue, especially given the large proportion of starter (40%) you're using! |
Yeast Water Preferment Question
Stiff Yeast Water Preferment is full of bubbles but has hardly risen. Which is confusing! If this was a sourdough starter it'll have tripled by now. This doesn't even have a dome. I've done this recipe before and admittedly the yeast water hasn't been refreshed in a long time but the rai... | Hang on a minute
It's speeding up! Carole just messaged me and she was right. The temperature might have been too low through the night. It's now hour 15 and it's got many more bubbles, starting to rise more and smells good. I'm forging ahead. |
sloppy sourdough mess
Hi everyone, I am new to sourdough baking but have successfully mades about 4 loaves so far. My starter is a stiff levain that is 3 yrs old. I keep it in the fridge and feed the night before mixing by adding the same weight of flour as the starter and half the weight in water. (Ie: 100g starter +... | That's puzzling
I would normally say over fermented however the timing seems well within normal range, you've had success with this before plus the temperature hasn't changed. So I'm throwing out two possibilities...1: a change in your starter. Perhaps it's become too acidic. It is low hydration which encourages acetic... |
Why use a starter ratio of 1:2:2?
I have created and maintained a 50/50 white/whole wheat starter for the past 2.5 years and have baked sucessful sourdough loaves since creating it. I feed my starter at a ratio of 1:5:5 (20g/100g/100g) which routinely yields a healthy rise after about 8-10 hours. I have recently read... | There is no hard and fast rule
on how to feed your starter. I would suggest that if 1:5:5 works for you, then stay with it. With 1:2:2, you would probably be feeding your starter several times a day which is fine if you are a bakery but not so great if you are a home baker. If you search, you will find that we all do t... |
starter died
random musing: i would like to announce that my 2 year old starter - sabrina, has died yestd. it turned mouldy after i forgot it on the shelf for 4-5 days :( here’s to a new one soon!anyone has recos on what flour to use? i previously used rye + ap, worked pretty well | Sorry for your loss. That's a
Sorry for your loss. That's a bummer. I keep one starter that is 100% rye and another that is 90% Bread flour and 10% rye. I also use the No Muss No Fuss method described here to keep it as a thick starter in the fridge...and then just build leavin out of that starter over time. Only need ... |
Difference of different starter ratios
Say I start with the 1:2:3 dough formula, so 300g starter (100%), 600g water, 900g flour. Total is 1800g and starter ratio is 1/6th (or baker's 1/3rd) with 2.5/3.5 hydration. But I can also have 200g starter, 650g water, 950g flour. This will have the same hydration and total weig... | starter ratios...
I have done this experimenting before.You are correct, the levain will need a little more time to get through the dough, however if your levain is not strong enough then your spring will not happen as well. It will not be "as" strong of a sour flavor. Hope this helps! I love playing with the ratios, g... |
Beginner- could really use guidance on my failed starters!
Hello all, I've been wanting to make my own sourdough forever, and as of one month ago I've been trying to get a starter going. The first attempt *seemed* to be going well, it would rise predictably after feedings and foam up. I used whole wheat flour for that ... | How long since the first feed?
Starters often have quiet periods where it is a good idea to stop feeding, keep warm and stir instead. When it wakes up then start the feeds again. |
What is this thing I have created?
First post here, have finally given up lurking and perusing the copious amounts of knowledge on these forums because there is only so much science you can internalize and still not have any idea of what is going on with your bread before you throw your hands up in the air in exasperat... | After only 2 months of going
After only 2 months of going it alone, I think you are well on your way to success.Sourdough Dough is not the easiest bread to bake, BUT it is the best tasting.I’m wondering if the flour you are using may be part of your problem. Also, you picked a very difficult bread for your first bake. ... |
Another 1-2-3 experiment with too many variables
Greetings to all of you on this lovely day.Still trying to learn and constantly wanting to try things based on all the wonderful knowledge I'm finding here. So, this weekend, I asked myself what needed work and decided to do a 1-2-3:starter predictability: have I figured... | The crumb looks pretty darn
The crumb looks pretty darn good to me. I really like lacey and moderately open for eating. The only thing missing for me is the rise. How did the proofing go?I like your confidence with the starter timing. I think we learn that from diligence and observation. It is great to know that a Leva... |
FWSY fermentation times WAY too long!
I'm about three quarters of the way through FWSY, just before starting the pizza section. I'm studying all of Forkish's formulae and procedures without baking them (so far). The problem is that there is no way that I could let dough ferment/proof for as many hours as he says that I... | Correct Watch the dough and not the clock.
His levain builds are the most insane though. |
Convection is Awful and Ruining My Sourdough - How to Remedy?
Hi Bakers,I've been invited to use a friends commercial kitchen to bake my sourdough bread. I've done several bakes over several days there, and have been disappointed with each one. Chief among my concerns is the fact that I cannot disable the convection m... | may i ask...
why you are using your friend's commercial oven? it seems to me you could put each loaf in a dutch oven with the lid on for the first half of the bake or put two loaves in a roaster with the lid on for the first half of the bake. that would protect them from too much direct heat AND keep the crust moist t... |
Dead bread
This was my first bread dough R.I.P.It looked and smelled so bad I didn't bother tastingHere goes the story...Ingredients: 300g whole wheat, 300g allpurpose, 512g water, 60g starter @ 100% (float test passed) some cranberries and a pinch saltI first mixed up the flours and water and let them sit to autolyse... | My first thought. The
My first thought. The autolyse was way too long. When water comes in contact with flour enzymatic action starts to take place. This action, given enough time will degrade the dough. It will get soupy, sticky, and ultimately turn to slop. The only way I know to keep flour wet and not completely bre... |
Using Kenwood K beater for 61.5% hydration dough?
