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sourdough starter smells bad
My sourdough starter of 3 months went bad so I had to start a new one.I've had what I think is 3 failed batches of sourdough starters. The temperature in my kitchen is between 27 - 29 °C. The flour I use for my starter is Bob's red mill whole wheat flour.I followed two different starter rec... | I would increase the number
I would increase the number of feedings, the ratio of flour and water to starter, or both. |
Mould Spores on the glass container? How to remove?
Hi all!I neglected my sourdough starter severely last year and by the end it was moulding in the fridge. I tried to resurrect a frozen starter, but that one caught mould really quickly as well, as I used the same glass container, that I only cleaned with dish washing ... | Use bleach or boil, I think
Use bleach or boil, I think that's the best options for sterilization available at home... |
White mould growing on sourdough bread
A few times during this winter in Australia I've had white mould growing on my sourdough bread (which is usually around150g wholemeal, 100-150g khorasan, 250g bakers flour with 470-515g water). The mould is usually on the cut edge and sometimes the surface but starts to penetrate ... | Is the bag clean?
I'm not an expert at all, but your bread seems to be going moldy a bit faster than I'm used to. Do you wash the bag between loaves? If you don't, the mold spores will stay in it and cause growth on each new loaf. |
Making a sourdough starter with minimal discard
Hey bakers!Last week I made a sourdough starter from rye flour. This is the fourth time I have done this, and this time I wanted to try to make a successful culture while minimizing sourdough "discard" (I typically would throw away about half of the starter at each feed).... | You could, but I'm not sure you'd want to in the early stages
To maintain a healthy sourdough, the ratio of starter:new flour needs to be fairly constant (water, too, but you have some leeway in terms of the consistency of your starter). So, a nice ratio is 10 g starter:10 grams flour: 10 grams water. If you don't disc... |
standard proofing temperatures
Hello, does anybody know if there is a standard proofing temp. and humidity that recipes assume when they give you proofing times? I am able to control temp./hum. with some precision, and wondering what they should be when recipes just say "bulk proof for x hrs." Thanks in advance! | I don’t think so.
Often the say something like room temperature wich is not very exact. Best is to choose your own temp and watch the dough and not the clock. I al ways ferment on the 30° C. For two reasons one is the flavor and the other it does not get higher then in my kitchen so I am sure it is 30 al the time. That... |
Storing SD bread for softness and flavor
My usual loaves are 30-50% WW, ~75% HR and I bake them in a Lodge Combo 20m with the lid on, 20m lid off, at 235C.The bread is great, but I haven't found a great way to store them. I don't mind a nice crunchy crust, but if I store them anywhere but in plastic bags, they quickly ... | I like using a bread box. We
I like using a bread box. We have one thats is more then 60 years old and still works great. This is of a good design. https://www.amazon.com/Brabantia-Roll-Top-Bread-Box/dp/B000BPM908 |
Hydration versus Ratio - a question!
Hello - I'm relatively new to sourdough and this forum has been super helpful! A big thank you to everyone here.I've got two starters going for 2 & 4 weeks respectively. The 4 week one (Marvin) started with WW and then has been being fed 50/50 WW/AP.. took a long time to get started... | yes
you are correct as long as your 1 is 100% hydration |
Any Sourdough bakers from Miami, FL?
I tried getting a sourdough starter started with organic whole wheat and it got to smell pretty good but after about nine days it never really produced any bubbles. You could see bubbles in the jar but very few and it never rose at all. I had looked into what water to use and hear... | Bottled _spring_ water.
Welcome to TFL!My best results come from bottled _spring_ water (not bottled _purified_ water).I use Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water, purchased at Big Lots in Indiana.Here is the "ultimate" guide to starting a starter: www.thefreshloaf.com/10901/pineapple-juice-solution-part-2scroll down a bi... |
Seeking Advice on Recent Bake: Was This Dough Fully Fermented?
Hi Everyone,I was hoping to get some feedback about what may have gone wrong with a recent bake. I have been having good luck with an all-purpose flour starter and 100% white bread flour dough, but have been having some trouble with a whole wheat starter an... | hi, its hard to tell but I
hi, its hard to tell but I thought the poke test showed the dough being a little over proofed in the first vid. Its difficult to tell if you do a double poke. If it slowly sprung back then its ready, if it left a big indent then its over proofed.The second vid looks like you have preshaped it... |
Got my challenger pan today, baked a shoe loaf
Got a funny shoe shaped bread from spreading. Definitely a learning curve to not able to rely on the “walls” of the combo oven as the challenger pan has a much wider surface area. Any tips on tighter shaping ? Recipe: 78% hydration with 20% whole wheat. 3hr 40 min bulk a... | specifically I'd love to get
specifically I'd love to get any resources on how to shape tighter and prevent oven spread. I've been baking for 3 months and are finally starting to get comfortable with fermentation but shaping is a constant hit and miss, most of my loaves seems to suffer from some form of oven spread. ... |
Sourdough Overflow, Starter Still Safe?
Hello! I recently tried my hand at making a sourdough starter. I've been at it for about a week now give or take, and last night seemed promising since the starter doubled up nicely! But when I woke up in the morning, it looked like it grew a bit too much. Did I bung this up som... | yes. still good
That's a strong one! Just give it a stir down. maybe do a bigger ratio on the next feed (and find a bigger jar?) are you doing 1:1:1? if so then, 1:2:2 will give it a longer time to peak. |
Grayish "crust" on top of starter
Hey everyone, I'm pretty new to sourdough but have maintained a successful starter for about a month now, and gotten some great breads out of it too. I've been feeding it 2x/day (roughly once every 12 hrs) with the ratio given in the handbook of 1/4 c starter, 1/4 c flour, & 2 Tbs wate... | If you keep up with your
If you keep up with your feedings, your starter will eventually regulate itself back to normal. A few quick questions:How long does it take to peak?How much rise are you getting when it peaks?Are you feeding it on a set 12 hour schedule, or are you feeding it once it peaks?Do you have a kitche... |
Underproofed or overproofed
After 3 years of baking sourdough, it is still an enigma. I basically follow the Tartine method. 80% hydration. 100% KAF BF. Although my loaves are delicious, with a crunchy/crisp exterior and soft crumb, I am not consistently getting the rise I want. I am still concerned about my bulk ferme... | In my experience, the symptom
In my experience, the symptom of overproofed dough is that it becomes extra-gooey, soupy and almost batter-like. You can't shape it or make a dough ball with it. |
How to increase yesat population in sourdough starter
Hey everyone! Would you have thoughts on how to increase yeast population in sourdough starters? My starter is active and looks healthy, but takes too long to rise at a very warm temperature (around 30°C). Therefore, my doughs also rise very slowly. That way, becaus... | Hi Gabic, we can help you
Hi Gabic, we can help you with this.Please reply with your feed ratio and the time it takes for your starter to rise to maximum height and then just begin to recede. If you can post closeup images of your matured starter, that would help.Danny |
Another question about Oven rise
I"m new to baking sourdough, and have had mixed results with oven rise, and could use some assistance. I have a strong starter that rises and falls regularly. I feed it a few times before baking, then it goes into the fridge, but unless I bake right after the bulk fermentation, I only g... | page 91 and 48?
