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Rye bread sourdough questions
I have a few questions about sourdough rye breads. I have a 100% hydration liquid-levain, wheat flour starter.Can I use this in a sourdough recipe that is 40% rye flour? If I need to use a rye-based starter, can I convert some of my wheat starter to a rye one, and how? The recipe I am look... | Yes
You can use a wheat flour starter. Bread flour should be fine. |
Spelt starter
Hi there, I am a newbe bread maker and of course jumped in with both feet and made a spelt starter. Or I'm trying to. I'm at the two week point, it smells good, looks bubbly but it's very thin and doesn't rise. I had one morning about three days ago where I got up, peeked in my oven (where I'm keeping it ... | I;m guessing everything got too hot in the oven
my oven with the light on is 91 f when the door is closed.Spelt likes to be a bit on the fry side too . 85% hydration for the starter will be fine.Happy baking |
Does LAB survive the bake?
In a bioavailable sense; as when I eat yogurt, sourcream, kefir, kamboucha or the like?My guess is that it would not. That it's advantage is in the process to the bread, but not in the (digestable) bread itself. I could well be wrong, thus the question.I have googled and wiki'd for insight, b... | Dead
The LAB is killed off at oven temperatures. The sourdough does help break down the flour to make it more digestible, but does not enter the system like the live active bacteria in those other things. |
my second sourdough loaf
This is my second loaf I've made with my starter. I'm pretty happy with it. I would have liked a little more oven spring. I think my bread slightly over proofed. It flattened out quite a bit when I slashed it.I made a 750 g loaf, 75% hydration, 100% hydration levain, 90% KA AP flour, 5% bob... | You should be happy!
That is one gorgeous looking loaf. Doesn't look over-proofed. Did you take a crumb shot? It is always as interesting to see what it looks like on the inside as well as the outside.To make my crust crispier without it getting too dark (though some prefer a very bold crust), I turn the oven off and l... |
Levain Build Questions
These are all very fundamental questions but I want to be sure of a sound foundation and I would appreciate any comments. My starter is 100% hydration AP flour, about 6 months old and behaving well. Room temp would be roughly 65-70F.Starter = Mother? I think that's obvious, but I've never asked t... | Dobie, I am just getting my
Dobie, I am just getting my feet wet with starters, so this may be the blind leading the blind. I think Reinhart refers to the mother as the main batch from which you build the starter that you will use to make your loaves, though I think others use the terms interchangeably. The only he... |
Help with adjusting amounts for winter
Hi all.I make the tartine bread. My summer recipe is..........All Purpose Organic Flour 800gFresh Ground Organic Whole Wheat 200gWater 780gLevain 200gPink Himalayin Salt 20g I want to add more levain in the dough because the days/house is colder and it is taking longer to complet... | If your starter is 100%
If your starter is 100% hydration then compared to 200g of starter you are adding an extra 50g of flour and 50g of water so just subtract that (or 100g of each if using 400g). Or you can adjust the time but it can get very long when it is cold. If course if your starter is a mix of different flo... |
where are the air holes?
Hi I am a novice baker and following a fairly basic sour dough recipe ( Paul Hollywood ) using my own starter. The results are tasty enough however the loaf lacks the big air pockets and chewy crust I associate with a quality sour dough. It is not that distinguishable from a normal loaf.Could ... | More details
Can you give more details on how you are kneading and shaping the dough? Do you use steam in baking the bread? In my experience, how you handle the dough makes a difference in how open your crumb is. The crust comes from using steam in the first part of baking the loaf. I use a covered enamel dutch oven to... |
How would I go about making an open crumb yeasted doughnut
I would like to make an instant yeast/sourdough/hybrid doughnut that isn’t as pillowy, but instead more airy like the crust of a high hydration pizza dough. How do I go about doing this? Does the dough just have to be leaner? What would be a good hydration? I w... | Welcome to The Fresh Loaf
A wonderful community always willing to help. You have an answer to your question by a very talented and experienced fellow TFL'er when you posted this question the other day.https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/69410/how-do-i-achieve-open-crump-doughnut |
Light and Fluffy Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
Is there such a thing as a light and fluffy sourdough bread made from freshly ground whole wheat? I've been searching for a sourdough recipe that my husband and kiddos will eat. While I love the crusty artisan breads, they want something that resembles more of the white bou... | You'll never get
A whole wheat bread that is as light and fluffy as a white flour bread. However whole wheat doesn't have to be dense. Increased hydration and/or a mix of whole wheat with white flour. Adding some oil will help improve the texture of the dough or you can incorporate a tangzhong. |
My first sourdough - Tartine Country Loaf!
I am a avid reader of this site. I have gotten so many tips and motivations from here that I want to share my first successful sourdough bread! I visited Tartine once in my life when I visited SF. A few weeks ago, I was craving the bread and started researching on how to ma... | Wow! Great job! Doesn't get
Wow! Great job! Doesn't get much better than that! |
Combining preferments: yay or nay!?
Hi everyone!I don't post very often (in fact I have only posted once) but I have been baking for a few years now and love all the ideas and contributions on this site for which I thank you very much!I wanted to ask you a question:I have some 65 hydration biga in my fridge with 2% yea... | There are all kinds of recipes
out there where SD is used in combination with yeast. A small biga or poolish works well in place of the yeast in these recipes. i have even done some bakes with SD, YW and a poolish in a trilpe levain :-) Since it is used a booster, to speed the slow SD thing up or make rising more ... |
Achieving true San Fran Sourdough...whatever that means
I have been experimenting with different recipes with the goal of achieving the perfect loaf of sourdough bread. It seems that San Fran is the gold standard (never actually had true SanFran sourdough bread). I started looking for some recipes, and the one I made S... | Yes and no...
