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Is this mold?
This is my spelt sourdough starter and i woke up to this today. I stirred in part of it for the sake of contrast and comparison. Any help would be greatly appreciated. | I don't think you should have stirred it
If it is mould then the best advice would be to try and find a non affected part and salvage it. This is a case for Debra Wink. I'll message her for you. |
Debugging unintended large holes
I have baked Trevor Wilson's "Open Crumb from Stiff Dough" bread a dozen times or so now. I've upped the hydration a bit to 67%:- 50g rye starter @ 100% hydration- 435g King Arthur Bread Flour- 25g King Arthur Whole Weat- 300g water- 13g saltProcess:Day 1:- 23:00: Mix water, flour, salt... | I would do then stretch and
I would do then stretch and folds earlier in the bulk ferment. And not super light but more vigorous. All in the first 1.5 hours after adding the starter.... Maybe it would help create a tighter web of gluten...Not one of the experts here, but it's what i gather.Regardless; butter and eggs ... |
How much to bulk ferment sourdough?
Hello. This has confused me quite a bit from when i started making sourdough. I am used to having two rises, doubling in size, that you punch down with yeasted breads. But with sourdough its different. With my sourdough recipe, i usually let it rise 25-50% during bulk fermentation, a... | I don't think you can
I don't think you can generalize like that as it depends on the fours, the makeup of dough, etc. as a dough needs to ripe to a certain point whether you call it bulk ferment or whatever. Some doughs will need a shorter fermentation while others require longer. With that said though, I think many p... |
1-2-3 Sourdough - Success!
I want to thank all who have posted to this forum encouraging newbies to try the 1-2-3 sourdough method as a starter bread. I’ve done a few controlled bakes now, and am so pleased with the results thus far. Easily the best sourdough I’ve produced to date both in taste and texture.While I st... | a lovely loaf
and very nice crumb.Well done, it is great when it all works isn’t it.Leslie |
My Personal Starter Challenge
So many people here seem to struggle with their starters. I don't struggle at all. My breads seem to rise just fine and I don't overly muss or fuss with my starter.In an effort to screw-up my bread making and show some solidarity with the struggling masses, I made an attempt at reviving a... | Great experiment; thanks for sharing.
Reminds me of what I once read about clearing muddy water by leaving it alone! |
Any advice appreciated
What is the highest amount of non gluten flour one can add into a dough before the gluten structure is compromised?
Trying to recreate a recipe but don't wish for the dough to become more difficult to handle.
Also, when adding honey what is the normal percentage range? And what percentage water... | I put 20% of chestnut flour
I put 20% of chestnut flour in my loaf. Rest was shipton mill number 4 which I believe is 12 % protein. My water was 70% and levan 20%i didn't see much change, but also did not taste much chestnutty flavour. Probably not experienced enough to answer your question as I didn't make another l... |
creating a pre-ferment or poolish using an active starter & knowing when a starter s ready !
Hi there, i have been a keen reader of blogs of this web site for some time now without actually signing up myself. So today decided to jump in !! I am a keen baker and have been baking with fresh / dried yeasts for a while no... | It really depends...how long
It really depends...how long you intend to let your dough ferment....for me, it's been trial and error, but have settled on using 20-30%, by weight of the total recipe weight, e.g. if your total recipe weighs 1000g, you would use 200-300g of starter. Remember to consider the flour and water... |
looking for Danni's Carmelized onion sourdough bread reicpe
Hi there. I've been trying to find the recipe for this bread and not sure what I'm doing wrong, but can't locate it. Danni, could you please direct me to where it is or repost it?Thanks, Sharon | This one?
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/54138/caramelized-onion-sourdough-parmigianoreggiano-and-italian-herbsHope it's the correct one Sharon. Looking forward to the bake :) |
Frustrated
I have I have been trying this sourdough thing for a few weeks now. I am starting to get frustrated because I can't seem to get it right. I have a loaf last night that had way too much Tang and would not brown. Prior to that I had loves that look great on the outside and had no sour to them. I've had Lowe's ... | Excuse the spelling.
I used talk to text. I forgot to edit it for punctuation and spelling LOL |
Starter hydration
My new starter is doing well. It was started at 100% hydration. However this last feeding, I fed it 100g wheat flour and 60 g water. I'm lost as to what hydration it is now as I'm not very good at figuring math. Any help appreciated! | How much of the 100% starter
did you refresh? In other words, what amount of starter in grams did you keep? That’s before adding the water and flour. |
Starter was accidentally put back in the fridge immediately after feed – is it ruined now?
hi everyone,I have recently discovered the wonders of sourdough baking and have so far made 3 delicious loafs from my home made sourdough culture which I made from flour, water, air and love : )I keep the mother starter in the fr... | I don't think you've a problem
I believe you are far too worried about exactness in the care of your starter than you need to be. It's much harder to kill your starter than you might think. For example, I once gave my brother a bit of my starter with instructions for its care. He promptly put it in his fridge and fo... |
Maturing a Levain (Pre-ferment)
There has been quite a bit of discussion lately about feeding starter (seed culture).The next progression for me is; how do we ascertain the ideal time period for a Levain to reach perfect maturity? Up until this point I simply followed the instructions for the formula. “Set aside over n... | inspired by Abe...
I have actually made the updates to the survey for the next time we decide to do this (whenever that is) because I don't want to forget the lessons learned.Abe inspired me to add an additional question, which is about what indicators people use to determine their starter has reached the proper refres... |
A sourdough newbie...
Hello. I have just stumbled across your wonderful website and had several questions...I have been using the following recipe :350 grams starter, 250 grams filtered water, 25 grams olive oil, 500 grams bread flour (KA AP), 10 grams sea saltI usually feed my starter a couple of times prior to mixin... | Also a newb, but I'm thinking...