Welcome to TFL.That loaf looks great. But if you want tips to make it even better, here are my thoughts.Your loaf looks just a tad too wet and just a tad over-fermented.compared to the formula on page 48 of the Tartine book, you have an extra 50 grams of leaven, and 65 (or 50, depending on the typo) e... |
Critique on loaf please
Hi guys!So I made a 3 day process sourdough loaf around 73% hydration, and wanted your opinions. The thing is is that it really lost its shape when I removed it from the banneton, so I’m guessing it’s overproofed, but the final product has good oven spring, so I’m a bit confused :( . Here are so... | It may have been over proofed
It may have been over proofed, though you wouldn't know it by the results. A little over never hurt anything, as long as it's just a little. Looking good! |
Thanks, and I'd like some opinions
Couple of weeks ago, I joined this forum and posted a request for help with my starter, Karina. Three people, Mr Immortal, idaveindy, and phaz jumped on my problem like ducks on junebugs, and they gave me the help I needed. So I just wanted to say thanks for all your help; I'm sending... | strong!
The W number range is high, 350 - 450, which means it can take lots of mixing and long fermentation. Combined with the 14% protein, it could make rather chewy bread. So you could probably mix it 50/50 with that 10% protein flour (mix it well while dry) and come out with something real good.The big question is... |
Newbie problems
I need some help in understanding my failures with my sourdough bread. First I apologize for the rambling way this may seem to be laid out. My outcomes are a light airy nice open crumb with little oven spring and with a brown crust; additionally I have noted that there have been a few batches where my... | Hi, Goldie! If you happen to
Hi, Goldie! If you happen to have any pictures of one of your loaves (including a shot or two of the crumb structure), that would be super helpful for troubleshooting. Without pictures, or at least more information, any advice we can offer will be only guesswork. A couple things I see in y... |
sourdough Sandwich loaf
Hello friends, I am new to baking sourdough breads. I tried Boule from the recipe here and it came out very well.I am bit scared of trying sandwich loaf , kindly help with the recipe please. Thank You :-) | Nothing to be scared of -
Nothing to be scared of - everything is basically the same - except you're using a rectangular pan instead of a banneton to give the shape. To get the crumb (more even hole distribution and size) treat the dough rough when shaping (you'll still shape, but it'll be a log shape to match up with ... |
Weird behavior with White Flour
Hello,I'm three months in my sourdough journey and this forum helped me a lot. Today I decided to join in and see if anyone can shed some light on a trouble that is keeping me from moving forward. I don’t know what to do anymore.The Problem:Long story short, my starters don't seem to acc... | Not Sure
Hi There, Based on the temps you've provided, it does seem quite strange. Have you considered trying a 90% white / 10% wholemeal? This will largely be a white starter but it may give it enough 'food' to get a better level activity? I would try getting to a 100% hydration 90%/10% and see how that works out.D... |
Sourdough Ciabatta
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9E3A58B2-BE67-4780-B799-806FBA2BE489.jpeg | Recept
https://foodgeek.dk/en/bread-calculator/?n=%26lt%3BBread%26gt%3B&a=%26lt%3BAuthor%26gt%3B&q=1&s0=Preferment&s0t=p&s0i0w=48&s0i0t=f&s0i0n=White%2520flour&s0i1w=48&s0i1t=d&s0i1n=Water&s0i2w=20&s0i2t=s&s0i2n=Starter&s0i2h=100&s1=Dough&s1t=d&s1i0w=162&s1i0t=f&s1i0n=Tarwe%2520bloem&s1i1w=70&s1i1t=f&s1i1n=Tippo%252000... |
Video - Dough turns soupy moments into kneading, Slack after proofing
I put all the ingredients together (but for salt), autolyse for 30-60mins. At this point, the dough looks good, I measure and add the salt, and the dough still feels supple as I work the salt in, doesn't even stick to my hands.I start kneading to giv... | Are you sure
your scale is correct? |
Estimating the Percentage of Levain in your Dough Recipe
How much levain should I use in my dough based on how long I need to bulk ferment, and how long I choose to proof, and what flours I’m using, and what hydration level I have, and… and… and…?Is there a chart or something one could reference that would enable the r... | Best way to learn
Is to follow recipes till you get the feel for it. Giving an exact time is difficult as one should watch the dough and not the clock but recipes do put you in the ball park. Obviously more starter and higher temperature speeds things up. Vice versa slows things down. It depends on your starter too. So... |
Can old flour affect sourdough results?