America does not have the equivalent of appellation d'origins contrôlée for many products, but San Fran Sourdough ought to be one of them.So yes, you made San Fran sourdough, but it is not San Fran sourdough because it was not made in San Fran. =)Cognac is brandy, but not all brandy is Cognac...I grew up ... |
Need some Sourdough Advice
Hi everyone, Ive been sourdough baking for a year now and and love it. I grind my own red fife flour , and einkorn flour by hand to make my bread. my sourdough is also a pure red fife one. Im having trouble getting the super large holes im seeing some of you very talented folks get. I realize... | 450°C ???
sure of that oven temp? perhaps 450°F (450° Centigrade is 840° Fahrenheit) I'm sure it's the whole flours reducing the bubble size in the crumb. Not to worry. Big bubbles are over rated for most breads. Bits of bran tend to cut down the size of bubbles. A cold ferment would soak/soften the bran long... |
Why do we triple the weight of sourdough starters when we feed them?
I'm wondering why we triple the weight when we feed our sourdough twice a day as opposed to doubling(or some other factor)I started making a sourdough starter and I'm on day five. I miss read the instructions and was adding 2 oz water and 2 oz flour ... | Loki, there are many
Loki, there are many different ways to start and maintain starters. First, the last two numbers give us the hydration. So if you use 1 oz starter, 1 oz flour, and 1 oz water, you end up with a 100% hydration. If you were maintaining a stiffer starter, you might go 1 oz starter, 1 oz water, 1.3 oz... |
Calories in sourdough starter
When I make a recipe for my cooking, I always calculate the nutrition values. I can't seem to calculate the nutrition values and calorie content of a loaf of sourdough bread. I don't have problems with other ingredients except the starter and/or the sponge. I hope some of you will be ab... | Yep.
The starter is made up of flour and water, so whatever nutritional value that flour has (check the bag) is what's in the starter. |
Rise after night in fridge...?
Hi there.I am new to sourdough bread and am getting a little better with every attempt.I am still confused about fermenting after retarding overnight in the refrigerator. I viewed some youtube videos where it was stressed that the loaves should go into the oven straight from the refrigera... | It depends
If your loaves have not risen sufficiently in the fridge, then you don't have to put them in the oven straight out of the fridge. Leave them out to rise after you take them out.Or... let them rise a while before you retard.I sometimes have problems with my loaves over-proofing in the fridge. I think it's bec... |
My 20% Rye Sourdough 80% hydration
20% organic integral rye - 80% bread flour80% hydration2h autolyse, 24h fridge fermentation, 2h final rise. I'm quite happy with my fist not-all-white bread. :) | It sure looks good adn i
bet it tastes better than it looks, The world of non white bread awaits:-)Well done and Happy baking |
Sprouted 3 grain sourdough build
So, I've sprouted my hard white wheat, rye and kamutt (sorry, no spelt on hand) and dehydrated them at 100F.I'm just about to grind them (WonderMillJr, stones) and would like to know - when calculating hydration rates, would I include the weight of bran (added to levain) as well as the ... | In my opinion I would not
In my opinion I would not include the bran in your flour weight. The other grains if ground and added should be included as flour. Eggs have a certain % of water which I always include in my hydration calculations. Oil does not get absorbed by flour so is not counted as a liquid. |
Buckwheat Batter Purple
Making a naturally fermented buckwheat bread using white buckwheat groats. The batter has been resting overnight and the top layer has turned purple. I understand it to be fine but need some reassurance. Why does this sometimes happen and other it doesn't? Is it oxidation or some other property ... | Actually sounds v cool. My
Actually sounds v cool. My wife loves purple and orange. Would make an interesting swirl bread maybe with half with some rye malt :) |
how to proof and transfer ..from . bowl or colander
Hello all...I almost gave up on baking bread but took some time to get it down and finally had my first success this week...thank goodness... I want to now shape/proof in something to make the bread more round...I don't have any baskets yet and if I can help it if lik... | If you don't have a stone, you can stack 2 baking
sheets together upside down to get more mass underneath. Just heat them up with the oven preheat, take them out , overturn the bread onto them, remove the cloth,slash and back in the oven they go with the bread on top., Use rice flour to flour the towel - no terry clo... |
Same dough, different DO opening temps
For the one from the first image I took off the lid at 40ºCFor the second one, at 80ºC | interesting
Did you keep track of how much time passed before you took the lid off for each loaf? Also, were all conditions the same for both loaves? Did you, for example, mix up a single batch of dough then bake one half after the other vs. both at the same time? |
Hello from AGNN ~ Agnes Gloria News Network :)
Hello AllI was shopping online for some baking supplies and came across Sourdough Starter, remembering my Mother had it when I was little, I picked some up and a Jar and launched it last night, thinking this is something that my daughter (10 yr.) may have some interest in.... | Welcome and have patience
Welcome and have patience. Making bread takes patience and making sourdough requires patience squared (paraphrased from Mike Avery). You are on the right track. Mike Avery recommends the Carl Griffith's starter, and I recommend Mike Avery's web site for information on sourdough. However... |
We 3-1 gmas are Fruity and Sour!!
Hi all, haven't been here in a while... we have been baking as needed... but this is the time of year to remember our trip to bake with our sister Barbra, who is no longer with us for the baking... 2 years ago to surprise her on her Oct. 31st birthday Helen and I showed up at her house... | Nice to have you back
and baking again! |
Sourdough "noir"
Did my standard Tartine loaf but added 100grams cocoa powder, chocolate chips, raisins and walnuts, a little sugar and a little vanill | null |
New Rye Sourdough Starter
Day 4.Had to dump my faithful old starter when I moved, and was afraid the new one wouldn't "take" because the only rye flour I had on hand was two years old (though still in unopened bag, no weevils) non organic, plus the pineapple juice had been left over from a really crappy can of the crus... | i would thicken it up
and tomorrow use most of it in a recipe. no discarding |
Does 1/2 amount of Levain equal double amunt of bulk fermenting?