I would try it with the full amount of liquid, without adding the extra flour (thinking maybe that extra flour and handling could be weighing the dough bubbles down), and just stretch and fold as best I could, dipping hands in water first. Let's say it doesn't hold a shape, well the ov... |
Protein content, w number and hydration calculation
Apologies if this has been discussed but I can't find a similar post after searching.I'm wondering if there's a calculation to work out how much hydration various flours can take - e.g. I've been making a focaccia dough at 85% hydration using a manitoba flour that is ... | I don't know if there is a
I don't know if there is a formula (certainly not a precise one, maybe there could be some kind of rule of thumb?), but basically you can adjust the water to the consistency of the dough that you want. Use less water at first and see what you get, then add more if needed. |
Newbie's close brush with High Hydration, too dry autolyse & other miscues!
So after deciding to try my 3rd attempt at baking sourdough bread, some instinct told me to start two levains - one was a rye/all purpose, the other all purpose. Thought I was organized by pre-measuring my flour. Guess there were too many distr... | Hang in there!
You're doing great. Your loaves look awesome and I would enjoy sharing them with you, if there is any left! LOL |
Buttermilk Sourdough Bread
I just made 4 beautiful loaves of white buttermilk sourdough bread, panned loaves, perfect for sandwiches or just eating with butter. I've never been this pleased with sourdough bread in my entire baking life, and would show you pictures if I knew how to do it. I'll have to ask my nephew if... | share
Hi, PaddyL, your bread sounds wonderful...can you please share the recipe? Thanks! Beth |
Starter Survey - Market Researcher Turns Bread Baker
There is a lot of subjectivity and a wide range of information online about what constitutes an "active" starter.In Trevor J Wilson's Book, Open Crumb Mastery, p. 238, he states that beginners often misjudge their starters to be active. According to Trevor, the rate ... | Done
I hope this helps and I'm very much interested in the results. I had a look at the answers do far and I feel most honoured :)Thank you Amy |
Out, not up!
Does it still count as oven spring if it goes out instead of up? I'm thinking I slashed too deep because it was all going so well. I'm not disappointed even if this is classed as a failure - it tastes very nice.My little apprentice helped me weigh out and mix the following...100g starter 100% hydration270... | Taste is everything
Cottage cheese, onion, millet, sage... I can only imagine. And a nice blend of flour too. Rye and Spelt really compliment each other. This bread looks lovely. Your little apprentices face says it all. A success all round. You're far more adventurous than me. I really need to try something like this.... |
Crumb is too tight. Its like baking a brick.
While the flavor of the bread is pleasant, the crumb is disappointing. And I would like a thicker, darker crust as well.Any and all recommendations/advice welcome. I am baking 6 x 365g loaves 1100g Farmer Ground Flour organic high extraction half white bread flour870g Water2... | Straight Into the Oven from the Fridge?
My guess (and that is what it is) is that your loaves are over-proofed from sitting out for a couple of hours after exiting the refrigerator. As someone once observed, to a 450 degree oven the difference between a 40-degree hunk of dough and a 70-degree hunk of dough is negligib... |
Sourdough Whole Wheat Crackers
I have a personal relationship with my sourdough starter. “Hermann” and I have been a couple for many months now, and having witnessed his fickleness first-hand, I have a thorough understanding of his needs. I almost wrote “feelings”, that is how close Hermann and I have become.I feed Her... | Look Great
They look GREAT. I have been wanting a good recipe for crackers -- I'll try this one.Ford |
Part of starter turned yellow
I recently made a new starter and after a few days, part of the starter on the walls of my mason jar turned yellow. Does anyone know what this is? | Flour issues?
Was your flour old or off? Did it smell like sesame seeds? I once had some flour I didn't use for a long while, developed some yellow spots and smelled like sesame seeds. It turns out that the flour went off - the oils in the flour went bad because I forgot the flour in a warm spot during the summer month... |
Formula to adapt quickbread recipe to use sourdough starter
I have some tried and true quickbread recipes. I wonder if there is a formula (more or less) for using sourdough starter in these. Perhaps, depending on my starter's hydration, remove that amount of flour and liquid from original recipe, and then eliminate? re... | Take out any leavening agent
Use however much mature starter you wish but reduce the flour and water accordingly depending on how much is in the starter. Then however much starter you have used will effect how quickly it takes to ferment. Things you want to consider is time and flavour. Watch the dough and not the cloc... |
Scoring Bread, my endeavor to learn
I intend to get more serious about scoring bread. I want to bake pretty bread. I’ve studied more post than I care to admit. I read everything I could find by David and Alan. YouTube is also an excellent resource. Today I decided to try some of the things I’ve learned. I wanted to ba... | A note or two
Rome wasn’t built in a day and if you ever saw my earliest baguette attempts, that would be clear as day. Any improvement is a step in the right direction. Do take note that the batard that is pinched at the “waist” has a very wide band between scores. This, to me, acts as a belt that is constricting the ... |
Need a Starter Recipe
New to this forum and was hoping to find a recipe or directions for creating a sourdough starter. If that information is already on this forum somewhere please provide with me with a link. Thanks in advance for your help. | There is no one recipe for a starter
There are some rules but you'll find many recipes. I'll try to make this as simple as possible. 1: you can use any flour but wholegrain works very well and wholegrain rye the best. 2: warmth and patience are essential.3: feed when you see activity. Watch the starter and not the cloc... |
YW ratio for Levain or Bread Dough
As of late my baking endeavors have focused on breads without sour flavors. I also like naturally leavened breads instead of Commercial Yeast most of the time.With this in mind I have a few technical question -How much YW is used in either a Levain or bread dough for a given ferment t... | Yeast water
I would suggest you get to the group on FB “Artisan Bread Baking with wild yeas and water” |
Trevor’s Cranberry Bread and...