Bakers, I'm posting to ask if old flour can affect fermentation results. I started sourdough baking again after a long hiatus. The last 3 times the dough has felt weird and I've had sub-optimal results (tighter crumb, not much oven spring, weak ear). The first time I suspected my... | short answer, yes, though it
short answer, yes, though it takes far longer for AP flour to go bad.I've had dull Bob's Red Mill Dark Rye that smelled fine and was still long before its 'use-by' date screw up my starter (fortunately, the switch to a fresher local brand led to a full recovery.) I've had a bag of BRM whole... |
Uneven Crumb
I recently baked a loaf that was 100% bread flour, 78% hydration, and a 100% hydration whole wheat starter. It bulk fermented for 4.5 hours at room temperature. I did 3 stretch and folds every 15 minutes then 3 more stretch and folds every 30 minutes and finished bulk fermenting for 1.5 hours. The oven spr... | If not doing an overnight
If not doing an overnight stint in the fridge, knead the dough - 10-20 min with mixer - 30+ by hand. To even out the crumb - handle the dough roughly when shaping to distribute the holes more evenly.Enjoy! |
Issues with banneton loaf
Hi Everyone,Hoping you could help me - I've been baking sourdough since January, mostly round boules. I haven't really had any issues with these so i decided to move onto longer banneton shaped loves.The problem I am having is during the bake with banneton loaves - the loaf never seems to spli... | ?
? |
Dough texture question
I'd like to understand more about dough texture during gluten development and bulk fermentation. Should the dough get firmer over time or stickier and floppier?I have attempted full proof baking's method of gluten development of one stretch and fold, lamination and 3 coil folds. For the laminatio... | what formula?
whole wheat flour is not a substitute for white (AP or bread) flour.Are you using a formula that calls for 100% whole wheat? Can you give a link to it please? |
Starter Flour / Dough Flour Interaction
Hi Everyone - I'm just starting out with sourdough bread. My first few loafs were made with an all whole wheat starter (about two weeks old), combined with dough composed of 1 part whole wheat, 9 parts white bread flour @75%-85% hydration. While delicious, they were somewhat dens... | whole wheat starter
is going to be more powerful than a white/refined flour starter.The bran has enzymes that convert starch to sugar. Sugar supercharges fermentation.your dough made with WW starter, and some WW in the main dough, was likely over-fermented. Over-fermented leads to lack of oven spring.I used to use my ... |
Feeding when Falling vs. On a Schedule
Hi Everyone!Are there ill effects to feeding a room-temperature starter every 12 hours, even if this means that the starter has begun to fall for 1-3 hours (depending on temperature) before a scheduled feeding? I've found that if I carefully watch for the peak, and feed then regar... | It is preferred to feed soon
It is preferred to feed soon after receding. But starters are resilient and it should fare well.Reply with your feed ratio and estimated Room Temp. We can make adjustments to stretch the feed cycle to 12 hr, is you wish. My starter used to peak in 8 or 9 hr.. Didn’t want to feed 3 times a d... |
Why does baking straight from the refrigerator not seem to work for me?
Every time I have tried it I end up with a very dense bread with inadequate size (oven spring is fine, it just always seems much smaller than it should be for the amount of dough). I think it would be much easier if I could bake straight from the f... | Try not preheating the oven.
Try not preheating the oven. The dough will warm up as the oven is warming and should be better. Just add more bake time, like 20 minutes. |
80% hydration loaf advice
Hi guys. I hope you’re well! So I just tried my hand at a high hydration (80%) batard, and would love some feedback in my loaf , and some guidance on how to improve it. Thank you guys for all your help and support!
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4236E7F2-4378-4FD5-92AA-2C... | Whatever you did, keep doing it.
That is a gorgeous loaf!My only suggestion, based on my personal preference for a less-open crumb, would be to degas more while shaping. But, hey, that’s just one person’s point of view. Well done. Paul |
Crumb Improvement Help?
Hi everyone,I've been baking for about a year and a half now, and I've finally stumbled upon Kristen's "Fullproof" basic sourdough recipe. As you can see, it's producing a loaf with some serious spring! But now I'd like to work on the crumb. I'm not displeased with this crumb in any major way, b... | so good.
It looks so good that I'm almost ashamed to suggest anything. But, since you asked so nicely.... Maybe try: pre-shape - rest 10 to 20 minutes - final shape. |
For the life of me, I can't figure out why my dough is losing shape when I remove it from the banneton.
It's driving me NUTS! I never used to have this problem. I've been following this recipe to the letter. It used to work just fine. Now, when I take out the dough from the banneton, it starts to lose its shape and spl... | When was the last time you
When was the last time you followed the recipe and it came out okay, and how long has it been showing a problem? If it came out okay before, than the problem is likely either the flour or the temperature, since it is likely everything else ( meaning the process, the water, and the salt ) h... |
9 day old starter not deflating
Hello,I am new to sourdough and was following a guide I saw online. I finally started marking my jar with tape every hour or two as my starter was rising to track it's progress. At around 5PM last night it had risen to it's highest point however when I just checked it this morning (7AM... | Sometimes they need a little
Sometimes they need a little help to collapse. if you tab the jar hard, it probably will. depending on hydration and type of flour, the structure of some holds up better than others. but once it's stopped growing, the foods nearly exhausted. some folks like to give it a stir and it will gr... |
Community Bake - Hamelman's Five-Grain Levain
This Community Bake will feature Jeffry Hamelman's Five-Grain Levain. The formula and instructions are taken from his very popular book, "Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes". Many bakers consider this bread a favorite of theirs and I am in that group. The porti... | Been looking forward to this!
Thanks Dan. A wonderful recipe and looking forward to seeing everyones take on it. I'm certainly in. |
Recieved a super active bread flour starter over Christmas!
So my Mom went to a White Elephant gift party and got a homemade sourdough starter. (A white elephant party is where everyone brings a gift, you draw numbers and pick one from under the tree. It's completely anonymous, lots of laughing and trading ensues.) The... | Different starters behave
Different starters behave differently, depending on the species of the microbes in it. Sounds like this one might have particularly active yeast that produce lots of CO2! |
Faint yellow spot on top of sourdough starter
Hi! I'm new here so apologies if I am posting improperly. I fed my 2 month old sourdough starter about 6 hours ago. Upon checking just now, I noticed there is a yellow spot on top of my starter. Is this mold? Has it gone bad? I also fed (1:3:3) it with AP flour because I ra... | Probably not
Likely just a dried up bit of old starter or some dry flour. Just scoop it out. if you're concerned, just do a few more days worth of feeding before using it. But I wouldn't worry about it. Mold would likely take more than 6 hours to get like that. when you feed next, just scoop off the whole top layer an... |
I revived a moldy starter - is it safe though?