I just bought a Chef XL and used the dough hook to kneed. Wasn't too impressed, some of the dough kept at the bottom of the bowl and I ended up kneading by hand again. I just read that some people use the K beater (paddle), but not sure if it'll work with a 61.5% hydrat... | Sorry to hear you're not too
Sorry to hear you're not too impressed with your new Kenwood. Have you tried making other dough with it? I've heard such good things about these mixers, so maybe it's this particular dough that gives some trouble. I have been considering getting the Chef XL, to replace an aging KitchenAi... |
didn't know my levain would start bubbling so fast!
about an hour ago, i put 10 grams of bubbly, active spelt starter together with 225 grams white spelt flour and 215 grams filtered water, mixed them and covered the bowl with cling film to wait for them to ferment. it was a whim, and the bread recipe uses whole grain... | It is very fast
Even for spelt. How warm is it where you are? And by bubbling what do you mean? Is it really active or just starting to show bubbles? I'd drop the hydration of the dough if substituting wholegrain spelt for white spelt. |
What should I change if I want to add Rye to this recipe?
500g strong flour,300g 100% hydration starter (fed 12 hours before)250g water10g saltNow I want to add whole Rye, how much and what else should I change (just, say 150g Rye and 350g of strong flour)? Is there a change to the making of the bread (more autolyse, r... | Nope,
no calculator that I know of. Just have fun with it. Start with replacing 10% of your flour with rye and see how you like it. Just be aware that rye has less gluten so don’t go wild and use something like 50-60% and expect a light and airy loaf. |
Fruity
Hi thereCan someone tell me what's happening to my starter when it smells like ripe fruit after 5-6 days on the counter , unfed? Thank you | Sounds like the organisms are
Sounds like the organisms are doing their thing. My starter often smells fruity when it's grown after being fed. If it starts to smell sour or has peaked and fallen it will be depleted of food and start to produce more acid compounds....but honestly it sounds like your starter is doing gre... |
Leven
My leven is ready, but I am not. How long can it sit at room temp before I use it? | Refrigerate it
Till you're ready. |
Shaggy Dough
I tried to loaves this weekend. Both ended up REALLY shaggy and impossible to actually shape into a boule. It was basically soup. It weirdly went through all of the other phases seemingly normal. Autolyse, mixing and S&F–the texture seemed right– and then rose during bulk fermentation normally. But when it... | Either too hydrated
And/or over fermented. More details needed! |
Can I get great bread shipped to me?
I am very happy with the taste of my breads. But I’d like to know what really great breads taste like. I think my breads are fairly sour, but without comparisons how can I really know. Many will say, if you are happy with the bread you bake what does it matter? Because I like to lea... | Zingerman’s
There is a Jewish bakery in Ann Arbor, MI, that has a huge array of the breads you’re looking for. They even have a bread of the month club! They also have quality meats, unusual and sometimes rare oils and ingredients, pastries, cookies, the best anchovies (not those salty little fish corpses one gets at t... |
More or less starter in a recipe?
I have seen recipes for the same dough weight and hydration that are with 250g starter vs 350g. What is the difference when starting with less or more starter? Does it take more to proof? Will it rise the same? | Different timings
And different flavour profile. |
Maggie Glezer sourdough challah
OK, so I've doing pretty well with my starter lately and decided to try this. They did not come out well, very dense, crumb pretty solid. I don't think it's the starter.I was wondering if it was her bulk fermentation instructions. She says knead only for 10 minutes but the dough did n... | I'm not a regular here, but I
I'm not a regular here, but I've been lurking for a while, and baking with sourdough for a long time. I just recently got into sweet sourdough recipes, and Maggie Glezer challah was the first one I tried. I too found it a bit dry and dense, but I just made it again today with some tweaks a... |
My attempt at Pane casareccio di Genzano
After finding out that this was the official bread used for bruschetta in Rome, I had been wanting to try it for some time. I went ahead and gave it a go this weekend using Local Breads as my guide. Overall, it went pretty well. I didn't use the bran coating simply because I ... | My attempt at Pane casarrecia di Genzano
May I have the recipe, please ThsnksChris |
Long Autolyse/Pre-mix with UK Flour
I've been attempting several long-autolyse (and a couple of Trevor Wilson's 'pre-mix' method) recipes and ending up with slop. I've discovered via this website (what a great resource) that this is more than likely down to trying to use UK flour interchangeably with North American flo... | Here in the UK
We can get flour very strong in Gluten. And many American recipes call for AP flour which falls in the range of 11-12% gluten anyway. I'm beginning to think that hydration and gluten % are not directly linked.You can change the hydration without changing the recipe. Change the flour and you change the re... |
Shaped My Loaves A Little Too Early Into bulk (Am I Screwed?)
So as we all know, fermentation "times" are only guidelines at the end of the day. It's so dependent on the weather, humidity, and ambient temperature. Today I was doing a loaf that does a 4 hour warm bulk ferment at 78 degrees then gets shaped and then proo... | I have done two things;
1. Popped it back in the bowl and let it continue or 2. Gave the dough a longer rest between the pre-shape and the final shaping. By the way, dough can be fully fermented and not double depending on how it has been handled. |
Is this starter ready?
I took 80g from the refrigerated mother starter back on Wednesday night and let it warm on counter (it was fed 4 days ago)The next morning (Thursday) fed it 80g flour 80g water, following the same at eveningThis is what it looks like as of this morning (Friday) some 10 hours after 2nd feedIt's qu... | bubbles are a good thing...
but if you fed 80 grams of starter 80 grams of flour and 80 of water, did you discard before the second feed? |
High gluten and All Purpose Flour
I am a sourdough fanatic. I started 4 months ago. Lots of failure but I am in the groove now.... I think. I want to use HG flour. I want to combine it with AP and or Rye etc.. I would like to store a combo HG and AP in a 10lb bucket. Any ideas or recommendations? I love this site and f... | I have been doing a lot of
I have been doing a lot of flour testing lately. My primary goal was to determine which flour would withstand extended warm ferments without breaking down and degrading. I tested KA BF, KA AP, KA Sir Lancelot (14.2%), and Morbread flour. I also included vital wheat gluten during some of my te... |
Look what I found!