So I bit the bullet and tried Trevor’s holiday cranberry bread. Let me say this is not for those new to this. My second attempt at sourdough bread and it was challenging! I didn’t get the best rise, the dough was hard to work with - the cranberries made it really heavy, the crumb wasn’t ... | Got better oven spring than mine
It's a lovely bread Sharon. Good distribution of cranberries and a nice oven spring. Mine was far from perfect but it's a heck of a tasty bread which I highly recommend. We'll work on this together. Bon Appetit. |
Converting a potato based sourdough starter to flour
Hello bakers,Question 1: can I get a really good sourdough taste on a potato based sourdough starter? I was gifted a mature starter that uses: 1c water, 1/3c sugar, 3 Tb potato flakes. I feed it once a week and pull out one cup of starter to make weekly 2 loafs. I... | I am unfamiliar with a potato starter
But you can conduct a simple experiment...Take some potato starter and feed it some flour and water in equal measures by weight. Or 1 cup flour + 1/2 cup water. Leave for 12-14 hours and see what happens. I imagine it'll bubble up nicely as it does leaven bread. Now you've converte... |
sourdough + commercial yeast
lemme get straight to the pointif one had to spike up a sourdough with a commercial yeast, and the original recipe (with no added yeast) calls for 12h proofing time, how long would it take with the yeasted one? is it 12h? or maybe faster? i've tried many yeasted bread recipe calls for 12h p... | The usual recommendation that
The usual recommendation (Hitz, Hamelman) that I see for added IDY to an SD formula is .2% |
Another attempt at Danni's Caramelized Onion Sourdough with Parmigiano-Reggiano and Italian Herbs
I got the first part of the recipe right; the autolyzed flour was just the right texture. After autolyzing, one is to add yogurt, caramelized onion, and 270 grams of starter. When I added all that, the dough was so wet as ... | I think your starter would be very different to Danni's
Equal parts of flour to water by volume would make a very high hydration starter. Now I don't know how Danni keeps her starter but I'm guessing it would be closer to equal parts flour to water by weight making it 100% hydration. That would be about 1/2 cup water t... |
Mixing Starter into 5-10% Rye Woes
So I'm trying to make a rye sourdough with only 5% rye and 10% spelt, I have a 50/50 rye/AP 100% starter. I've been using Trevor's method of doing a long cold salted autolyse which has been developing gluten very nicely. However I've been running into a consistent issue that I can't s... | Mix, don't dabble around
"...gentle folding of the dough to mix-in the starter..."Gentle folding is for egg fluff and cake batters. Important for cake not to deflate the bubbles created.But... (Very Big But...) The bubbles come later with bread dough thru yeast gas bubbles so that being rough and tearing while mixing ... |
Help! My two 10 & 3 days old sourdough starter got switched ><
this is maybe a pure idiotic question:so i've been growing my "old" sourdough for 10 days by tomorrow. he looks all great (i named him David anyw), all bubbly, smell fresh and have already doubled in volume. but before that, i got skeptical.. all pessimisti... | Impossible to know for sure
But I'd say the one with the darker liquid is David.When you see liquid on top of a starter then it could be hooch or just separation. One way to tell is if the liquid is dark it's likely hooch. If it's clear it's likely separation.I would think a more established starter would ferment quick... |
Why doesn't Forkish
...do a pre-shape? I'm coming to the shaping of his Double Fed Sweet Levain recipe and it has just occured to me he doesn't do a pre-shape. I'm tempted to do one anyway but the hydration is quite high for the flour I'm using and if anyone can convince me to handle the dough less I'd be most grateful... | If you have large bubbles,
I would do a pre-shape. |
The willingness to share knowledge
As I am reading and posting to the forum, an interesting thought comes to mind.There is something special about bread bakers. From the most accomplished to those just starting out, everyone shares their knowledge. That’s not normal. In many pursuits, those that have struggled to climb... | Knead the love!
Bread is a humbling experience. Even mighty bakers can tear hair out from recipes they have made countless times. I find it usually happens to me when I get cocky and forget my humble baking roots.So contemplate as you knead-think good thoughts and always be kind. One never knows when they will need kin... |
Difference between chilling after rise and chilling before rise
The particular sourdough starter I'm using (I love the flavor) doesn't rise at all in my fridge even if I increase my fridge to 5C. I've had pretty good luck setting a cold pack next to it on the counter overnight but if the room is a little too warm it'... | You are going to have to play around
with those parameters and see what works best for you. I do think though that your first option would not work because the dough continues to rise in the fridge and you would probably end up with an over proofed loaf. Personally, I put my loaves into the fridge right after shaping a... |
Good Save!
Wanted to make a Broa de Milho (a traditional Portuguese Corn Bread) the other day. Miscalculated the ingredients and made too much dough. Not enough for another loaf though. What to do? I decided to keep the extra dough and refrigerated it. Next I tried out a new steaming method and what started off as a pe... | That's awesome!
That crumb looks nice and moist and open, and I'm sure it tastes great. Good thinking!So, what steaming method did you try that killed your other bread? |
Dough won't hold its shape | Try getting it into a form
or dutch oven and bake it out. A bit more detail would be helpful. |
Sticky Sourdough Inside
I’ve made a couple of sourdoughs now using a standard 1:2:3 mix with the flour being 80% strong white and 20% whole wheat. My starter is a 50/50 rye and all purpose white.The loaves are rising beautifully with a deep golden blistery crust. Internal baking temperate between 85 and 90 degrees Cels... | Trying going up to
93.3 - 98.8 C (200 - 210 F) and see if that helps. Better to err on slightly over than slightly under when it comes to baking bread. The crust should be a deep golden brown and sound hollow when you tap the bottom. Experiment with baking times. Until you find just the right baking time toast the brea... |
Starter - float test
HI, each time I do the float test on my starter, some portions sink and some portions float. Usually this is 18-24 hrs from the last feeding. Can I still continue to use it for baking? Or am I suppose to test it at its peak like 2-4 hrs from the last feeding? | Test it before baking with it.