I've had this starter going for 4-5 years or so, made lots of good loaves with it. For some reason, I just neglected it for a few weeks in the fridge, and finally went to go feed it today. It smelled really funky, and there was some mold growing near the top of the jar. I'... | It'll be good, and the smell
It'll be good, and the smell will dilute away in a few days. I just did this exact thing last week (not the first time golf took priority over starter) and no problems. Keep going! PS - I forgot to ask - what color was the mold? The usual green/grey mold is no problem - reddish may be a pro... |
Beginner sourdough recipe...HELP!
I jumped on the quarantine sourdough bread wagon and now have an active, predictable starter. I’ve searched for information, read blog after blog and now my head spins. It appears, most bread bloggers are in need of a good editor. They tend to yammer on and on and on. I’ve tried a few... | Hi, MGoodwin! I know what you
Hi, MGoodwin! I know what you mean! Food bloggers take up more space yakking about how much their friends and family love their recipe than they do with the actual recipe! Of course, I think you may be searching in vain if you’re looking for just a flat-out list of ingredients, with no a... |
Can't tell if starter is ready for baking/fridge - everything seems right except it doesn't double
So my starter is (almost) exactly 2 weeks old. I started it with 100% WW flour and have since been feeding it with 50% WW + 50% AP in a 1:1:1 ratio (100g each of starter, flour, water) twice daily. It went through the exp... | You are doing fine, and your
You are doing fine, and your starter sounds to me like it’s right on track. Keep up with what you are doing, and it will get there. One thing that I would suggest is that after it peaks, give it a stir. This redistributes the yeasts and any uneaten foodstuffs. It’s almost like doing a fe... |
Start of day 3 pineapple juice starter seems to develop mold? HELP please
Hello Everybody,I'm new to bread and starter. My 1st sourdough starter using water and all purpose flour develop a pink mold spot on day 2.I happened to find Debra Wink's method (via yumarama.com) replacing water with Pineapple Juice. And I used ... | Keep going and see what
Keep going and see what happens. If it really bothers you, scoop off the affected part and continue as normal. |
When does the dough rise during baking?
This is not a matter that I face, but I'll try and describe it for you.I always thought that dough rises during baking in the first few minutes (15 to 20 minutes?). The experience that was described to me was that the dough begins to rise in the oven in the latter half of baking.... | Miller, seeing is believing
Miller, seeing is believing!The dough will rise only is the very beginning of the bake. The main reason being that once the dough rises to a certain heat, the yeast die. Use THINK LINK for best viewing.If you have time and are inclined, you can browse through a long list of videos and find T... |
Crumb and holes are too big!
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We bake our bread for the cafe we use them for Toasts and melts, as you can see its not to good for toasts,how can i get the crumb better suited for sandwich bread?its 70% hydration 90 grams starter per loaf baked in a domed pizza oven about 13 loafs at a time, mix in a... | It looks fabulous to me, but
It looks fabulous to me, but I can see how the big holes would kinda wreck it’s usefulness for making toast. They look like a butter/jam stain on a shirt just waiting to happen! When you are doing your shaping, are you making sure to remove any air pockets left behind from the mixing proce... |
Need advice - My starter doubled on day 2!
I too am a quarantine baker and this is only the second time I started my sourdough starter. And to my surprise, after 24 hours my Miss Bubbles was actually all bubbled up and when I put her to a float test, she was floating! Pinched myself and found I actually wasn't dreaming... | It is almost certainly not ready
Most likely this is the stage where where al kind of wrong bacteria are developing. Wrong for baking but good for getting the ph right for the next step. Just go on feeding it. It wil proberly stop doubling tomorrow first and then start rising again after a fee days. iI would not try ba... |
Oven Spring h e l p please
Hello Fresh Loaf Community -Like a zillion others here I have been bitten by the sourdough bug after years of successful no knead bread baking using commercial yeast.No matter what I do, with the exception of one bake, my loaves all turn out on the flat side. I am certain that my starter, wh... | Your flatter loaves have the
Your flatter loaves have the look of being slightly over fermented, this results in a lack of oven spring. The over fermented ones show overall good crumb, not the dense gummy crumb you see in under fermented loaves. Then just under the top crust, you will see larger holes and the crust a... |
Can I use this convection oven to make sourdough bread and how
63C7C75D-F164-409D-9210-5D61B27AB809.jpeg | The only way to know for sure
The only way to know for sure is to try. Just don’t forget to remember to take notes, and report back with pictures of how your experimental loaves turn out. |
Did my levain breakdown my gluten?
Hey everyone. I just ran into something that I've never encountered. I was mixing a sourdough loaf today and I let it autolyse for 2 hours, and then added my starter and salt in two stages. However after mixing via the rubaud method, I noticed my bread not developing any strength. In ... | goopy dough
Without seeing the recipe - especially hydration percentage and percent of levain compared to total dough weight - it’s hard to make an educated guess at what went wrong. But the salt if anything would have added structure by absorbing water, so probably not to blame. |
Dough Wet and Collapsing after Bulk Fermentation
I've been baking with sourdough for about a year now. I've mostly used Chad Roberton's Tartine recipe and no-knead method, and have produced acceptable results. Because of the whole Covid situation, I've moved back home (different country) and started a new starter a few... | Could be any number of
Could be any number of possibilities. Assuming your starter is bubbly and working, it must be your flour combined with the hydration. Perhaps your flour is not absorbing the water well. So, if continuing with that flour, lower the hydration. Just not worth working with dough that cannot hold stru... |
Top half of loaf is coming out white
I’m not sure what’s going on. I recently switched over from king author bread flour to honeyville Alta artisan bread flour. The loaf is cooking through and taste fine, but after switching flours the top half of the loaf comes out like someone took a white paint brush and paired the ... | My loaves would come out like
My loaves would come out like that if i don't bake them in a DO and don't use steam in the oven. Otherwise, they normally come out of the DO with beautiful colors and shine. i'm not sure why switching flour would cause this if you have an identical process. are you dusting more than normal... |
I feel like I'm not getting enough gluten development with just stretching and folding/coil folding.