I decided to get back into baking with sourdough starter now that I'm retired and have more time. So I sent away for a dried starter, which I am still waiting for.Last night I looked into the fridge, looked down at the vegetable crisper and realized there was something in there. I pulled out 2 contai... | Let us know how they grow! I
Let us know how they grow! I'm placing my bet on them just working. |
Starter definitions
Would some kind soul please define the three types of starters I have seen mentioned in various recipes: namely liquid, 100%, and stiff? When is it appropriate to use each one and what are the percentages used? My own starter is 100%, so I understand how to make that one, but not when it is used to ... | I'll try my best
Any dough-like starter is a stiff starterAny liquid like starter well... is liquid :)100% hydration would be liquid.Stiff starters ferment slower and tend to be more acetic. Liquid starters ferment quicker and tend to be more lactic.Whether you use one or the other is preference.How much to use would t... |
drat! my starter didn't deal well with the fridge...
i have a white spelt sponge in the fridge that i feed weekly, and i've used it twice to create starters that i leave out. the more recent one smelled delish, and the discards make wonderful pancakes.about five days ago, there were a couple little flies in the kitch... | I'm slightly confused
Wouldn't this "sponge" you describe be your starter?Starter, mother, seed (all 'sponges") etc... same things.so you keep a starter in the fridge from which you make off-shoot starters - levains! to make your bread.unless the mother starter was very low hydration I suspect it wouldn't last two mont... |
Large holes in starter vs. large holes in bread crumb
Yesterday, I read an article online that said a starter that produces large holes would also produce large holes in the bread crumb and vice-versa. I searched for quite a while and don't seem to be able to find the article. If memory serves me well, it was on a very... | That's just a crock of bull.
That's just a crock of bull. Crumb structure depends on adequate gluten development and handling. |
Liquid at bottom of sourdough starter
I've read the other posts in this forum but I couldn't be sure about what I should exactly do, so I apologize in advance if this is a repost.I tried to start a starter by combining 100 grams of whole wheat flour and 150 grams of water. I allowed it to sit in the oven with the light... | Read this
And follow the instructions at the bottom of the post. I did this and baked with my starter on the 10th day. It works! |
sour-don't
Hi, I am new to this forum, although I have been reading the excellent posts for several months. I have been baking bread for several months, with relatively great results. I am slowly learning and perfecting my technique and finished loaves. I've mostly baked no knead, fairly high hydration AP flour breads ... | Hopefully this isn’t too late
but just reshape the loaves and let them rise again, then bake. As to your thick crust, try adding 10 g of yogurt per loaf in your recipe. You don’t need to change anything else. I found it made a huge difference in the crust. My friends use to complain about it but since I have been doing... |
Do starters from different regions become similar when maintained at one location
I use a starter that I made. But I have also used a different starter (from a friend that lives thousands of miles away) to make the same bread and the taste are extremely different. Although, as I continue to refresh the new starter it q... | Sometimes
I've made and worked with lots of different starters. In my experience, some starters will change when maintained in a new environment and some will remain true. Some change quickly, some change slowly, and some don't change at all. You never really know what you're gonna get when you start playing with a new... |
Starter/levain confusion.
Sorry for these elementary questions but confusion reigns yet again! I use my WW starter to bake weekly and store it in the fridge between bakes. Now, instead of refreshing the seed starter once to make a levain for baking, I would like to try two feedings in an attempt to make the starter sup... | if you start with a small amount
of seed starter, you can build it up without disgarding. then make your final levain build a good feed - may be do the build in 3 or 4 steps. it should be more and more a tive as you go. if you have some bran include that - the wee beasties love it, itslike “super boost”!see what others... |
Understanding my crumb
Hi all, this is my first post here at TFL. I've just started making sourdough 2 months ago, still learning the art and science! I made my 13th loaf yesterday and I'm pleased that I'm getting the ariness that I'm aiming for. However I'd like to achieve more evenly distributed air bubbles next time... | Lovely loaf
Many people would give their eye teeth to have irregular crumb like that. with large and small holes. looks pretty perfect to me. Nice work |
Why wont my starter pass the float test?
Oh goodness! The problems I have run into with my sourdough starter! I am new to this site (hi!) as well as sourdough and will try to be clear and concise. My starter is about a month old, King Arthur whole wheat w/occasional King Arthur A.P. unbleached. I weigh out 4 oz and put... | It's been a month
Have you tried to make bread with it yet? Yeast dies at 140°F. I highly doubt your starter reached that temperature just by placing in the sun in the kitchen. |
new starter hungrier, acts different than my other starters
so i've been baking maybe a couple months, and it all started with my first starter, and quickly moved to a second starter (which it turned out i didn't need to). the second starter never rises more than 2x, but it's active and bubbly, i've made some bread wi... | It means you need to feed it more.
Try a 1:2:2 (starter:water:flour) feeding routine and see if that helps. Sometimes you may even need to go to a 1:4:4 feed. It all depends on the starter and how often you want to feed it. Be sure that you are weighing out the flour and water as a 1:1:1 feed by volume isn’t the same a... |
Help! Sourdough starter smells like yogurt and isn’t bubbling much
Please help!!I’ve been making great sourdough with my current starter. All of a sudden this week, it started smelling like yogurt and it isn’t really bubbling and rises (or does very little). Could someone tell me what’s wrong? I’m supposed to be baking... | More history
A bit more history of your starter please. How old is it? What did you do after it stopped bubbling up? |
Are bubbles necessary in "restarting" starter (qs on old post)
Hi allFirst time poster, long time lurker! I have been nurturing a starter since one year ago when I made it from scratch, using it regularly and giving it regular feedings and then sticking it in the fridge, sometimes for 3 weeks at a time when on vacation... | What do you mean "no bubbles"
What do you mean "no bubbles"? It's full of bubbles! |
Double the Starter
Hi! This is my first post. I´ve a quick doubt. My first starter as 120 grams and is on the fridge, it is fed once a week. Looks healthy. I need to increase my starter to the double. Should I just not discard and add 60g of flour and 60g of water? Thank you. | Is it in or on the fridge?