If it is so mature that it sinks, I suggest feeding it and then using it at peak activity when it can float. More info would be helpful like temp, type of flour and how the starter is maintained. However, if the starter is peaking after 2 to 4 hrs, then I would guess that it is being un... |
First sourdough wasn't good
UPDATE: I cut the loaf to freeze for toast and after the first couple of slices the inside was fine. Perhaps I need to adjust my cooking time? I made a sourdough starter following this method .. https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-your-own-sourdough-starter-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn... | For a first sourdough
Why not try a dedicated sourdough recipe which isn't enriched? Converting even a lean dough for a first try is running before you can walk. Have you heard of Hamelman's Vermont Sourdough? |
[SOURDOUGH] Hooch: Throw or Stir?
hi,so i'm currently on my 3rd day growing sourdough and since it's my first time i kinda get easily scared about this and that. so my 1st day was going pretty well, it bubbles up, puffed with nice thick consistency. earlier on the 2nd day (in the morning to afternoon) it was good, it b... | It's only day three, hey it's doing stuff.
I remember Eugene's day 3, all bubbly and watery. Then a couple days he was more toothpasty less bubbles. Nowadays (about a month later), his consistency can change quite a bit depending on how long it's been since a feeding, and how much he's been fed.I wound up playing aro... |
whoah got my starter back
All of a sudden my starter was getting VERY active, reminding me of like day 2-3 when the bacteria are creating the gas. But I made an alright loaf, it rose fine. The next day the starter was again almost foamy, and I smelled it, not the usual smell, a bit more alcoholy or something, didn't ... | I’ve been testing starters
I’ve been testing starters quite a bit in the last week. I think I’ve learned a few things. I’m surprised to hear that your starter made such a quick recovery. Have you baked with the newly active starter yet?Test are showing that starters, at least in my test do better with mostly store boug... |
Starter? Yeast vs LAB
I’ve been running test with my starter over the last few days. I’m beginning to question the populations of the yeast and the LAB (good bacteria). I became inquisitive after reading a couple of post by BreadBabies during the last week. I’m beginning to think that the bacteria in the starter can ca... | Hard to Argue With Success
I read and read about everyone's struggle with starters and am both feeling flummoxed and blessed. Early on I kept a running starter on my counter, feeding it daily and on a specific time schedule. It worked just fine as a leavener.About 9 months ago I read something Trevor Wilson wrote on on... |
Sourdough progress
It's been some months since I last baked bread and had a starter going. 2 weeks ago I decided to make a new starter from scratch and get back into bread baking. Wanted to share my first solid bake since restarting! Using the Champlain Sourdough recipe from BreadWerx modified for 50/50 AP/Dark Rye sta... | Sourdough Bread
Really nice work on this bread.As to point #1, I would think that degassing was the issue. As the bread ferments large bubbles develop. If they aren't broken down into smaller bubbles again, or popped all together, they continue to grow during your proofing period. You may want to be a bit more aggressi... |
Starter day 9
my starter just does not seem very active for day 9 :( I am feeding once a day, removing 140g of starter and feeding with 70g each flour and water. the recipe I am following says don’t skip any feedings. I am placing the starter in the oven just to keep it out of drafts etc. Any advice on why I’m not seei... | Each feed is
1:0.5:0.5With each feed the fermented flour is more than the fresh flour. Actually you didn't say how much starter you keep to feed so I don't know why I came to that conclusion. Perhaps a bit more about your starter feed. What's the ratio of starter to fresh flour and which flour are you using? You can st... |
starter smelling like acetone
I was wondering if anybody can help me, as ive mentioned above i have a 100 % rye flour starter @ 100% hydration, which has been going for about a week. It has started doubling in about 6 hours, but constantly smells like acetone, even when a few hours in. Im in the uk, and its not really ... | Refresh it again and as soon
Refresh it again and as soon as it shows signs of life put it in your refrigerator. that will slow down the fermentation. I refresh mine and keep it in the refrigerator as a general rule of thumb. |
Hamelman Baker’s Percentages
hi there! I have been trying to get through hamelman’s bread book but I’m having a lot, a LOT of trouble with his baking percentages. The issue I have is that he doesn’t give you the percentage of pre-fermented dough you need to mix in. It does say the amount of pre-ferment at the upper ri... | Looks like and another TFL
Looks like you and another TFL poster are looking for similar answers. See this post. http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/54589/bakers-percentageI assume the Hamelman book you are using is called, “Bread”. What page is the formula/recipe on?Dan |
Ratio math trick
For those who like changing up their sourdough feeding rates, here's a useful math trick for figuring ratios (especially more complicated ones like Benny's sweet stiff starter):Ratio Tricks and Tips - tecmath on YouTubeTecmath has lots of other interesting quick math tips and tricks useful for baking a... | Will Benny's sweet starter
Will Benny's sweet starter going to be famous? Will it give Lievito Madre a run for the money? Haha! |
When to refrigerate starter?
Hi all,I started a new 50/50 APW and Rye starter about 15 days ago. I think I’ve got it to a pretty strong stage where it can double in size in about 8 hours. I need to refrigerate it now as I have to go away for work. Should I feed it one last time and wait until it doubles and place in th... | Let it rise about a third
and then tuck into the refrigerator. Doubling would be too far along. When you return, bring it back up to room temp and check the advancement of the fermentation before deciding to feed again but it should be just fine. I might cut back on the water a wee bit and make it thicker too, more ... |
Weird starter
Hi everyone, I'm having an issue with my starter and - silly me - didn't take a pic of the issue so I'll just go on and try to describe it. I made my starter in my NYC kitchen, and fed it daily for about a year with organic all purpose flour. It was a very happy little starter and it worked great. Last su... | The original problem
Was I think you over fed it. I would have dissolved the starter, fed it and then waited however long it takes to wake up. If nothing was happening I'd have stirred it and only begin the feeds again when there was activity. Now it seems like you've gotten over this stage but it seems sluggish. I wou... |
levain? or starter? help me understand the terms
I bake every day. I do keep a backup of my starters in the fridge but the starter I bake with stays out in my cold kitchen (60F during the day and 50F at night usually). Each day I take out 100g and bake with it and I feed it 50g flour and 50g water (feed it just once... | So many names
Lots of terminology and everyone has their own way of understanding it. I understand a starter as a seed and a Levain as an off-shoot starter made from the seed and goes into the dough. From what you describe I would call that a starter. I think what is confusing is that the levain becomes a starter in th... |
Sourdough bread rose to much in the oven
I successfully got a starter going after about two weeks of feeding I tried to make my first loaf of bread I kneaded it with a dough hook for about 10 minutes and put it aside to rise after about 45 minutes it had doubled in size. this surprised me because everything that I re... | What kind of flour is in the dough?