I'm using high gluten flour. My starter more than triples. I can't figure it out. No matter how much I stretch and fold or coil fold it just feels like my dough is a sticky mess that either doesn't or barely can manage ... | what's your formula? and what
what's your formula? and what brand of flour is it? how do you build your starter? share timing, etc.might be just too much hydration or starter/levain is over ripe and too acidic. |
Whatcha think? - Feedback
Hi. I've finally had a bit of success with higher hydration sourdough, basing my recipe and process off the Tartine No. 3 cookbook. I've been trying to get the basic recipes down for over a year now with really infrequent success. I think I had two big problems, 1 too high hydration and 2.... | For the ingredients used, it
For the ingredients used, it looks great. Nothing to complain about there! |
Second loaf and feedback
Hello, I just wanted to share my second attempt at making a sourdough bread. This is a whole wheat loaf. My process was a little haphazard as my timing was not particularly controllable. There should have been sufficient fermentation time and it was proofed overnight in the fridge. 80% hydratio... | Crumb
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Starter rise time proportional to bulk fermentation time?
I am struggling with FWSY overnight country brown but determined to get it right! Due to very high humidity (and my skill level) I have reduced the hydration to 70% but the proportion of levain to flour is still ~108g to 440g flour. I was concerned that I might ... | Not necesarily
I tend not to compare the rise time of the Starter with the fermentation time of the bread, just because there are too many variables to control for (e.g. Salt qty, hydration of the dough, flour makeup of the dough, proportion of starter, ambient temperature, whether or not i've Autolysed).Where you say ... |
SOS - Gluten structure failing in my breads
Good morning everyone, hope you are all doing well!I have no idea what has been happening to my breads. To start, I've been baking bread for a couple of years without experiencing this, I even bought my first dutch a few months ago to up my bread game -- with great success. M... | Dutchy, these looks like an
Dutchy, these looks like an extreme case of dough degradation. I suspect gross over-fermentation, causing over acidification.Please post your formula, room temperature, and process timings. We need this information to know for sure.Danny |
Sourdough feeding
I started some sourdough starter two weeks ago, and have been feeding it twice a day without putting it in the refrigerator. It has been working good, and smelling great. I just made a loaf of sourdough bread, and the recipe required 2 cups of starter to make. The bread turned out great, but now I ... | A link that goes into what you're asking
I've found that this is a rather reasonable explanation to what you're asking.
http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2010/03/05/use-it-or-lose-it/
At feeding time, increasing the feed is how you would increase the amount of starter. THere are a couple of threads that discuss increasin... |
Starter runny and no longer doubling
Hi everyone,I have a sourdough starter, which I brought to life in April using the King Arthur recipe. She has been making delicious loaves. I’ve been keeping her on the counter and feeding her pretty much daily at a 1:1:1 ratio with AP flour. Occasionally I’ll feed her twice a day ... | It could simply be that your
It could simply be that your starter has become active enough that it requires either higher ratio feedings or more frequent feedings. Try a day or three feeding at a 1:2:2 or even 1:3:3 ratio. |
holes too big?
I have finally started achieving high-hydration doughs that I'm happy with. I'm using @fullproofbaking's approach. I'm wondering what you all think about these big holes -- while I do want some bigger holes, these seem like they're probably too big. I've been reading about the possibilities of why this i... | I would try to degas a little bit more
when pre-shaping. Try getting rid of just a few more of the largest bubbles in your dough. It looks like you’re getting plenty of activity during proofing to still raise a good loaf, and leaving big gas bubbles in the finally shaped loaf will give you some of those big holes. I... |
The Resilience of a Starter
Don’t know much about Facebook. I hope you can see THIS LINK.A starter was left untouched in the fridge for 2 years. It was fed 4 times and produced this bread. | Dan, I just refreshed my NMNF rye Starter after
way more than a year untouched in the fridge. It sat there on the heating pad at 76 F overnight after being refreshed once and did absolutely nothing. Then I stirred it and 12 hours later it was ready to be divided and fed again. After the 2nd feeding I had a new NMNF ... |
My Sourdough Starter Disaster
Hi Guys, First off I am completely new to baking, I would like to share my sourdough starter experience with you all and ask for help regarding where I may have gone wrong. I love sourdough so much, I love the texture, the light airy feel, the holes, the crust, the unique flavor profile. T... | Ratios in the images
Far left is 1:3:5 10g starter, 30g water, 48g flour (The doughy looking one)The middle is 1:5:5 10g starter, 50g water, 50g flour didn't get a huge rise for that one Far-right is 1:3:3 10g starter, 30g water, 30g flour passed the float test with 2x rise |
Wonky Loaf - Update
Hi All,Thank you for your support the last week with the wonky loaves I've had. I've made some adjustments to the shaping and scoring and came up with this. It didn't quite have the ovenspring I wanted but i think that's because it ended up being a longer loaf than what i normally make. It was my ... | Great loaf
I don’t know if I would expect much more oven spring from that one. The crumb looks quite open already. Good job! |
the end part of the bread - for fun
I call it the nobby, my wife calls it the crust.What do you call it? | Croutons
....is what I call it. :) |
Tartine Approach - No Oven Spring
Oven Spring Help!!Hi All! I’ve been working with the Tartine method and following the ratio of ingredients exactly. With that said, I’m not getting much, if any oven spring. Any help would be greatly appreciated! My process was, as follows:Leaven 7:55 pm —> 6:45 (67 degrees in house) —... | Bake method
I should mention I did 6 S&F during bulk ferment and it was baked in a lodge cast iron Dutch oven |
Starter is very active but dough will simply NOT rise
I've been struggling to make a 20% WW/80% AP flour sourdough with 20% levain for the past couple weeks. My starter is very active, very strong in consistency. This pic is old, right now it almost triples in volume and it's fed thrice a day with organic all-purpose f... | Do you have any pictures
of the resulting bake?IMHOYou don't want to double in size for a successful SD bake. 8 hours at 32 C is probably grossly overproofed, hence the decline. Try a 30-50% increase in size. That might only take 4 hours.More details of your process would be useful. |
starter vs leaven