Yep, the title says it all.I tried to get the breads more sour and flavourfull so I used 1/2 amount (90 g) of levain in order to increase bulk fermentation time.Ive read on this forum, that a small amount of Levain (7-10%) and longer bulk fermentation (12... | Unfortunately, it's not that simple
The starter is a living entity, teeming with bacteria and yeast. These biological systems follow a geometric growth curve, meaning that in a given period of time the population will double. What does this mean to sourdough bakers? The time to double the population is dependent on t... |
Starter - bubbles but no rise
Hi All,So I have lots of experience making sourdough starters from scratch. I've made new ones about 5 times now, I made them in different parts of the country and I've made them all in exactly the same way and never had any problems - until now.I'm feeding my starter, every 24 hours, like... | I would just thicken it up to 70% hydration
with white flour only,no water, without throwing anything away and see how it performs. |
Chocolate, orange & cranberry sourdough
A tangy, rich and very indulgent sourdough loaf.Made with orange zest and cocoa throughout the dough, with pieces of dark chocolate and orange-soaked cranberries folded in.https://bakingfanatic.wordpress.com/2015/09/01/chocolate-cranberry-orange-sourdough/ | Oh YA!
Indulge me!I almost got this far! Wait until I try it with cranberries. (Do have dried Elderberries... This has been a concentrated harvest this year here in Austria. A very flavourful year! I've been pepping up my fridge starters (Rye and Einkorn) and since I'm discarding (heavy on the sour, low on yeast) d... |
Starters: batter-type and thick-type
Any advantage to either one??? Personal preference. | they have different qualities
A liquid levain promotes more lactic acid than acetic and more protease (enzymatic activity for that matter) than a stiff levain. So more of a yogurty twang and the protease adds extensibility to dough. A stiff starter produces more acetic acid than a liquid levain and there is less enzy... |
How important is using sourdough/pasta madre for panettone?
I recently made a sourdough challah and it turns out that the challah wasn't sour at all. The recent discussions about sugar reducing the acidity of sweet levain made me think that the same thing was happening with this sweet enriched dough. This is making me ... | You saidI really hope this
You saidI really hope this bread, which is considered a milestone for sourdough bakers, is actually worth the effort.If you're not eagerly anticipating the journey of learning, then the answer is most definitely no. Italians buy their pannetone. My grocery stores are packed with them.I can't ... |
Converting 100% starter to 65%?
I've been baking with my 100% starter for about 3 months now, using the same Norwich recipe. I've read that using 65% starter may contribute to a tangier loaf, so I'm wondering how to do this without converting the whole recipe? I'd like to try other types of bread. I measure my start... | Are you are using Susan's
Are you are using Susan's (from Wild Yeast) Norwich Sour dough recipe? You need to work out the numbers carefully so that ultimately you have the same total amount of water and flour in the recipe. If you don't, you will throw out the total hydration of the dough.
She requires 360g of starter... |
What happend to my breads???
So I used my usual recipe to make my usual breads.During the last few weeks I've done everything to make by breads sour again and this is what I have changed in my quest for sourness...Keep my starter at a lower hydration (50%) in the fridgeKeep the temperature higher (85 deg F) for the Lev... | yes, all of these
changes (those with the dots) including the extra time letting the starter mature, add to increased fermentation, flavour and sourness (higher temp and whole wheat) will raise yeast numbers and encourage the supporting bacteria colonies living in the starter. It is good for both the starter and the l... |
Yeasty tasting sourdough cornbread?
I made a sourdough whole wheat cornbread today. I had taken my whole wheat starter out of the fridge (fed 2 days ago), removed 1/2 cup, added 1/4 cup warmish water and 1/4 whole wheat flour. Added 1 cup warmed milk (about 95 degrees), 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup corn meal and a ... | When you add baking soda and
When you add baking soda and baking powder you neutralize the acid remove sour taste. |
Light Rye
I keep just one starter culture which is based on Wholemeal Rye. I went to my local supplier today for some more Wholemeal rye and all he had was 'Light Rye' - the guy stated that the wholemeal version wasn't going to be available in future. As you can imagine, I was a bit disappointed to say the least. I ... | Just go to Whole Foods and get
whole rye berries out of the bins and grind it in a coffee grinder if you don't have a mill. All the great stuff is in the part they sift out to make light rye but in a pinch you can sub light rye to tide you over till you get some whole grain.Happy baking |
sourdough bread with no flavor
Help. I have very active and sour tasting sourdough starter yet when I use it to bake bread , the bread has no flavor. I get very flavorful loaves with proofed comercial yeast...but where is the sour or for that matter any flavor when i use my starter...I use a good amoun. A cup or so....... | Two things which may be worth
Two things which may be worth considering: 1) is salt added and 2) is your fermentation long enough to develop the taste? I also read somewhere on this forum that using less starter increases the sour (because it requires longer fermentation time) while using more starter reduces the ferm... |
Rye starter smells vinegary
Hi there,This is the first time I am posting and wanted a little advice. I have recently been entrusted with some starters, a rye, plain, and I have made my own gluten free. When they were handed over I was told they were a 100% hydration starters, so I should use the ration 2:1:1. At the m... | The rye will be the first
and fastest to ferment but the ratios are way too low in my opinion. a 1:2:2 (starter:water:flour) rye feeding (with my starter) would be good for 4 to 6 hrs at 23°C. The temperature will make a difference as the warmer the starter, the faster it ferments and goes thru flour food.What is th... |
Sourdough taste
I've been making sourdough bread for a couple of months now, and got it down to a fine art. I do a no knead bread, which only uses a teaspoon of starter. It's a rye/spelt/einkorn flour mix (I'm not good with wheat), I also add a little honey. The bread has a good rise, keeps beautifully fresh, and is es... | I should add, I feed the
I should add, I feed the starter exclusively with rye flour, if that has any bearing on it...... |
Raisins & pumpkin seeds sourdough
My... 4th? loaf. This one with raisins and pumpkin seeds.Still focusing on high hydration dough. Shaping after bulk raise still my biggest hurdle. This one is less pale and the crumb was decent.75% hydration sourdough: (500g bread flour, 370g water, 100g 80% sourdough, 11g salt). 100g ... | For a 4th loaf of SD it is really getting there..