Exactly. Self-rising perhaps? A bread mix instead of bread flour? |
Sourdough sandwich loaf
It's been a couple of weeks since I was struggling to get a feel for sourdough after years of only using commercial yeast. Thought I'd post an update on my daily bread that I've really been enjoying.I eat a lot of sandwiches :) so I've been baking in a bread tin with a second bread tin inverted... | Good tip with the tins. Love
Good tip with the tins. Love the bread. What was the temperature for the bulk ? |
Stretch and Fold
I recently ventured into lower hydration (70 - 75 %) doughs. I'm concerned about S&F. I had no problem with S&F using wet doughs. But I'm only able to get 2 folds (instead of the typical 4 folds) on the drier dough. The dough is much more elastic and it will resist stretching after 2 folds. I don't wan... | If you've mixed well and
developed a good gluten network, then all you should need are 1 or 2 stretch and folds. |
1st Time Starter problems...
Just joined.I watched a lot of videos. Today is about day 5 and my batch has yet to take off. At 12 hour intervals I check. The smell and look are fine but very few bubbles and little if any rise.House temp ~ 68 to 71 degrees. Fresh water and organic artisan unbleached bread flour. I sta... | At 68-71 degrees
It's going to take a while and really test your patience. You really have to find a way to get it up to 78F for things to go quicker. In the oven with just the light switched on or a on top of the fridge or somewhere that is warmer. What have you done so far when it comes to feeding? And have you seen ... |
Is this overproofing? Or maybe underdeveloped gluten?
Hello everyone. I am new on this forum, i hope i do this post the right way. So, i started to bake sourdough bread 5 months ago, lately i did some very great breads, good structure, very good oven spring, and excelente taste. But my last 3 breads endid up like the o... | When did you add the salt?
:) |
Crumb tweaking
Yay, my sourdough wasn't so dense this time! Part of it was, my starter has been more active (born before Thanksgiving). Yikes, blurry photo, but it's clear enough I guess.1:1:1 mixed in one bowl, with salt (2% of 3 parts flour weight) sprinkled on top0:1:1 mixed in another bowlrest/autolyze 20/30 mina... | you want to pick up Trevor's book for crumb knowledge
www.breadwerx.comThis is mostly about how to achieve open and irregular crumb, but all the knowledge can be applied in reverse if you're looking for uniform crumb.There are a ton of ways to change your crumb...but your lowest hanging fruit is probably to degas it a ... |
Best place to store my sourdough starter
As I’m growing my starter I am storing it in the oven as that probably has the most consistent temperature. Is that OK, or would it do better on the counter top? Thanks! | How often do you plan on baking?
Frequency of use is a convenient way to determine where you store your starter. If you plan on baking everyday, then somewhere that is convenient and not subject to accidental jostling by energetic children, rowdy teenagers, or an inquisitive cat would be ideal. Daily refreshing should ... |
Sourdough Starter maintenance temperature vs dough fermentation temperature
Hi All I am hoping someone can help me get my head around the following concept:If I maintain my starter at a constant temperature (say, 20c), I understand that I am creating a population of bacteria, yeast etc that thrives at that temperature... | starter vs dough
The starter temperature is optimal for reproduction of certain microbes. You maintain your starter to keep multiplying their numbers. For the microbes the only meaning of the word to 'thrive' is to reproduce as fast as possible, to have offspring. Dough temperature is optimal for bread taste, i.e. for ... |
300g 100% Rye hydration sourdough
Hi there,I have a feeling I will be posting a lot on here :)I am wondering after hours of googling if anyone could help me on this bread recipe I'm trying to make.It's asking for 300g 100% hydration rye sourdough made the day before.I have a rye starter ready, which I feed every week 1... | Sure sounds like 300g of your
Sure sounds like 300g of your 100% rye starter but we'll need the other ingredients and amounts to be sure. |
Very Tight Dough using Straight Starter
I've been experimenting for about 2 months now with different forms of sourdough for my pizza and I just can't seem to get it right. Recently, I tried a suggestion of completely ditching the leaven and using a small percentage of my active/ripe starter as I would yeast. The aroma... | I have had the same stiffness
I have had the same stiffness when it is low hydration and winter time. So I start doing an autolyse for 30 mins to 1 hr using warm water prior to mixing the starter. Things improved a bit |
Sourdough problems
I'm trying to master sourdough and I keep having the same issue of large air pockets at the top of the loaf. I thought it might have been underproofed but a longer proofing time hasn't helped, also because I use a stiff starter I wonder if I hadn't distributed it evenly during the mixing but a longer... | Your overnight final proof
In the fridge? |
which starter should I keep?
HelloI've been happily using a starter that I built with whey and white flour for about 6 months now.Last week, I had a little chat with the owner of a whole-wheat pita bread bakery in my neighborhood, and he told me that they use the old dough method, keeping a piece of dough from today's ... | There's a certain satisfaction
When it's one you've made yourself. Flavours and strength can be developed with maintenance. If it was me I would keep my own. A starter doesn't need to be fed everyday. If it's low hydration (like the piece of dough) and kept in the fridge it can last a while between feeds. Concentrate o... |
All is forgiven plus my preferred levain build
My wheat starter (50:50 bread and whole-wheat flour @ 100% hydration) has been neglected for a while. About a month ago I made a whole rye starter which has been at the forefront of my baking. The flavour of this new starter was excellent and decided to concentrate on that... | Very nice..