Hi everyone - just joined this site. HI!I have been reading lots of sourdough recipes (I follow a combo recipe from Chad Robertson of Tartine fame, and Erin Turcke). This is my blog post: http://richlerrecipes.blogspot.com/2015/07/my-journey-to-sourdough-part-2.htmlMy question is about starter vs leav... | Welcome to TFL
There are probably many explanations on starter vs levain... The one for me is that you dont want to feed a whole lot of starter and maintain a big amount of it in the fridge. so you keep a small starter and you use it to build a levain to bake with. Also, when you build your levain, you can use the typ... |
San Joaquin Sourdough Batards: advice requested
I started baking dmsnyder's san joaquin batards this week. I'm not sure my results are up to par. The flours are central milling's ABC (90%), red hard whole wheat (5%), and CM's dark rye (5%). The levain is proofed on the kitchen counter overnight at 69-70 degrees, tripli... | Oversteamed
The crust looks like it's over steamed. There's no need to inject steam if you're already using a inverted pan over the loaf. it will self steam. I can tell from your crust when I first looked at the photo before reading about it. I recently experimented with steaming on stove top and then baking a loaf i... |
Dense and flat sourdough bread
Hi! I am very frustrated! I baked my second loaf today and got terrible results, it turned out very very dense, i'd even say gummy, and flat. I followed Tartine basic country bread recipe and here are the details for my starter (which is 3 weeks old): I used to feed it once a day in a 1:2... | When you say "very cold
When you say "very cold country/house" how cold is your kitchen? after your stretch and folds, the dough passed the window pane test and feels like good gluten development? any volume increase after your last fold and before shaping/baking? What was the DO/oven temperature for the bake? post ... |
Gummy crumb, no rise
Just like the title says. I've had multiple loaves come out now with a gummy/tacky type crumb and with no oven rise. Coincidentally they don't seem to rise hardly at all when proofing as well. Here is the recipe for my latest attempt:Flour- 450g (KA bread flour)Water- 333 gSalt- 9gStarter- 100gTota... | That is an unusual process
Several thoughts:1) A 50-minute bulk ferment is very short. I would stretch this out to at least 2-3 hours. By popping the dough in the fridge so quickly and for so long (see below) without giving the dough and starter much chance to do their thing would not help generate any growth or lift... |
Acidity in sourdough
How do you know if your sourdough is too acidic? How does too much acidity affect the crumb of the Bread? | Dough stays sticky, lack of
Dough stays sticky, lack of gluten are signs. Without gluten, the "crumb" would be dense and appear not/under baked. |
why can a starter not be "developed" en masse?
As I understand it (and as I have been doing it for the last few years) a Starter should be fed and developed in small steps.take (for rexample) 5g of starter and add say 25g flour + 25g water.then once that is active, rebuild it. i.e. discard some, then add another 25g+25... | acidification
i think one reason not to do a single large feed of the type you describe is in order to maintain the acidity of the system. the acid produced by the bacteria in a sourdough culture is protective: it makes the environment hostile to bacteria (e.g., e coli) and fungi (e.g., molds) that you don’t want to ha... |
No Oven Spring in Sourdough Boule
I've been struggling to get good oven spring from my boules as the bread isnt rising to its fullest height. Can't figure out whats causing the lack of oven spring- under proofed maybe?I've been following Ken Forkish's FWSY recipes, and get great taste from that. I start with building m... | Coincidentally, I am having
Coincidentally, I am having the same issue. I am baking from FWSY with King Arthur "Sir Lancelot" flour and getting no oven spring at all. Your bread there at least looks edible - I'm churning out hockey pucks over here. I don't want to hijack this thread but I am interested in whatever sugg... |
Diagnosis please - Wonky Ovenspring II
Hi Again,It's the next day and a new loaf.The details for this one was almost the same as yesterday except that i changed the white flour to some unbleached white flour (previously it was bleached; i ran out of that stuff). It's still at 13% protein though.White Flour (13%) 235gW... | 35gH2O: 253gSalt: 7.5gLevain: 65g ratio of 9:1 White to RyeMethod (note aside from Autolyse the timings I provide are based on when fermentation started, so Inoculation is T:0Autolyse (this was 1 hour)Inoculation with Rubaud approx 4 mins(T:0)Salt with slap and fold approx 4 mins (T: 00:30)Turn out and bench twist (T... |
Weird holes, help
Hi! This is my friend’s sourdough bread, she told me she sliced it when it is still hot. Does any one know what happened?Thanks ! | Perhaps a bit underproofed?
Hi! I think this crumb shows signs of being underproofed as it has a really dense crumb at the bottom and large openings on top. Also slicing while hot tends to lead to a gummy texture as steam is released too quickly from the bread. After baking there is still a lot of changes in the crumb... |
San Jose Bakers
Hey everyone, I used to be Yogi on here—the monk baker. I'm now in San Jose and having levain issues. I'm continuing to iron those out, but wondering if any local to San Jose can help out and share some active starter? I'm ready to bake and getting impatient with my lazy levain. Edit: My 3 levain trial... | Welcome back to TFL Rajan, i
Welcome back to TFL Rajan, i thought i had lost contact with you for good, but so pleased to have you back and look forward to seeing you posting again soon. Many long time TFL folk will remember your posts and the giant steps that you made on your baking journey in the monastery on Hawaii... |
Help needed with starter
Hi folksI need some help with my sourdough starter. Everything had been progressing nicely in the first few days, bubbling away well, growing within 4hrs of feeding. Then, all of a sudden, it seems to have died off. There are still some bubbles on the top, but there is no growing at all. I'... | You’re actually progressing
You’re actually progressing along a perfectly normal path. Don’t give up, your starter is doing exactly what it supposed to be doing. For a more in-depth explanation of how a starter evolves from just wet flour to a thriving ecosystem of useful microorganisms, check out Debra Wink’s amazing... |
Diagnosis please - Wonky Ovenspring
Hi All,I'm struggling to get a consistent Ovenspring across my loaves and when I seem to get it right, it's more fortune than design.I've attached a picture of my most recent loaf. Good spring on the right side but not the left. Any thoughts from the Brainstrust? What should i be ... | My Guess
i'm guessing it has more to do with shaping or scoring. what does the crumb look like? consistent? large holes anywhere?the spring and ear look fine.the part that of the ear that is not opening up looks more attached to whats underneath for whatever reason. |
Yeast from ginger?