Eventually 70% hydration will feel like a dry dough:-) Don't know hat is a closed cold oven is though?Happy baking |
At the end of my tether
Everything is going well except for my scoring. If my dough is anything higher then 65% hydration it just disappears. I think my shaping is fine. Got a good tight skin and seam is on the bottom. I score the dough and then it just crusts over and breaks out of the side even where there is no seam... | If you can't put steam in your oven...
Then there is a Heath-Robinson solution to that... ;-)Put your bread on a greased & floured baking sheet, clap a large stock pot on top of the bread and pop that in the oven. Leave the pot on the bread for about 25 mins before removing. Works well enough for me; I can't put steam ... |
Mouldy starter ....should I just give up ?
Hello fellow bakers,I'm about to give up on my quest to get a sourdough starter going.This is my second or third attempt that has failed.Given my previous failings, I went really OTT in terms of making sure I did everything "by the book" (or went beyond the book), namely :(1) ... | I agree the pineapple trick
I agree the pineapple trick might might be the best for you. A more acidic environment would probably have prevented that mold. And unless it is terrible I think tap water works great. |
Salzekuchen: mashed potato on rye sourdough base
Someone planted the idea of pierogi pizza in my head, and I decided this recipe from Classic German Baking by Luisa Weiss was a good way to indulge it.The recipe note tipped me off that a rye sourdough is typically used in this recipe, but the recipe doesn't include dire... | Sounds like a great carbo
Sounds like a great carbo-loading meal the night before a big run... or for the recovery after. |
Age of starter for use in recipes...
I have a pretty active whole wheat sourdough starter going now, almost 2 weeks old. I've been having to feed it twice a day. It's kept on the counter top, between 68-70 degrees.Some recipes call for "refreshing" a bit of starter for a few hours before using the whole refreshed amo... | Each recipe is different.
Chad Robertson likes to use 'young' white Starter, one that has been fed 1 1/2 hours before use. Some use theirs right out of the fridge after being in there all week and right in the dough it goes.Mine is a rye starter that is stored in the frdige fir up to 20 weeks so i like to do a 3 stage... |
Wheat starter seems weird
Hi guys, a while back I asked about my rye starter and patience was rewarded with a nice healthy culture that has produced a nice rye loaf. Once it was well established for a few days, when I fed it I took the part to be discarded and made a starter with unbleached all purpose. It seemed OK fo... | Now that I can see the
Now that I can see the picture here, I'll explain. The blue line is where it started at last feeding. The bottom part has no bubbles but the top little bit does. But there's that odd layer of what appears to be liquid. Maybe it's just separation but it's there every day. I'm at a loss. It smells ... |
Fermentation, bulk rise, and fridge
This morning I had to take a decision: Leave the dough in the fridge for 12 more hours or leave it on the counter.Composition: 78% hydration sourdough (500g bread flour, 380g water, 100g 100% sourdough, 10g salt) Weight = 980g Starter Ratio = 10%Process up to this morning: 3h autolys... | I think you made the right
I think you made the right decision. What you don't mention is the ambient temperature of your kitchen. If it was not cold, with an active starter I think you would have overproofed. |
Slow, runny starter--advice?
Hello everyone! I'm a novice, relatively, with a scientific mind who has been baking with sourdough and generally pursuing the subject of fermentation as a hobby (is that a thing?) for about a year and a half. I "captured" my starter from "wild yeast," and have always had great success with... | Take 10 g of your rye starter
and do a 3 stage levain build of 4 hours each with equal amounts of flour and water each time without throwing anything away. First feeding 10 g each whole rye and water, 2nd feeding 20 g each whole rye and water, 3rd feeding 40 g each flour and water. IF it can't double 4 hours after the ... |
Fresh flour- WOW- for starter..
I'm pretty new to Fresh Loaf and wanted to share an observation.I just started my first successful sourdough starter last week. I live in the San Francisco Bay area. I tried two other times in the past to start a sourdough starter, but that was in Southern CA. I don't know why they di... | It makes sense.
Especially the berries. There is naturally occurring yeast on those berries, so you are loading it up with a fresh infusion of yeasties when you do that. |
My second pain au levain - 2 sourdough starters
Here's the crumb. For me the crust is a bit too thick and chewy. (old teeth). The outer skin got a bit dry during the final rise. I moistened it but next time I use a damp towel. This formula is also from Bread by J. Hamelman. It's got a good flavor with a bit of ta... | It looks great on the outside and inside
Love the bold bake! proof it in plastic bag. I use a kitchen trash can liner or just plastic shopping bag from the grocery. Well done and
Happy baking |
Does increased hydration affect bulk fermentation?
I made my usual bake like this:263 g Levain (nice and active)355 g Fine Manitoba Flour388 g Fine Whole Wheat Flour524 g Water18 g SaltBulkferment with 4 S&F for exactly 3 hours (after mixing the Levain, flour and water), Proofed in the fridge for 10 hours and straight ... | Increased hydration
Will speed up fermentation. But I don't think it over fermented here. Higher hydration doughs will struggle more with height then lower hydration doughs unless they are supported. I think that bursting out at the side could be to do with final proofing and/or shaping. Your starter is 35% and you bul... |
Office hours sourdough boule
This will be my first sourdough try. I'm not completely sure about how to use the starter now that it's healthy and happy. Also, I have very little time in the mornings and about 4h between work and going to sleep, so to avoid waiting for the weekend, and based on this http://www.thefreshlo... | Pic
Added a picture of result. Will add crumb shot after it's cooled off. |
First sourdough bread
Pretty crust and excellent flavor, but I don't like the crumb's thickness.I was undecided between two recipes and ended up using the one with 12h autolyse and 24h fermentation.I don't know if the difference in crumb from my previous bread was because of:- Using sourdough instead of yeast.- Using 1... | Got a recipe to go with it?
Can't tell much without it. Crumb texture looks heavy and dry. Most likely from the additional flour. Need to learn how to deal with high hydration dough? The problem with adding too much flour while kneading is that it doesn't hydrate like the flour that was first mixed into the liquid... |
Missed one feeding
This morning I started my office hours sourdough boule and, with the lack of caffeine and the playing with flour, forgot to feed the starters.Now I'll spend all day thinking whether they'll have died by the time I'm back. :/I feed every 12h at a 1:1:1 proportion. What chances do you think I have of r... | Your starter should be fine.