If it’s on the fridge, you need to feed daily. If is in the fridge, take it out and do what you said 2 or 3 times before using it for bread. |
Sourdough died??
Hi everybody, I’m new here..and also a newbie using sourdough. Please bear with me as this post might be a bit long.. I was given very nice active starter by a friend and I have used it already and made a beautiful loaf. However, when I tried to use it again (for a walnut sourdough bread), even after f... | You have already figured out the answer:
cooler temperatures or less time, because the fermentation happens much faster in your warmer temperatures. You could use cold water and/or refrigerate the dough for part of the fermentation and/or use less starter in the dough and/or use shorter fermentation times. All of tho... |
Please critique my method
I have been baking once or twice a week most weeks since October. I feel I have learned a lot and I'm
looking to improve my loaves.
I have a stand mixer but I don't use it - I'm not that good at mixing myself, but I have never been
happy with the results when I have tried to use the stand mixe... | it looks pretty good to me!
are you happy with the flavour? if yes, just keep on fine tuning as you go. you bave a system that is working for you.it is a lovely crumb!Leslie |
Refreshing the Mother Starter?
I'm a newbie to Sourdough and breads in general. After a few attempts (with corrections to minor mistakes) I was finally able to make my rye starter, using the pineapple solution and Reinhart's recipe and, successfuly baked a fairly good loaf of Deli Rye.So now, I have Mother Starter left... | Step 1, Get Hamelman's Bread
I, too, was baking from Reinhart when I first decided to do sourdough. The instructions in Bread Baker's Apprentice (BBA) are so complex and convoluted that I created a spreadsheet for the feedings and then realized that you'd need to stay up all night on day 8 or something. That's when I... |
ABOUT FEEDING STARTER AND MAKING A LEVAIN
Dear bakers. I want to understand deeply about why there are different types of feedings.I use a liquid sd starter and here in Italy there 's the common feeding 1:1:1(starter,water,flour) and as I can see in Tartine recipe ... they feed starter 1:2:2. Adding more flour and w... | To avoid confusion
A starter to feed ratio laid out in this formula, for example, of 1:1:1 that the sequence is starter:water:flourJust to avoid confusion and no mistakes are made. Some might not go into so much detail and just give a formula but it'll be in this sequence. Fine when it says 1:1:1 if you should get it m... |
A Hello and A Question About The Fridge
First of all, appreciate all I have learned on this site from some very old and new posts--I have had decent results with my sourdough with only 1 bad batch that I have yet to determine the culpritMy normal routine would be to mix, stretch and fold during bulk ferment, shape and ... | A few pictures- The failed
A few pictures- The failed loaf is obvious 1000 Grams Flour 200 Grams Starter @ 100% 750 Grams water 20 Grams salt |
Help! Runaway bulk ferment!
Hello my dear gurus, I need to pick your brains once again.I put together a dough last night and stuck it in the fridge, hoping to bulk ferment until after work today, then preshape/bench rest/shape and back into the fridge until tomorrow morning. "Problem" is that it looked like it's alread... | As long as it's not over fermented
If a dough rises too much at the final proof then it can be knocked back, reshaped and final proofed again. As long as the it's not over fermented. There is a difference!I'm finding it difficult to believe that your dough has over fermented when it's spent most of the time in the frid... |
Q re: flatness after releasing from banneton
Hi Loafers, Coming to you seeking a bit of advice. I've been experimenting w Trevor J Wilson's methods and formula for 50% WW sourdough for the last couple months. I am pretty happy with the results, but seem unable to reproduce the way his loaves keep their shapes when rele... | Recipe: 75% Hydration228g Bread Flour (I used KA)203g Whole Wheat Flour (I used Red Fife)319g Water50g Whole Wheat Starter @ 100% Hydration (25g Whole Wheat Flour, 25g water)9g SaltAmbient temp was about 77-79 degrees throughout...Overnight premix (flour, salt, water)Final mix about 10 hours laterFolds every hour durin... |
Anthropology Amateur Sourdough Baker Survey
Hi All!I am an Anthropology student doing an ethnography (cultural study) on the online sourdough community, and it would really help me out if you guys would take my survey. It's short, and would provide me tons of data for my project.Thanks!Jane | Link?
What is the link? |
Fresh Yeast vs. Starter?
I keep seeing videos of bakers using fresh yeast, looks like clay clumps.What's the difference between that and a starter? More specifically is there a difference between bread flavor or texture? | Difference - yeast (only) is
Difference - yeast (only) is more exact timing wise - and there is a flavor difference (at least to my taste). Enjoy! |
Today, 1 April, is National Sourdough Bread Day - No Kidding!
There are many different "National xyz Month" or "National xyz Day" that people have declared. My feeling is that most of them come from industry associations who want to sell you their product. The industry associations pick their own National day or month ... | It is fitting and proper
to have this recognition, especially given all the celebrity derision of sourdough bread baking in recent years...even Sheldon on TBBT!https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/a6ceac08-1236-4855-bc5f-1f151f3a6a40&ved=2ahUKEwixupv96_X2AhVomWoFHR... |
Abel's 90% Biga (Italian Method)
A while back Abel posted his 90% Biga Loaf (Italian Method) which gained popularity. Here is my second attempt. Original Post: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/54556/90-biga-loaf-italian-methodMy pre-bake forum topic (good to read through before attempting this bread): http://www.thefre... | Looks good Abe - I await the
Looks good Abe - I await the crumb shot! You are spurring me on to try the Ezio Marinato rimacinata version!Lance |
Did anyone do Abel's 90% Biga using Sourdough Starter?