I've started brewing kombucha (another sheltering-in-place activity). When it's ready for bottling, I add flavoring, sometimes a little sugar syrup, then leave the sealed bottles at room temp for a couple of days so it gets fizzy.Whenever ginger is one of the flavorings, it makes a lot more fizz. Any... | I assume there is more wild
I assume there is more wild yeast trapped in the wrinkly skin of ginger than let's say a grape. I know that when I add any citrus (lemon, lime, orange) to my kombucha, I get a lot more fizz too...maybe there are same or similar compounds. Maybe it has something to do with the fibers (essenti... |
Tip - Extensible Dough via Nutritional Yeast and Fava Beans
Lance, aka Albacore sent me THIS LINK after a discussion about increasing extensibility of bread dough. My mantra, "I'll try most things once" kicked in.The baker in the Instagram video used 4% Nutritional Yeast and 4% Fava Beans. I wasn't that brave so opted ... | This is such a coincidence, I
This is such a coincidence, I just picked up nutritional yeast yesterday and was reading about its effect on gluten. I didn’t buy it for that, but instead to season vegetarian meals with cheesey nutty flavour. |
What went Wrong
Hi! This is my first leaven sourdough, I made 2 using commercial yeast. I followed Chef Billy Parisi on YouTube. 5 folds, and kept overnight in the fridge. Baked for 30 mins coved, five mins without a lid ( gas oven super hot). So what went wrong?
Screen Shot 2020-07-06 at 10.36.26 AM.png | Most likely underproofed
Most likely underproofed |
How do you know when your dough is properly fermented during the bulk ferment?
I'm super confused about how to know when a bread is properly fermented during the bulk ferment phase, before you put it in the fridge or shape it for baking. Thanks! | There are many different
There are many different variables that will shape the answer to your question, and without further information there’s not going to be a very good answer. Some of these variables include (but are not limited to):The maturity and strength of your starterthe ambient temperature in your kitchent... |
Making a dosa starter
I've been reading about making Dosa batter and it sounds a lot like making sourdough, but lot of the instructions seem to be nonsense, similar to myths around sourdough (i.e. you have to mix the batter with your hands or it won't ferment etc). Does anyone have a methodical way of making these, and... | dosa leavening
What we do (my wife is South Indian FWIW) is pretty close to this recipe: https://www.feedyourtemptations.com/dosa-recipe-using-rice-flour/ It's left overnight in a warm place.The leavening microorganisms seem to ride along with the dal and rice (though that does not rule out the possibility more may ... |
Looking for help
Hello, there, I'm a new wannabe sourdough baker and a new member as of today. I've looked through several of the posts here, and so far I haven't found any references to the problems I'm having.First a little history. I started my starter (is that redundant yet?) in April, and it was slow starting. I d... | Hi, Justin! One of the things
Hi, Justin! One of the things that I have noticed about the plethora of videos about how “easy” sourdough is, is that almost all of them fail to mention that every kitchen, every starter, even every bag of flour, is different. It’s very common for two bakers, following the exact same sch... |
When has a starter peaked if doubling is not a telling sign?
Dear all,after some recent misadventures with my starter and the following conversations on the forum, I came to question this idea of doubling in size as the ultimate sign of peaking. I use dark organic rye for my starter and indeed the mixture even at 100% ... | Hi Spikes, your observations
Hi Spikes, your observations are correct. Different flour or grain, hydrations, protein, and even kneading the dough at lower hydrations will greatly affect the percentage of rise.Doubling is not a goal. It is the minimum amount of rise generally considered ample for the strength of a start... |
understanding feeding ratios and timings - what are the principles of a starter's growth?
Dear all,I've been reading up to try and understand the behavior of my starter, but I'm still largely confused, especially given the large number of different feeding routines and ratios.So if you can, please indulge me in this st... | When you don't know how to do
When you don't know how to do something these days, you get on YouTube and look for instruction. Most of those instructions are based on 1 theory that everyone jumps on and repeats, over and over again. A basic marketing tactic is you repeat something often enough and folks will start to b... |
Tartine Boule - Overfermented or Shaping?
Sourdough has been my lockdown saviour!I’m striving for the perfect loaf and recently fashioned a homemade proof box so I can regulate temperature. Since commissioning the proof box, my loaves have been over fermented, I think.Here is my latest loaf, your opinions are welcome. ... | Possibly a shaping issue
Hey Mags16,Thanks for sharing your Tartine boule! Looks pretty great. I'm going to guess based on your description that those larger holes are a shaping issue and not over-fermentation. I'm not an expert on over/under fermentation, but based on the look of your crumb (it doesn't look tight or g... |
Why would you build a levain differently from your starter?
The most obvious answer is to build up a different taste profile. But...1. The levain is only a small portion of the total dough formula. Can you really tase the difference if you build it up from different flours?2. My understanding is that feeding a starter ... | Same questions
Hope this thread gets revived because I've been wondering these same things for forever. |
Seed Culture Troubleshooting
Hi Everyone,I'm Jessica and I'm new here on the forum. I was hoping some of you could help me figure out if my starter just needs more time or if I scrap it and start all over. I've looked through some of the other sourdough forum discussions, but I could still use a little help to figure t... | Pretty normal so far. Right
Pretty normal so far. Right now it's in the process of turning acidic, which helps the yeast. Initial activity most likely due to bacteria we don't want, but that's how it all starts. I would cut back on feeding - we feed when there's activity, no activity, no real need for food. At this sta... |
Requesting further diagnosis...
Hello again!First of all I would like to thank the community for the input on my last post here - lots of very helpful information for me to go away and experiment with. I wanted to revisit as I've made significant progress since that bake but I still find the loaf lacking.I can now get ... | Looks underfermented...
to me...I have not seen your previous post but the loaf needs more fermentation I think.Could be the starter or bulk...hard to tell without knowing your process...Kat |
More sour. Sour-er.
I have been experimenting with larger preferments to increase the sour in my baked loaves. I am making dough this morning using a 1/3 preferment by weight, from starter (no yeast).All other things being equal, what is the trade-off in the finished loaf when using such a large preferment? Gluten dete... | mutliple cat skinning methods.