Your starter should be fine. Starters can go days without feeding. In the time you are are at work even if the starter is at room temperature there will not be enough activity to kill it off. Many bakers feed once in 24h for a daily schedule, you could easily do the same. |
Questions related to Wink's Pineapple Juice articles
My starter is stuck, but not in the usual place. Please help me get it back on trackMy starter is 9 days old today, and has appeared to be stuck in the "dead phase" since about day 3.5. I get a small amount of bubbles, but no rise. The consistency of the starter i... | hmmm...
I don't have any guaranteed answers, but maybe a few ideas.I know that warm-ish room temperature is recommended, but the two best starters I have ever started (including the new one I started a month ago, which got into phase 4 in only 4 or 5 days) were started in the winter with kitchen temperatures in the mid... |
hooch with inconsistent rise
Hi, I've read about sourdough and experimented with it by starting with 4 scoops baby cereal with probiotics, honey, lemon and 4 scoops of glutinous rice the water is about 8 scoops. It started rising very fast in the second day, wanting to slow it down, I discarded 90% of the sourdough and... | It sounds like
it is only just beginning to become a sourdough culture. The first risings were pre.mature and most likely bacterial action, not yeast. The hooch was more than likely separation of flour and water. Once the yeast take hold, they tend to stir up the mixture and keep it from separating. Stick to the ri... |
Pain au Levain
I made the pain au levain formula from p.158 in Bread by J. Hamelman.I really like the texture and flavor. I used a rye based culture for the sourdough. | That looks lovely
Great oven spring and nice crumb. Love the crust. Bet it tastes delicious! Bon Appetite. |
Puzzled about high hydration starter.
Hi.So far for one year I have been using 1-1-1 rye flour sourdough starter. I am loving the texture of my bread and think that the bubbles are overrated especially when it comes to making toast for buttering and marmiting :)However, having said that, I do want to make a higher hydr... | You can use joshuacronemeyer's tool
Being a newby, I'm also interested in the answer because I'm not sure I understand the question. Here's my reasoning based on my little "knowledge":- The starter's hydration is only important for itself. One just needs to take it into account when applying a recipe.- Thicker starter ... |
New starter not rising :(
Hi guys. I started a new starter based on http://yumarama.com/968/starter-from-scratch-intro/ and am on day 5 now and i see a few bubbles along the side and the lid of the jar swells up but it hasn't risen any yet. It was suggested to keep on the day 1-3 feeding schedule but switch to water un... | Patience and 70-80 F will
will help tremendously. Temperature is the most important thing at this point. |
Very dense and heavy crumb
Todays bake...The crumb is very dense... somewere and quiet airy elsewere. It didnt really pop in the oven (as can be seen from the lack of stretch on the scoring). The crust is very thin, crispy and tastes pretty good. The crumb also tastes nice but I was hoping for a good ovenspring and an ... | First off. In my oven
with the light on it gets to 92 F which is too hot for the poor levain. Yest reproduction slows down dramatically at 92 F2nd ,Sylvia's steaming towels are placed in a pan half full of water before going on the oven and they go in when the oven hits baking temperature then set the timer for 15 m... |
Craggier English Muffins?
I recently got a new sourdough starter and tried it out on a Food Network sourdough english muffin recipe. I found the english muffins tasty, but not nearly craggy enough. Does anyone have a recipe for english muffins that they love? Or advice on improving the crag factor? | Fork Split
If you use two forks to split them instead of a knife it will usually be more "craggy". Also, wetter doughs will be more open. I have made these:http://www.wildyeastblog.com/sourdough-english-muffins/Both as written and with just white flour. They turned out well. Susan has a bunch of great recipes on that s... |
Dough tears and is spongy (pics included)
Hello!I am new here and did some searching for my issue in past posts but I am still not sure so I thought I would post a pic and see if anyone could help. I am trying to make a baguette and after allowing the dough to rise this is what I end up with. - I am using a starter tha... | Some specifics, please
If you would post the complete recipe and process, it would give more information for diagnosing the dough. What was the temperature in your kitchen on the day of the photo? Which stage of the process does the picture illustrate?Thanks,Paul |
Discard accumulation in fridge and recombination to use.
Does it make sense to accumulate each day's feeding discards, store them in the fridge and putting them all together after two or three days?For example, feeding twice a day a 100% starter with 25g flour, after five days one would have 250g of discards of differe... | yes, at least with a mature levain
I keep a mature (actually three) levain in the refrigerator. For the levain I use most frequently, I place any additional levain from a build for a bread into that same container and incorporate it by folding it into the existing goop. I intentionally make more than the formula requ... |
sourdough in berlin
hey there!i'm wondering if there is much sourdough baking going on in berlin? i won't waste anyone's time on this corner of the internet by listing the advantages of age with respect to sourdough cultures. but i will say that i haven't been in this city for very long and so haven't been able to deve... | A rye starter is about the easiest one to make.
Buy some whole rye flour - make sire it is whole rye with nothing taken out of it. Combine 30 g of rye flour and bottled water - not tap water. Let sit covered for 24 hour hours in a warm place 78-80 F. Then add 30 g of each of rye flour ans bottled water, Let sit cov... |
Is it possible to change a starter?