If so, can you guide me through your process with your thoughts on the recipe when using sourdough starter?Any tips and ideas? | Write up and formula
Abe,hope this helps. my write up posted with a few lessons learned, and formula normalized to 1000gAlan |
Sourdough starter rises too fast and doesnt rise a lot
Hi I am having a problem figuring out when my sourdough is ready. Based on all the recipies i've read, it says to build the levain 12 hours or the day before you want to bake. Well, my starter (50/50 of WW and AP) only rises about 2 inches everytime i feed it and i... | Hi Badgermanden,When you say
Hi Badgermanden,When you say you use a 1:1 ratio, do you mean by volume or weight? I have had success keeping my starter at 100% hydration; that means using a 1:1 ratio by weight. The fact that you can pour your starter suggests that you are using volume.Sharon |
knowledge needed to help a newbie
just started making sourdough and have had consistently good results from using a mates starter, 500g strong white flour, 250g water, 10g salt and 300g starter. as that always seems to come out well, i want to understand the different aspects of dough forming so i can experiment. cou... | A Beginner's Book
Sounds like you need some sort of basic primer. The Bread Baker's Apprentice might be right up your alley. The first part of the book is a very basic text on making bread. It will answer most of your questions.Some study and baking loaf after loaf of your whole meal/white bread is the best way for you... |
2 fundamental SD questions
I have a couple of questions about SD cultures that are talked about many times but I am not not really finding the answers. If you have written about this somewhere, I apologize, please just give me a link.I have been reading advice or comments such as 'if your SD culture is never getting s... | I can't help with the first
I can't help with the first question, but many pizza makers have bought starters from Sourdough International, and several have said they have maintained numerous starters at the same time, and the flavor profiles stayed separate. https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=3065.msg26... |
Begging for mature SD starter in Chicago area
Hello Chicago-area bakers,Can someone indulge a lapsed home bread-baker for some starter? I will pick up at your convenience.Thanks in advance. | I'll share
I'll share, if you will come to Ralrigh, NC.Ford |
First attempt at sourdough - wet dough and minimal rise
Hello,I'm brand new to sourdough and just made my first loaf. I didn't expect it to come out perfect on the first go but I want to know what I did wrong so I know how to adjust for the next go. I used a recipe with 775g water, 200g whole wheat flour, 800g all purp... | You've pretty well described einkorn behavior
Use the Search tool to look up einkorn and you will get plenty of information about how to handle it. Is there a reason you selected that instead of regular AP?Paul |
Thiol degradation in rye sour
This is the third time I've watched my bread break down after it started out looking good, and now that I have read this excellent post from OldWoodenSpoon, I believe I am dealing with thiol degradation.I have to admit that I haven't taken the time to learn baking percentages so I got a li... | More info please...
recipe, times, temp would be helpful. How old is the rye starter? Did the feeding change to a stiffer ratio? |
First cousin to the Champlain
So continuing my quest for tang, and for one of the lactic persuasion moreso than acetic, I had planned on doing a do nothing bread but with a higher hydration starter. After procrastinating for too long I started the levain too late. Oh no, it's going to have to be more hands on. Making d... | very nice
and you compensated well for the situation that " was" and not what you thought you wanted. The crumb is beautiful ! I don't ever think to calculate anything as I add water as I go along with only the thought of how it feels. So take any postings I make with a grain of salt...haha. Good Job ! c |
Grassy Smell During Poolish Fermentation
So I have a good one for you all.Since I started using my newly founded sourdough starter (which is nicely active ... doubles within 2-3 hours after being fed) I've noticed a rather strong grassy smell when I lift the cover off of my stainless steel KitchenAid bowl after my init... | are you always
fermenting in the same stainless steel bowl? |
Emile Henry Large Bread Baker help
Does anyone have any helpful suggestions for using the Emile Henry large bread baker? I just got mine for sourdough bread and would love to see pictures of others who have made bread in it. I baked my first bread today, I let it rise in the refrigerator overnight and baked it in a ... | That is one of the Emile
That is one of the Emile Henry I use all the time. What questions do you have? Here is a clean out the pantry loaf from the other night. was really delicious. |
Are these signs of overproofing?
I was doing some reading recently and came across a comment that when the scoring in bread turns out smooth, it's a sign of overproofing. I have not been able to achieve the much sought after ears, and was wondering if overproofing is the culprit. Taking a look at these photos, does t... | I don’t think it was near
I don’t think it was near over proofed. Looks to me like your dough didn’t bloom enough. The scores would do need to open up more.- disclaimer - I also struggle with ears.I think ears depend on great gluten structure and large bloom. Hopefully the experts will share their experience and though... |
Starter on steroids
Three weeks ago, I gave a homework assignment to a class: make a sourdough starter and bring a levain to bake with at the next class. Today is the next class. There are some additional students for class today, so I needed levain for them, too. To keep up with the students who were making new star... | Lol
What was different? Did you do this at home? In school kitchen? Different flour?Three weeks ago I got new flour from Montana. The dough rose so well and and my oven spring was so good I just converted my starter to one using this flour. It's very active and has a slightly less zing in the aroma department but I ... |
Sourdough Culture Question
I am starting a new sourdough culture, and I expect I will be picking brains. My grandmother had a sourdough culture that she kept alive for nearly 3 ZILLION years. "NO ONE" was allowed to touch it. When she passed, a brain dead family member tossed it. I am now back to square one. Into my se... | I did a small loaf with the
I did a small loaf with the watery culture, and it turned out just OK. I noticed the dough surface became a bit dry while it was rising. A few hours rising. Can this be prevented? A little oil spray on the dough? |
Keeping hydration with more flour to starter ratio?