Great looking oaf.. it's remarkable just how 'forgiving' starters can be! I believe they're much more indestructible (once well developed) than most of us would assume.. |
Flour affecting starter development..
I've had an interesting experience this week. For the past month I had been feeding my starter with AP flour, rather than bread as I ran out and wanted to use up the AP. During this last few weeks my starter has been performing very well. I've fed it twice daily 1:3:3 every twelve... | Just a thought...
Is your AP flour malted while bread flour is not? Malt will provide extra food in the form of sugars which would probably affect growth rate.-Brad |
Sourdough panettone help
I tried to make sourdough panettone for the first time today with not the best success. I tried to follow mwilson's perfect panettone formula but wasn't sure of the actual process so I used a google translated version of Iginio Massari's method. I had my starter ready to roll and made the first... | In my experience the recipes
In my experience the recipes in Cresci sometimes require some tinkering. Why don't you try Sua's recipe instead? It works like a charm right out of that book, and there's a beatiful write-up of it. |
Sourdough starter day 3 hep!
today I was supposed to remove 1/2 of my starter (140g) before feeding it. I messed up and only removed 70g. Do you think I have to start over? Thanks | It's fine..
It just means you'll have more starter to fresh water/flour. so the yeast in your starter will "consume" the fresh flour faster.. if you would normally leave it for say 6 hours between feedings, realize that it will probably need to be re-fed sooner. And depending on the volume of old starter to newly added... |
Keeping a Starter Happy in Winter
Hello!I've recently tried to start a new starter after a hiatus from sourdough baking. However, I live in Massachusetts, New England and with that comes the cold, dry winter! The starter I tried a week ago seemed to get cold, dry, and lifeless. I left it uncovered in a pretty cool corn... | Cover and keep it more liquid
than doughy. A warm spot, try in your vest pocket, or near heat sources like water heaters, sterio equipment, refrigerators, dryers, dishwashers or in an insulated cooler type box with a large jar of warm water. Heating pads, the list goes on. Temperature is important and getting it to ... |
Wow the value of a kitchen scale!
For a few weeks I was playing with dough either by guess/feel, or by volume from various examples online, somewhere I got ideas about the general proportion of the same weights of flour and water, and using that to estimate about what volumes of starter/water/flour to use based on what... | weight
I find that weight measurements are easier and, of course, more accurate and more precise than volume measurements. Using a scale may take a little time to get used to it, but it is worth the effort, in my opinion.Ford |
How reliable is the fingertip test?
I'm trying to refine my bulk ferment phase and recently started trying the fingertip test but am questioning the result.As I understand it, a quick bounce-back means under-proofed; a steady and somewhat halted bounce-back means just right, and no bounce back means under-proofed. I'm ... | very reliable
The fingertip test is a very reliable test of proofing before baking. It is not used to test bulk ferment.Bulk ferment ending is usually determined in three different ways1) time at certain temperature, i.e. if the recipe says bulk ferment for 2 hours at 90F2) volume, i.e. if the recipe says bulk ferment ... |
Spherical bread?
Hi, I'm an amateur sourdough baker, and so my bread isn't very consistent yet, but I'm having a new problem? My bread is too round? I bake in a bread cloche, and the bread has a flat side going into the oven, but over puffs and stays more like a sphere? Why? Help? | Cross Section, Formula and Methods Please
Would you be able to slice into the loaf and provide us with a picture of the cross section (crumb)?Also, it would be helpful if you could copy down your recipe, along with the procedures you followed.Got to admit... that's some pretty impressive oven spring! |
Tartine Troubleshooting - Progress
Starting to make some progress! I have another attempt in the fridge, so we'll see how that one goes.I posted yesterday about getting mediocre results when retarding in the fridge. (No activity during the final rise!) The bread in this photo was proofed at 80 degrees and had a final r... | Looks great to my eyes.
Seems like you've mastered this. Hope it's all delicious.hester |
Adventure day, many firsts!!
Today was a day of many firsts.- used a starter that was a second generation starter i made that is both rye flour and AP flour. Her name is Faith and eventually she will be mostly AP flour as her better half is all Rye and his name is Big Poppa- a)made a NK bread b)made a NK sourdough bre... | Looks good! Sounds like it
Looks good! Sounds like it suits your taste, too. Amazing what one can create with one’s own hands. |
Amazake 1:2:3
RECIPE:150g starter (100% hydration whole rye)300g water450g flour (300g bread flour, 150g wholegrain red fife flour)34g amazake10g salt METHOD:Build a Levain in two stages...Night Before: 10g starter + 20g water + 20g whole rye flour. Morning Of: 50g starter + 50g water + 50g whole rye, ready for late af... | Had to look up...
Amazake, how does it taste? The loaf looks great as ever, Abe. I'm working on a heavily seeded loaf this weekend which I'll try to get around to sharing. |
Starter smells like apples
A few weeks ago, I decided to try and get my own starter going with fresh ground Montana wheat. I used a tiny bit of Bragg's Apple cider vinegar (the bottle says "with the mother") and the starter got going pretty quickly without any bad smells at all. It was bubbling up and doubling in si... | I've had a strong fruity smell
In a very young starter before it matured into a more regular tangy starter smell. |
Tartine country loaf 1st trial
just finished my first tartine loaf! Crust is super crunchy which I love, as you can see I got a medium crumb, not fully there yet, I had some trouble with the dough being very hydrated when shaping before bench rest, since it says not to use a lot of flour.any tips on how to improve it?A... | a few thoughts
You are off to a good start in chasing Chad. Practice is going to be an important thing, which will help everything, including shaping, which seems like an issue. Go watch lots of shaping videos, including my man Mac from SFBI:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEG1BjWroT0&feature=youtu.beDave Miller:htt... |
Wild Yeast / Levain / Sourdough starter flowchart
I made a flowchart describing the process of culturing wild yeasts. What do you think?
Right-click to save a larger version.
I deliberately left it a little vague because I found many conflicting points of view and too many details make a relatively simple proces... | Very nice
...Love the CopyRight. ;-) |
Trevor’s book and levain building!