What happens if on an old and stable starter one pours:- Fruit yeast water (raisin, pineapple, etc)- Commercial yeast What should happen if one mixes two different starters? Does the stronger yeast prevail? Or they coexist in a new starter.Is there any advantage on having a starter t... | Environment
To the commercial yeast question ... eventually "wild" yeast will take over unless the other is replenished. The LAB that are ever present in flour will eventually produce enough acetic acid to change the environment enough to favor the wild yeast. How many refreshes this takes is beyond me.As to the mixing... |
Confused noob
I’ve only recently started sour dough baking and I’m so confused! I started my own starter using rye and it seems to be very active (consistently doubles in size). My questions are about feeding. If your starter is 100% hydration should you feed it and keep it at 100% ? When you’re ready to bake should yo... | There's no one correct way of keeping a starter
A starter is pre-fermented flour that's always kept behind to keep the process ongoing. It can be any hydration. There are no rules. The rest depends on how you maintain and use your starter. Confusion arises because it's all the same thing, pre-fermented flour, but the t... |
chad robertson's french country bread X 3...tripled the recipe...not compirising the stretch and fold method,texture or flavor!
hi gangit's been awhile. still in awe of chad robertson's french country bread. i eat it every morning since the day i discovered it's beauty. so, today i just want to share with you a new ide... | I know this is an old thread,
I know this is an old thread, but I wish I could see the pics. |
Maintaining Eric Kayser's Liquid Sourdough Starter
Hi,I just made my first sourdough starter about a week ago, using the instructions given in Eric Kayer's The Larousse Book of Bread. According to Eric Kayser, the liquid sourdough starter is ready for use on Day 4. I therefore made a boule with the 4-day-old liquid sta... | Working backwards, are you sure the 'off smell'...
... isn't the hooch that starts to appear if you leave a starter alone for 5 days or more? It's alcohol produced by the culture and mixes back in - adding to the flavour - when you next feed it. The smell then disappears.Plenty of people on TFL, myself included, regula... |
To fridge or not to fridge? Autolyse in San Francisco
I started baking bread about a year ago from the books of Peter Reinhart. He's a proponent of autolysis, delayed fermentation. This process entails leaving the yeasted dough in the fridge for an extended period of time to delay the fermentation and create that elusi... | Not what I would call an autolyse but...
For me, autolyse is letting dough rest after partial mixing before adding salt and maybe before adding starter. After waiting from half hour to five hours you mix/knead. Autolyse is done at warm teps. You leave the yeast /starter out if it is going to be long (for me over half h... |
Oooooopssss...
Oh boy, did I make a real booboo today...I used a recipe I've developed for porridge bread that works really well (see here for method etc) and just thought I'd tweak as I'm used to going around the houses in terms of flavour etc.So in the soaker, I swapped out the rye flour for ordinary white bread flou... | My bet would be on the
My bet would be on the starter using all of its energy up which is why you didn't get any rise. You can always play catch with the dogs and cats :) |
What did I just make by accident?
I was making dough for pizzas, for my daughter's birthday party. I was making enough for 6 crusts, so I had a larger bin full of the dry ingredients, and I managed to balance it poorly on the scale and ended up adding way too much water. I didn't want to throw out that much material,... | That lucky?
No. But it is on it's way. It is still a sponge and can be used, it's floating because of the yeast and it separated because of the excess water. Give it a few more days and the commercial yeast will die off and the wild yeast will take over.It will make great tasting bread if you carefully remove it fro... |
Relatively new baker, crumb a bit damp and, well, crumbly - my present problem..
Hi all, hoping someone can help with this one. I have been making my sourdough (30% rye) loaf every other day for a few months, trying new things and improving slowly. My latest problem can be seen in the pic. The crumb is a bit damp and f... | Underbaked?
Is my initial thought - but it doesn't have that gummy look - does it squeeze together into a doughy lump if you take a pinch from the middle?I tend to bake things hotter though - starting at 250 with steam for 10-12 minutes then down to 200-210 for 20-25 minutes (or more)However i'm also wondering if you'r... |
Sourdough explosion
What the heck happened? Started with a cold oven and refrigerated dough overnight. It doubled in the refrigerator overnight and exploded into this in the oven. It's delicious. Great crust and chew. But it sure ain't pretty.Any insight would help. | Wow, your starter really had
Wow, your starter really had some oomph! |
Starter Health and Crumb Relationship
Aloha Bakers, another question of yeast health hidden deep in the forum unavailable to a quick and lazy search. Could poor starter health result in a tacky and dense/wet crumb with poor oven spring? Given everything else in the process is normal and correct, that is. I notice my ... | yup
Mini |
No holes - cured
Many thanks to all those who got in touch with regard to my sourdough problem with ' no air holes'. I followed the advice of many and increased my water, I also changed the recipe and bingo this morning I have a great result. Please see attached photo. I think with a little more hand-stretching instead... | Very nice!
Beautiful bake. It always seems such a shame to slice in to those masterpieces but, in truth,we're all itching to what the crumb looks like when we do slice it. Enjoy your bake. |
Somethings wrong with my Bakers Math...
Hi all I have made bread for a few months now and allways mixed whole Wheat Flour with white Flour.The other day I tried with white Flour only and found out that the dough was a little to wet, so I changed the hydration from 70% to 65%. This was when I found out that my bakers ma... | Salt ratio
Ratio of salt is to the flour! Your flour weight has changed to allow for the lower hydration but the same weight final dough. But the salt is constant to the amount of flour hence the discrepancy. |
Spelt Sourdough Starter.......my first stab.
Hi,New member. 1st Post. Hello everyone.As above, just started my first starter. Spelt, because "they say" it's one of the easier routes in.In a few days, when / if it kicks off, will I be able to bake using different flours ie. Strong white or combinations?Many thanks. | So.....on my third attempt
So.....on my third attempt using Spelt flour and no joy.A few days ago, due to colder ambient temperature of the house I placed the kilner jar, with a fresh mix, on a heat mat (used for germinating seeds) but found that the temp was above 30c. Last night I placed a couple of layers of cardboa... |
Sourdough Calculator
Here is a Google spreadsheet for calculating sourdough hydration, starter quantity, etc.Values are entered in the green cells. You should not be able to enter data in the red cells. These are calculated values.For starter, enter the flour quantity and desired starter hydration, and it will calculat... | That is great, thank you.I
That is great, thank you.I also have a great app on my iPhone that calculates all , comes in handy and I use it a lot. |
easy method to tell when dough is doubled
Many factors affect the time it takes a dough to ferment or proof. Fluctuations in room temperatures, different seasons, dough content, starter quantity, to name just a few. That's why I've come up with an easy method to tell when any dough reaches the volume that we want, spec... | Thanks for the suggestion. I
Thanks for the suggestion. I have used the rubber band method of marking the height, but I will try your method to see how it works. Sorry, I was talking about bulk fermenting. I bought a few cheap plastic pitchers of different sizes for bulk fermenting. They are basically straight si... |
starters and loaves
Hello bakers,I have a few questions. If anyone has time and inclination to help me I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you :)-I am using a culture that I did not start myself and have no idea what type of yeast is present. Will this have any bearing on how to feed it and what items I can make and w... | Hello and Welcome!