Ah,... the ol' more-sour less-sour discussion.Here's my favorite summary of the topic: https://truesourdough.com/18-ways-to-make-sourdough-bread-more-or-less-sour/Bookmark-able.Bon appétit. |
What did I do wrong?
Hi - I tried to make a no knead sourdough and it didn't turn out right. I could tell it was going to go wrong because it was hard to shape, but wasn't sure whether it was under or over proofed.Day 1: I'm confident with my starter, it is made from Medium Atta/chappatti flour which is a blend of who... | Time & Temps
Your dough was substantially over-fermented. Its spilling over the side of your banneton is the giveaway. It should have risen just short of the top by baking time. Typical causes of over-fermentation are, (1) using too much starter, (2) fermenting dough at too high a temperature or, (3) fermenting dough... |
My Starter seems to have crashed!
I've had great success with my starter that's a few months old. I've been using a small amount of starter in a jar and would mix 1:5:5 into it the night before to create a levain (50/50 wh. Wheat/White flour) of ~200 ml for use the morning after.But last night, I used 50/50 rye/white f... | Temp?
What is the complete feeding schedule? :) |
Help with lievito madre/pasta madre not tripling
Hello - I've recently been having trouble with my pasta madre for making panettone. I initially converted it from a very active 100% hydration starter to a 40% stiff starter and it was great, easily tripling in volume in 4 hours but more recently it just hasn't been grow... | I am in exactly the same
I am in exactly the same position and it is Christmas the day after tomorrow.. Sucks |
hole
HI thereCan anyone tell me what i can do about this hole in my loaf which is now final proofing? I tried to pinch it close but it's still there. Just leave it?? | LOL. this didnt get back to
LOL. this didnt get back to you in time for the bake.. but that's either from an air bubble or from some dry flour. either pinching or leaving it is perfectly fine. that's going to be the bottom of your loaf anyways. gravity and expansion will take care of it.you can always use slightly wet... |
Non homogenous sourdough crumb
IMG_20200703_072310.jpg
So this was a 80% hydration loaf with 20%ww/80% bread flour, and at 20% inoculation and 2% salt. Bulk fermented at about 76F for around 5.5h, doing 1 s&f, 1 lamination, and 3 coils. Preshaped and shaped and retarded 20h at around 40F. Baked at 425F covered ... | Well, I believe many wouldn't
Well, I believe many wouldn't see an issue here. Uneven distribution of different sized holes is supposed to be a good thing - and you have a very good example of that. What exactly were you looking for in the crumb? |
My Starter Smells Like Acetone
My starter is 7 weeks old. I've had this issue for a few weeks. I know this is because it's underfed but I can't seem to fix it. it's very active. It rises and fall, and has lots of bubbles. I had another post on here and someone said to 1:1.5:2 (starter:water:flour) once a day. I have be... | i'm not sure i know the smell
i'm not sure i know the smell of acetone. but it's probably alcohol that you smell. a byproduct of the fermentation. it means that your starter is ripe. if you taste it, it should be acidic too.i usually do a 2:5:5 feed with rye flour and it takes about 16 hours to smell really strong. i... |
Sourdough Jewish Rye
After a couple of weeks of struggling with bakes, this one came together really nicely :-)- 267g King Arthur 'Sir Lancelot' bread flour (66.6%)- 133g Castle Valley Mill Whole rye flour (33.3%)- 260g + 40g water (75%)- 8g salt (2%)- 8g caraway seeds (2%)- 80g active rye starter4 hour bulk ferment wi... | This looks lovely. I keep
This looks lovely. I keep meaning to make a rye bread as it's my favorite and a big order of berries arrived, so I should just go to it! |
Changes in Fermentation Times
Hello Everyone,I'm writing to see if anyone has found changes in flour brands have affected fermentation times. Over the past week I've noticed my fermentation times have increased by 3 - 4 hours. I recently bought a new brand of whole wheat flour that I suspect may be the reason. It's ... | I have experienced changes
I have experienced changes based on different flours types, but not by 3-4 hours. Maybe try letting your levain go for longer? I've noticed that not all levains that past the float test are equally as active. Letting yours go for longer might make it more active. Just a thought. |
Beginners: Video on Bulk Fermentation (Awesome!)
I wish this video had been around when I was a clueless beginner! I won’t be a bit surprised if others have mentioned it—or if it was created by a well known member here. Forgive me if so, it’s been a long time since I posted here. It’s everything you always wanted to do... | This guy is great! He's got
This guy is great! He's got a series of videos as you probably know already. |
Sourdough starter no longer raising
Dear all,first time poster here so let me take the opportunity to thank you all for the incredible help I've received from this forum already.A month and 2 days ago I began my sourdough journey. I got a starter going and to my surprise it worked really well on a first try (Rye flour,... | first off is your rye flour
first off is your rye flour dark rye and organic? dark rye uses the full grain and has lots more nutrients so more food for the yeast.Next feed it a higher ratio when its at its highest point or just dropping for a few days regardless if using, wait for it to be at its peak then just remove ... |
New Bake in Progress!
So, armed with the things I learned from my first loaf last week, I have started my next loaf this morning. I am using the Beginner’s Sourdough Bread recipe from The Perfect Loaf. I am trying to stick closer to the recipe, and so far everything is going smoothly. On my trip to our local Walmart ... | The “Mix” portion of the
The “Mix” portion of the recipe went well. I did add the reserved water, just a splash at a time, in order to help incorporate the salt. Even with the added water, the dough remained quite easy to handle, although it is a good bit stickier. I expect that to not be an issue, as I’m sure the f... |
One base starter vs. many
Hello, I have one starter that I turn into various leavens by adding different flours according to recipes, but I also know of bakers who maintain multiple starters (1 whole wheat, 1 bread flour, 1 rye, etc.). Most home bakers have limited room in the fridge, and I'm guessing 1 base starter is... | Several starters
I maintain a couple starters: one with a mix of AP/WW/Rye and one all AP. I find it is quicker and easier to use the AP one for pizza dough and focaccia without having to 'convert' a single WW starter, over several days, to a recipe that is mostly if not all AP/bread flour. The WW starter I use for m... |
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