I need someone to check my math and make sure that what I am doing makes sense. Normally, I build up 1250 g of roughly 80% hydration levain like this:Thursday night: I take 20 g of refrigerated starter and feed it 20 g each of water and whole grain flour. 1:1:1Friday morning: I feed i... | Danni, my bulk ferments times are like yours
my room temperatures are perhaps a bit lower than ideal but soon summer temperatures will help that. I haven't checked your starter build yet, i need pen and paper for that. I found Trevor's comment about acid load very interesting and will probably fresh my mother starter... |
new starter rising, but few bubbles
I'll admit I'm trying to be patient, but spent most of a year physically being unable to bake much and now have a long list of SD recipes bookmarked. I'm on day 8 of a new starter using Debra Wink's method from TFL. The starter I made 3 years ago from BBA (started in warm weather) h... | bubble-less
Are you using a glass container that allows you to view the starter from the side? My starters were always full of small bubbles. I wonder if it could be the properties of your flour now vs before that may have trapped the CO2 differently. (Or were you using a different hydration before?)I'm also on Day 8 o... |
My very first Bread!
I’m happy to announce that thanks to TFL, the web, and especially to Abe, I actually made my first sourdough bread! Talk about a labor of love! I think it happened by sheer force of will and partly by jumping off and giving it a go. I thought it was going to end up tasting like a salty hockey puck ... | that is a great looking loaf!
isn't great when you get up the courage and actually do it (bake the loaf, post the pictures etc) and it works!!well done!! look forward to many more posts. happy bakingLeslie |
Tartine crumb is moist and dense
After a hiatus of several yours, I'm trying to get back to Tartine classic loaves. As seen in the image, the crust and shape look great; it is just the crumb that in diasappointing.My current theory is that the starter was not as active as needed.Also, by 5:00 pm, the loaf was well deve... | Just seeing your post
I don't bake Tartine breads but have a long history here of retarding loaves. I always shape and place in a cloth lined banneton . Mine didn't come cloth lined but I use old linen napkins rubbed with a rice flour/bread flour 50/50 combo. I then cover with a " shower cap" stretch cover that is plen... |
crumb troubleshooting
I'm looking for some advice re repeated "tunnelling"/big hole problems.I keep getting these big holes in my boules but also suspect similar crumb patterns in ciabatta/focaccia I've been baking. At first I thought it was underfermentation, as my ambient temp is quite cold, so went longer with bulk ... | Looks underproofed to me...
Looks underproofed to me... |
Sourdough Video
Sourdough video - very interestinghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5xOpss4j5E&NR=1&feature=endscreenLinda | Liked this! Nice oven too.
Liked this! Nice oven too. Beautiful loaves. Not sure I'd want to spend 15 hours a day making bread but I'd be really good at it if I did. |
Dropped the dutch oven
I'm starting to make ok sourdough in my dutch oven, but this method limits me to a single boule shape and I'd like to try a few other methods. Today I baked a boule outside of the oven with mixed results and would like some tips for improvement.I am using the 1-2-3 method for ingredients and prev... | The best start a ripe hunk of dough can hope for
is to be encased in a raging hot Dutch oven. Things crust over too fast without a good lid or steam. |
Help me improve my sourdough.
Hey guys. I'm fairly new to bread baking and would love some tips about how to make my sourdough better.I've made the basic sourdough from herehttps://www.theperfectloaf.com/beginners-sourdough-bread/several times using my own starter. The starter is quite active and predictable. Using thi... | more information
I think we might need some more information. Are you following the timing and the percentages on that recipe's link exactly?Also the height looks pretty good for a levain loaf. Did you measure it at its peak? I bet if you survey the crowd here, you might be surprised to find that your loaf is relati... |
Need help with secret ingredient
I have an idea about adding an ingredient but not going to divulge just yet. The only thing I'm saying is that it has the consistency of apple sauce. My question is... If I'm doing the 1:2:3 recipe with 100% hydration levain, which makes the final dough 71% hydration, how would I go abo... | Apple sauce is like almost
Apple sauce is like almost any other fruit puree contains 90% water. |
Yohan Ferran method - assist me!
here is my 90 percent hydration outcome using the do nothing method. kind of like a ciabatta. has anyone used lower hydrations to get a more easily shapable loaf? does the method still work? Could you post a recipe? any help appreciated:) | Looks very good to me
How's the crumb? You may alter the hydration but don't go too low. This is a no knead bread so it uses high hydration to firm the gluten but there will be a range. Try dropping to 85% and see if that helps. Nice loaf. Let us know how it tastes. |
Confused About Starters & other Breadmaking Questions
I have 3 Starters - Chef, Whole and Rye. My aim is to bake a whole wheat SD loaf and rye SD loaf. I stay in Asia and has room temperature of 29-31celsius. Right now , it's hot - approaching 33celsius. As such , my starters are stored in the fridge after feeding. E... | You've got 3 starters
And haven't even baked a sourdough yet. I think things are moving too fast and in many different directions. Do you have a recipe in mind? |
new to sourdough and it's dormant? or worse?
I started a sourdough starter about a week ago using Paul Hollywood's flour/water and a grated wild apple. After 2 days it bubbled up so much it overflowed the jar. Following Paul's recipe I fed it by discarding half and since then it has pretty well done nothing. I think I ... | The quiet period
Recipes rarely explain that after the initial bubbling up there will often be a quiet period.What one should do if this happens is stop feeding, keep warm and stir every now and again.What one should not do is increase the feeds trying to "wake it up".Best thing to do now is take a break, try to keep i... |
Tartine starter help
hello, I have Been working on tartine culture and I finally turned it into a starter last night when I threw away 80% of it and gave it its first feed. i checked it today and it looks like this? Does it seem right to you guys ? jt has bubbles so i am assuming it’s alive? i do think it’s too watery ... | It looks overly hydrated
It might be viable and healthy but it does look overly hydrated. Seems like you've been building and throwing away a lot. Keep feeding it on schedule for now but conduct an experiment on the side. Take off 10g starter then feed it 25g water + 50g flour (40g bread or AP flour + 10g whole-wheat).... |
Sour-dough starter lacks 'oomph'
I've been baking yeast-bread for years, and people like it (some too much).I thought I'd try my hand at sour-dough, so I've been cultivating my pot of organic flour/water/air-borne yeast. Result: nice bubbly mixture, smells a bit beery, looks just the job. (Cool climate here in London, ... | Tell us more about your starter
How old is it? How did you make it? Do you know it's ready for certain? etc.Welcome. From another Londoner. |
Good idea or not?