To answer two of the major Q's. Yes you can overfeed a starter and in feeding a refrigerated starter it is easy to overfeed.After taking out a refrigerated starter early, I might suggest letting it mature or ferment fully before feeding and then wait for signs that the feeding was successful. That ... |
Sourdough Feed Schedule 1 or 2x/day?
My starter is a week old, I want to leave it on the counter for the next month to mature it, at which point I plan to feed once a week via refrigerator. For now.......Should I feed it once or twice a day. Ive been reading a lot about this and its a pretty split topic? One site say... | Lots of factors
Feed it when it is hungry. Depending on temperature and other conditions it is all variable. |
Final rise not good enough
Am using a wholewheat starter and feed it the day before my first build, then let it sit for 3 hours. Then back in the fridge.Next day it's 11 ounce starter plus 4 pounds of whole wheat and almost 2 quarts of water. Basically this is the Hamelman approach with a different flour mix. This conc... | I'm impressed that you can keep things straight
with the back and forth between metric and English units. There's no doubt that I would punch the wrong button on my scales at some point.My first thought is that the starter is not sufficiently active. Why refrigerate it again so soon after feeding? That will just abo... |
It will be an interesting bread day
My first official bake in my new home and I haven't really baked in a few months,already it is interesting. I hope it will turn out.I fed my sd cultures last night and left the discard container on the counter overnight to make pancakes this morning. Then I made a container (almost ... | Crazy right?
Same thing when I come home after an extended trip, everything familiar but then again not. I have a habit of using large coffee cups for my overnight builds and loving a large cup of coffee first thing in the morning... you can see where this is going... More than once I've added milk to my starter or ... |
Try, Try Again
My first foray into sourdough bread baking was not formulaic, and the results were less than encouraging. See this thread: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/43283/enough-enoughOf course I wanted to try again, so I pulled some starter from the fridge on Saturday, and started feeding it. It was originally... | You probably are ready but the starter is too thin
Thicken it up with some flour and see if can double in 4 hours since you have been feeding it alreadyHappy baking |
Baking Tools
Thanks to everyone, I am new to sourdough and have had a million questions-I appreciate everyones reply. I am sitting at home baking my first bread.......so far, proofing is going fine.........A question I have been wondering........one person previously posted : naming tools and baskets and thingy ma bob... | Scale & Thermometer
I would say you don't need any of it. They can make things easier but most are not needed. Really the only things I tend to recommend are scales and thermometers. You can still do free form loaves without all the tools. Floured up towels in bowls or on the counter can take the place of a lot of it.... |
First Bread didnt rise......pic attached
I did the Flo 1-2-3 method as I find it super easy I did ...200g starter, 400g water, 600g flour + salt (I probably skimped on the salt a bit-could this be a reason?)I also then used (2) 9.25"x5.25" pans...I think for this amount I should have used just 1 pan BUT I googled and i... | Starter
Can you tell us about your starter? How old is it? What is the hydration (I assume 100% based on the formula being used)? How is it kept?I think 1200 grams would be too big for the pan. I seem to recall that pan size using a standard 800 grams or so. Barring any issue with the starter (or over fermentation of t... |
Dense English muffins....twice
I used this recipe http://www.thefreshloaf.com/handbook/whole-wheat-sourdough-english-muffins i made it this morning under its instruction, high heat...and then again tonight because this morning was dense and uncooked and really bad.after looking at some other recipes...I made the same r... | try medium heat
Then tell us about the starter. The more details the better. Amounts, when fed, what fed, temps and water. How does the starter behave? |
100% sourdough rye - what do I do wrong?
Hi guys,I am trying to make a 100% rye for quite some time but all attempts fail miserably. The crumb is always very soft, almost doughy - as if it didn't fully bake (see picture). When I cut a slice it is super sticky (see the knife) and I can play with the crumb as if it were ... | Probably a different type of rye flour
The gumminess could be from not baking long enough or not waiting long enough to slice. Possibly too much water for the dough, but I'd start with the other factors first. But I suspect the biggest issue is that the model recipe is using a different type of rye flour than what you ... |
Refreshing Reinhart's wild yeast for pizza dough
PR says to refresh a mother starter, which has stayed in the fridge longer than 3 days, with 4 cups of flour and 2 1/4 cups of water. Of this amount, he uses only 1 cup to make his sourdough pizza. I'm confused as to why I need to make such a big starter. Also, the recip... | You can certainly use less
You can certainly use less flour to refresh your starter and it won't make any difference. You can also certainly cut down on the amount of sugar or honey. I use one of his recipes for my pizza dough and it does not use a big amount of sugar. How much sugar are we talking about in relation... |
Need some recipes? But all Im finding are recipes with yeast...
Ive even found some recipes with starter + YEAST.The point of me making the starter was to axe the commercial yeast :)Am I googling the wrong things, even on this site I cant too easily find a recipe that calls for starter...After all my posts, I finally ... | 1-2-3
Do a search for a 1-2-3 loaf. One part starter, two parts water, three parts flour. Bout as simple as it gets. |
A question about strength and structure
New to baking and new here so greetings to everyone!!! Congrats to the mods and contributors to what seems to be a very active and friendly forum.I have started baking with “Brilliant Bread” by James Morton and moved on to making sourdough breads from “Bread” by Jeffrey Hamelman.... | I love it
when people come on here with a bread problem then show us a photo of a really lovely delicious looking bread.That looks lovely and I give myself a blessing that ALL my problem breads look like that.I don't think you're doing anything wrong. The only advice I can give is try using strong bread flour if it's p... |
Starter not where it's supposed to be?