TL;DR: looking for the ratio of flour:water:starter to give me 100% hydration but with more flour to starter ratio.My bread recipe uses 100% hydration starter (or is it levain? - whatever you put in with water and flour when you make the bread). My schedule is to let ... | Yes, a 2:2:1 starter would
Yes, a 2:2:1 starter would still be 100% hydration. You're overthinking it. 100% hydration means that you have as much water as you do flour, or a 50/50 mix. If your starter is 100% hydration, then it is 50/50, if you add equal parts water and flour, it's still going to be 50/50. |
Several-Week-Old Sourdough Starter Smells Right, But Barely Bubbling?
Like the title says, I began a starter about three weeks ago using a recipe found on YouTube from John Kirkwood. I thought it had reached maturity after about a week, because it smelled correct and had *some* bubbling (I'm new at this, so I thought i... | some questions...
how often were/are you feeding your starter, and what percentage of your starter's overall weight are/were you feeding it? also what temperatures do you keep it at?you don't want to refrigerate it till it regularly rises and gets nice and bubbly, and if you're growing your starter in a cool location,... |
Hot or room temperature dutch ovens?
Does a room temperature Dutch Oven result in reduced oven spring? I have read conflicting views so I would be interested to learn about the experience of TFLers. My bread does not have great oven spring but taste does not seem to be affected when using a room temperature DO. Many th... | Valerie, there have been
Valerie, there have been quite a few posts here on that subject, and most posters have found no real difference in oven spring between hot or cold DO. |
Does the amount of starter matter?
hi i am completely new to sourdough and have just completed day 7 in the process of making a starter and it’s looking great. now I have looked for ways to keep the discard portion on the low side and one way I found was to feed 1 tbsp of starter with 1 tbsp of both flour and water (1:... | Here is a link for the First method
https://youtu.be/hlJl1xFz1Fo Around 9:20 mark i think |
Very fustrated... few problems trying to bake sourdough
Practicing baking sourdough and have a few problems.I am attempting to get the tangy flavor of sourdough, so I have been retarding dough overnight in fridge.Problem 1. Every time I retard the dough overnight in fridge, I get no oven spring.In banneton, The dough r... | The same thing happened to me. It is just over proofed
Way too much levain and too long for retard if also warming up on the counter for an pour and a half. Cut the levain back to 20% prefermented flour. Put all the 20% of the whole wheat onto the levain. When the levain doubles retard it for 24 hours. Do 4 sets of ... |
Room temp proof, chill before baking?
Hi all,First post, so here goes...I've been turning out a loaf a week since my first in February, with varying degrees of success. Best results have been a with a room temp ferment, shape and then a long proof in the fridge. Particularly, the scoring is so much easier on a chilled ... | Only You
Only you can tell us that! Give it a try and report back. There are very many helpful people here. |
What meal to pair with Bauernbrot?
I know this is a little off topic, but my mother in law is coming into town and requested that I make her my Bauernbrot (63% hydration, 75/25 rye/spelt). I'm happy to do it, and it's a great, dense, flavorful bread, but my wife is trying to do her shopping for the week and wants to k... | Bauernbrot
Germans eat this bread mainly as open-faced sandwich with cold cuts like smoked ham, Fleischsalat or cheese. If you want to serve it with a meal on a warm day, a salad would be best.Guten Appetit,Karin |
Experimenting with different flours
Hi - I've been making Ken Forkishs Overnight Country Blonde bread for some time now with great success. The formula calls for around 6% rye flour and 3% whole wheat. Lately I've been experimenting with switching these out for other types of flours. My last bake I replaced the rye wit... | Different flours
From what I understand, you can't grind hemp into flour because of the high fat content. Those would be better incorporated as a mix in after soaking. However, I've never used them so I can't speak to any personal experience.Amaranth is essentially gluten free so you won't be able to do a direct swap... |
Guidance needed for no-knead Five-Grain Levain
I'd like to bake Hamelman's Five-Grain Levain by hand with no mixer. My concern is with the large percentage of seeds and cracked grains. Normally I develop the dough thoroughly in the mixer. I'm hoping to autolyse then add the levain and salt. And finally fold in the soak... | Did you check out
my take 2 on this recipe? I do everything by hand. http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/55738/hamelman’s-fivegrain-levain-take-2If you wanted to see take 1 on this:http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/55632/hamelman’s-5-grain-levain-sort-?I tried using Trevor’s premix method and got flat loaves with a great c... |
Mouse holes
Ive been trying to make sourdough for the past week or so. The first one I made was a pancake (almost no oven spring) because I didn't shape it correctly after the bulk fermentation.Anyway this time I shaped it nice, the oven spring looked good. It tasted alot more chewy than the last time ( I used king art... | I think we need more info
On the recipe and method. To me it looks like the starter or bulk ferment hasnt been properly timed. |
Croissant help -what did I do wrong?
Hi Everyone,I recently followed this recipe https://www.shipton-mill.com/baking/recipes/sourdough-croissants.htm using my sourdough starter, I’m very new to the whole sourdough/baking thing and I’m trying to get my head around it all. I need some advice on what I’ve done wrong with ... | Yeast
I suggest you start with yeasted dough. Croissants are tricky enough without the great variable of sourdough.You can make some fine croissants with yeast. Once you have success with those, you can think about SD (although personally I wouldn't bother and I don't think many professional bakers would either).I have... |
Bulk sourdough making
Hello everyone, Im new to posting on this site but have been reading a lot on here over the past year. I have been working for a large supermarket as a baker for the past 4 years and for an independent bakers for the last 6 months. Last month an opportunity came my way to open my own bakery, exc... | Can you adapt your current method
by doing hourly folds instead of every 30 minutes and skipping the counter proof? You might even want to go down to 3 or 4 folds every 30 minutes and shorten your bulk depending on how fast your dough rises. I am assuming you are dealing with one or two big batches so you aren’t dealin... |
Is it under-proofed?