An electric yoghurt maker that has a good range of temperature (many are too warm for sourdough culture but this has a wider range) for building my starter/levains builds. Or do you think it's a bit much especially if it's only for starter and i'll still have to improvise for the dough?http://www.lake... | Looks like the price isn't
Looks like the price isn't bad, though I did not see the range of temps. My rig is closer to $125 - a wine cooler ( to handle retardation at temps in the 50's F ), and a heating pad and a controller which can set warmer temps. If you found a small wine cooler used, you could make one f... |
Sourdough Starter - Smells like nail polish remover
HI! I am a complete beginner to sourdough baking and as the title suggests, I am having a couple of “complications” with my starter… He’s 9 days old today and I will first try to explain my process for establishing it. I’ve been feeding him every 24h as per the instru... | Starter Hungry So Fed Less?
Day 7I saved 25g of starter and added 50g rye/50g white flour and 100g lukewarm water. The activity was the same as the day before, but the smell persisted.Day 8At this point, I conducted a bit of a research and learned, that the acetone smell could mean the starter is hungry and needs to be... |
Tough Crust
Happy Birthday to me. At 70+ years i am doing R&M on my teeth. . I love my sourdough but i would prefer a softer chewy crust or softer and crispy crust. On directions i have been baking at 425 deg for 15 min and then turning down to 400 deg. If i baked bread at 325 and cooked longer would the crust be soft... | I don't think so..
First off - happy birthday to you!My experience tells me that flour choice affects crumb "hardness". As does length of bake - how long are you baking down at 400 deg? And lastly are you using a dutch oven or stone - how dry the environment is affects the crust.. Tell us more and we can help find the ... |
Classic Sourdoughs by Ed Wood & Jean Wood
I'm trying to use the Sourdough Pizza recipe. This is my first time using it and I was wondering if anyone else has used this recipe before 360 ml starter980g AP flour600 ml water1 1/2 tsp salt This recipe seems super super sticky to me, but then I'm not used to high hydration ... | Interesting
The first thing that popped into my head was that 360ml starter is left wide open to interpretation. What flour is this starter made from? And what is the hydration? Everything else is exact measurement which makes the starter more confusing. The only thing I can think of is... Is there anywhere one would f... |
Will my starter poison me - sick starter
Hi all, I have a starter that's just over two years old, and I pulled him out of the fridge a few days ago to find that he really smelled (of old parmesan cheese), and there was a weird pinky-brown layer on top that looked like either little worms, or kind of like mushroom gills... | Normally red/pink
In a starter - when it's mould - one shouldn't risk it. Now the question is - was it mould? Some flour might have a pinkish hue in starter but considering the neglect and smell thrown into it then better safe than sorry. I don't want to advise it's ok and be wrong. The problem with mould is you don't ... |
no rise in fridge
So ... I've been making extremely tasty sourdough bread for the past few weeks but I've had to kind of go my own way as I either don't understand what I'm reading or my starter is different from what others are using.
I've used some other starters that did rise in the fridge ... but I bought some San ... | What temperature is your refrigerator?
Some starters shut down at 3°C and some shut down above and below that temperature. If you look at Hamelman (Bread) the lowest temperature he recommends for retarding is (as I remember) 42°F. If your refrigerator is at 40°F (4.5°C) you are on the upper edge of safe food storage ... |
sourdough bread recipe
Does anyone have a good sourdough bread recipe that will work well with my new Ankarsrum that just arrived at my door today. Can't wait to try it and want to make sourdough bread | 1:2:3
1 part starter (active and bubbly, I recommend 100% hydration whole rye) 2 parts water (warm)3 parts flour (bread flour) + 2% of total flour for saltAll by weight!First mix the sourdough starter + water + flour on low speed until a shaggy dough forms There should be no dry bits left but do not knead just yet. Lea... |
How much increase in dough size for Bulk Ferment
I'm playing with a recipe and working on a formula. I think I'm clear on the proof timing. I check the dough and push the rise until it is ready or just a little before that time. I err on the early side, because the oven spring takes care of the rest.But I'm not sure ho... | Rather then how much of an increase
It's better judged by the condition of the dough. When aerated, billowy and there are visible signs of bubbles just beneath the surface, it's done. You will also notice a slight change in the feel of the dough. |
Seeded Multigrain Sourdough came our dense
Hello everyone,yesterday i tried baking the below loaf recipe: http://www.wildyeastblog.com/seeded-multigrain-sourdough-it-is-what-it-is/ this time instead of using unbleached king aruther bread flour i used organic fine white all purpose flour and organic whole wheat from loc... | Was your starter active and mature?
Perhaps it was just sluggish from being in the refrigerator. the change to the seeds shouldn't matter so I suspect you might need to check the starter. Did the dough increase in volume during bulk ferment?Leslie |
Sourdough starter substitute
i have made my own sourdough starter, as well as used the one from King Arthur. Question: I waste more flour keeping the starters going then I use to make bread. (Even though the bread is delicious.) So, I want to give up on the starters. Can I just substitute yeast for any recipe that call... | Yes, though the timing will
Yes, though the timing will be different. In terms of keeping starter, I understand your complaint, though I think that is a problem in part due to the many instructions for making and refreshing starter which call for large amounts. I normally keep 15 grams of starter, but sometimes as li... |
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