So day 3 I added white flour after two days of rye....I accidentally did day 2 feeding with rye not white per instructions oops....anyways after I added white flour it seemed to not grow or bubble like before...like at all..I decided to do day 4 feeding as it had slightly doubled ... | Don't stop now
I haven't followed your process or progress, except for this post, but hang in there. If the proportions are good and the mix is in a safe and warm location, leave it be and check on it while the organisms multiply and begin to sort themselves out.Keep the faith! |
Levain build - choices
My question is about choosing the flour(s) one is going to build a levain with. What determines what you would use. Do you match the formula? Do you just use what you have? Are there do's and don't's? What sign tells you it's time for the next step of the build?i would appreciate input. Thx in... | There are no do's and don't for levain builds
I usually do a 3 stage build using the sifted out hard bits of the whole grain flours used in the dough. i just want to get the gluten cutting bran wet for as long as possible (I refrigerate it for 24-48 hours after building it) and I want the SD acid to bread them down as... |
Loaves Are Flat (Updated!)
Hello All,I've been a silent forum reader for several years now while I've been on my sourdough journey. After all of these years, I still can't seem to get proper ovenspring out of my boules.*So here I come to you, with meticulous detail, about my formula and process in hopes that perhaps yo... | Shaping and rising
Perhaps you have not shaped your loaf to build a strong skin, or you have not let it rise sufficiently after forming.Ford |
Is my starter supposed to look like this, pics attached
I'm doing this recipe... http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/10251/starting-starter-sourdough-101-tutorial day 1 rye...day 2 or second feeding is supposed to be white flour moving fwd but I accidentally did rye again....is this what it's supposed to look like....it's... | The rye is merely a kickstart
The rye is merely a kickstart for the process, you can freely keep feeding with rye as long as you like, but it's more expensive and moderately less versatile. The extra feeding should not matter, just pick up with the next step and carry on. Don't skip any steps.
Your starter will ALWAYS... |
Why do I get doughy centers of my loaves?
Hi everyoneI've been a long time lurker of this amazing forum. Every question I've ever had has been answered and thoroughly. And the inspiration here is amazing. I almost feel embarrased to be a user here because it seems my skills are woefully inadequate.Can someone please he... | Rye flour contains amylase,
Rye flour contains amylase, which breaks down gluten structure. Amylase is neutralised in an acidic environment, which is why rye bread is usually made using a sourdough starter.You'll either need to switch to making sourdough bread or find an alternative to using rye for the health benefits... |
adrianjm's bread ..
So in a previous thread, adrianjm was having a few wee issues with a wheat/rye loaf and many suggestions were made - including a suggested recipe by me - which turned out to have far too much water in it. Doh!However it turned out OK and I decided to give it a go myself - reducing the water a little... | Looks like a deli rye recipe.
And that you might have a a place of the darker colored flour. Odd to see a Deli Rye in a tin though, Nice crumb! Well done and Happy baking |
Timing of feeding?
I started a new starter that starts with rye in the beginning... fed every 24 hrs at the beginning....I'm going out tonight....if I feed it at 22 hours ...or......27 hours....will it matter ? And,,,what better...feeding too soon or a bit later....I imagine it's no biggie but just wanted to check what... | Stick it in the fridge...
and feed it when you want to use it.-Gordon |
Starter Longevity/History
Does SD starter retain much environmental history? I'm reading 'Sourdough Culture' by Eric Pallant and the author relays a story I've heard many times regarding 'this starter is X years old and came all the way from <fill in a geography>". On the other hand, I've heard that after a starter i... | This is an interesting topic.
First off I would say this forum is fortunate to have scientists and subject matter experts who are very well qualified to opine on the biological nuances of fermentation and related processes, especially where it relates to sourdough culture. I am not one. My personal observations over 35... |
sourdough levain added to dough with commercial yeast
I have been making a delicious bread by creating a 80% hydrated wild yeast levain using abut 1/3 the total amount of flour in the bread. I ferment this overnight, and then add to the rest of the flour which has added about 1/4 tsp of commercial yeast to help the ris... | Probably
The commercial yeast will 'out do' the wild yeast starter and you won't get the full benefits of the sourdough. Commercial yeast is a lot stronger. |
Cheese & ale sourdough: all local ingredients!
using just ingredients that are fairly local to me (a challenge set down by my partner) I made this sourdough cheese and ale boule.bulk fermentation for about 30 hours in the fridge prior to shaping. recipe on my blog: http://wp.me/p3MwyR-45s | Looks and sounds great
Surely you can't share a photo of this fine looking and sounding loaf without also sharing the ingredient quantities and method…? Please… :-) Happy baking! Colin. |
To feed, or not to feed?
I have a book on sourdough baking, "Do Sourdough" by Andrew Whitley. In it, he says that there is no need to worry about dumping parts of your starter, or regularly feeding it, just keep it in the fridge, and when you want to use some, take it out, let it warm up, and go. Now this is completely... | Works for me.
I've never subscribed to this feed + discard regime. I also use my starters directly from the fridge (or used to when I was only making a small number of loaves at a time - now I need to bulk it out before mixing/kneading)If your starter is wheat or spelt based I'd probably refresh it after a couple of we... |
my first tartine french country loaf!! UNBELIEVABLE!! the ultimate B.L.T.'s and homemade potato chips...
hi gang,i'm so excited. my first french country loaf turned out fantastically! it was alot of work, but turned out to be a labor of absolute love! we made B.L.T.'s with tomatoes and lettuce from out florida winter g... | very cool! i just checked
very cool! i just checked out your photos... the loaf looked fabulous!i recently purchased the tartine bread book and i mixed my first batch of starter last night. it's gurgling nicely as of tonight- it's been about 28 hours. i can not wait to get rolling on this! eight more days, eight m... |
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