Help me, please. Is it under-proofed? | Not that I can see...
I am no expert though but the holes seem to be fairly evenly distributed. You didn't get huge oven spring though so it might have been slightly over proofed or maybe your shaping wasn't very tight. I know others will come on that are much more expert in diagnosing your loaf but to me, it looks gre... |
Kamut/Khorasan Wholegrain bread...any other recipe recommendations?
I tried a Kamut/Khorasan recipe yesterday with 300g white bread flour and 200g Kamut Wholegrain bread. I researched some of the recipes and was weary of the elasticity that people mentioned and explains the amount of Kamut which I may up to more as I g... | I made this in the past.
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/49979/triple-kamut-sourdough-toasted-flaxI am sorry that the pictures no longer show up but the recipe is there. |
Confusion re bulk ferment stretch and folds.
As a beginner, I am still confused about this stage of the process. Do I need to let the dough ( flour, salt, water, levain) rise somewhat before I begin the half-hourly stretch and folds? It seems that the more I bake, the more confused I become and the more questions I hav... | The idea behind stretch and folds
A gentle way of developing the gluten for a more open crumb and an easier way if it's a high hydration dough. If your dough has a long bulk ferment then the stretch and folds can be more spaced out. If it's a shorter bulk ferment then the stretch and folds will be closer together. Idea... |
honeyed spelt and oat levain loaf
Hello I just tried SarAh Owens recipe in her book sourdough and the crumb seem to bbe very closed, and a bit sour tasts, any advice? He is the recipe thAt I followed and pics of the finished loaf
IMG_5462.jpg
IMG_5459.jpg
IMG_5461.jpg | Looks wonderful
Very nice loaf indeed. This recipe shouldn't produce a sour loaf with the spelt, oats and of course honey. Crumb looks very good for the hydration. As for the bitterness perhaps the flour or oats being used is producing this? Could it be rancid flour? |
Dough Is Too Sticky
Help, please:I am making a Whole Wheat Rye Sourdough recipe (75% hydration):Sponge: 75g rye flour, flour 75g water and sourdough culture;Dough: 300g whole wheat flour, 200g water, the above sponge and 7 g salt.The dough is very sticky - really sticky. I fold and knead and fold and knead and it neve... | It may just be that the flour isn't very absorbent
If so, try reducing the hydration to 70%. Once you know how that feels, you can adjust up or down as you see fit.Or, you could mix the flour and water together and let the mixture rest for a couple of hours before mixing in the sponge and the salt. That would give th... |
Sourdough Starter vs Commercial Yeast
I have been baking with sourdough starter for a while now with very good results. My understanding is that sourdough is healthier in that it neutralizes phytic acid, making it more digestible.Typically I use a long fermentation, and I'm wondering if THAT is actually the real reason... | It's my understanding
that its also the lactic acid producing bacteria within a sourdough starter that plays a role. While breaking down phytic acid is one pro of sourdough other advantages are it makes gluten more digestible and nutrients are more bio available (I think that's the term). Basically there are more B-vit... |
Sourdough in a cold climate the saga continues
I have been working on my starter with much useful help here not least from Mark Stone. I continue with the Tartine recipe and have watched many of Tom Cucuzza’s videos. I’m doing 1:1:1 feeding sand get doubling in 6-8 hours usually. It’s not consistent yet, my kitchen is ... | 95A1F8AE-BC7F-4D84-A211
95A1F8AE-BC7F-4D84-A211-11441B4E38D9.jpeg |
Freshly Milled Experiments
I've been experimenting with freshly milled flour for a little while, and I'd like to share some of my experimental loafs. My goal is to create a good looking and tasting loaf with an open crumb, made with 100% freshly milled flour, preferably of a single berry type.I've found that with these... | I got to be honest,,,,
I would be very happy with that loaf, lovely bake. Rick |
bread shrinking
Hello from Sydney! I've been making no knead sourdough for a while and the loaves shrink quite significantly after I've removed the cover and continue the bake for 15 more minutes. Does anyone have any idea why, and how to stop it? Thanks. | 2 likely causes. If it
2 likely causes. If it shrinks evenly, that generally means it was overproofed, and collapsed before it was cooked enough to hold its shape. If it collapsed in the center, especially if it is a pan, that suggests the hydration was too high. This is a great illustration of excessive hydration ... |
Day 8, starter doubled for the 1st time...
I had posted in a thread earlier that I was on Day 7, but, according to my notes, I'm actually on Day 8.Started as follows:Day 1 - 3TB WW flour + 2TB pineapple juice, stirred several timesDay 2 - 3TB WW flour + 2TB water, stirred several timesDay 3 - repeat day 2Day 4 - as I w... | Only thing to do
Is do a test bake. It looks good! Does it pass the float test? |
using dough residue instead of starters
In Egypt, farmers' wives traditionally don't use yeast in their dough. They just leave the dough residue without washing up the bowl, to dry in the air, then a day before next bake, they wash it with warm water and mix it with the new dough ingredients. No yeast or starter involv... | #metoo #kinda
Assalaam Alaikam SallamI love these stories and am compiling them for a book. Do you mind if I use yours? Do you have a pizza place or is it just for you? Are you in Egypt?I was just jumping on to ask about using the Sourdough dough as a starter as I haven't grown enough starter for tomorrow's bake... I w... |
Sourdough starter smells like alcohol, and bubbles strangely?
I have been maintaining my starter at 50 grams, at a 1:2:2 ratio of starter, AP flour, and water. I feed it daily and everything. I have had starters in the past in the same jar and all, maintained the same, but this time the starter smells like alcohol and ... | If you keep a starter at room temperature
And feed it daily then it'll eat through the fresh feed a lot faster than once every 24 hours. An alcoholic smell means it's hungry. Either refrigerate your starter if not using everyday or feed it more often. |
Benefits of stiff starters, stiff levain and liquid starter or levain...
Hi everyone,I am intrigued....I noticed that in a number of posts when people experienced 'flat' loaves with higher hydration Tartine style breads one recommendation was to try a stiffer starter... So I investigated and found a very interesting po... | Ty for the link to that
discussion. Fascinating. BEAUTIFUL LOAF!!hester |
Seed Culture not Doubling?
First time poster and baker here <gulp>I followed Peter Reinhart's instructions for the Seed Culture however I'm at Day 4 and my product has only increased 50% in size as opposed to the double he recommends. I told myself patience and waited another 24 hours however no cigar.I read that per... | Patience
Reinhart's seed culture is built on rye flour. Continuing to use rye flour should improve things. Be patient ... if it hasn't stopped reacting entirely it's still viable.Have you been able to maintain something around 75 degrees for it's environment? |
Really Retarded Rye SauerD'oh!
Stole this idea from Mini Oven http://www.thefreshloaf.com/comment/403417#comment-403417 and http://growthechange.blogspot.com/2009/12/cheaters-sourdough-bread.html.Used some brine from the [unpasturized] red sauerkraut I'd made from scratch to fashion an instant rye superstarter.Water in... | Smoke flavoring?
Aren't we getting fancy! :). So yours tastes like pizza? My bread has been wrapped and sitting in the kitchen the whole time getting smaller and still no mould. It is drying out a bit since I baked it March 19th. When I read posts asking how to get a sourdough more sour, I want to suggest adding a... |
New Lievito Madre
My brand new Mother Dough. Currently it is a stiff starter, but I plan to convert it into a liquid, as it will be easier to feed and also fit more into what I normally make for bread (Ciabatta, plain Italian loaf, Foccacia).I plan on using this next week (?) to make a Panettone, my fourth (I think) at... | Panettone..
For me it's like this holy grail of bread making.. I've read many recipes, thought about how I'd go about it.. and seen all the posts.. but I just don't have three to four days to just sit around home and give it try.. the best i can do now is two days on the weekend and it's too short a time given everyth... |
How important is the starter recipe to final dough?
I've made a few sourdough starters over the years and have met with descent success, but I just don't bake enough to keep a starter going, so generally, I build one for a recipe, bake it, and then discard it. I've got some family coming into town in a few weeks and t... | A starter does not have to be specific
When you decide what you wish to bake just begin feeding it the correct flour and to the correct hydration. But when making one it's not important. Many people keep one ongoing starter and make many different types of bread by taking a little off and building an off shoot starter ... |
Sourdough troubleshooting
Hey everyone! I’m new to this forum but decided it might be a nice place to ask for help.I recently started my sourdough bread baking journey a couple months ago, I’ve probably made about 5-6 loaves. They were ALL different. I had the most success (and highest oven spring) when I used a combin... | Maybe. But there could be many
factors involved. More info is needed too. Like the starter, how it's fed and its behavior. Include temps and stuff. Bread flour and AP is a great mix for white bread. Better to get to the starter details first otherwise we will be all over the place with suggestions. Many times the ... |
2 new books for my collection !
Hi guys! I recently got two new books while I was traveling dealing with sourdough. Any of view tried one of these or a recipe in them? I had a lot of good reviews from Flour water st and yeast. Any suggestions or reviews are deeply appreciated!! | Sarah Owens
Honeyed Spelt and Oat LevainEnjoy! |
Bought some diferent flours online from local millers to try them
Hello again!! On my trip to the states I also got a lot of diferent kinds of flours and grains to try them with my sourdough starter! I will be looking into my tartine books of course for recipes and also my 2 new book that I got (made a post about them ... | My goodness
You're going to be busy. What a fantastic range. Get baking :)How's the Honeyed Spelt and Oat Levain coming along? |
One of my monday morning loaves, best blistering I've gotten so far | Awesome
Holy moly, bring out the sun screen! |
Rye starter problem
I'm building a rye starter from home milled grain using the method in Stanley Ginsburg's 'The Rye Baker'. It seemed to start well. On day 2, it took off - lots of volume; I thought I was home free. On day 3, I was a bit late with the feeding, by the time I got to it (about 6 hours late), the start... | I have never had a rye starter fail and I make them all the time
for old school rye bread from scratch. I haven't used Stan's method though. I use PR's 30 g of whole fresh milled rye and 25 g of water. let sit for 24 hours. Add 30 g of fresh milled whole rye and 25 g of water. Let sit for 24 hours. Divide in half... |
Sourdough newbie
I’ve never made sourdough. I’ve never made a starter (well, I did try once. It turned into a muddy stinking mess after three days). I would like to try, not because I love sourdough, but because it’s a challenge, and anyone learning to bake bread should tackle it at least once!Does anyone have any good... | This should get you started!
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/10901/pineapple-juice-solution-part-2I used it and baked bread with it after 10 days. |
Starters maintained in different locations
Hi Everyone, I'm new to bread making and I have been getting conflicting information regarding sourdough starters.I am wondering if it is worthwhile to get a starter from a specific location (lets say San Francisco) and send it to where I am (SE Asia). Some bakers have told me... | First, a question for you:
How frequently do you bake? That will affect your strategy options.Your first question: will a starter's micro-biome stay true to its origins or "drift" as it is fed new flours in a new location? The only way to prove this (which is why people still talk about it) is to do a long-term sampl... |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.