Consistent Sourdough Baking Results
This is a 100%, not instant, dry or active yeast sourdough recipe that yields consistent results. It’s a modification of a previous post. I learned that the yeast is unnecessary and actually interferes with decent sour characteristics. This bread gets more sour over time, so eating even 1 day after it has baked can be an enlightening experience.
FEEDING AND TENDING THE SOURDOUGH MOTHER
EVERY WEEK: Remove sourdough mother culture from refrigerator, remove it’s lid and let it breathe and get bubbly for a few hours. Mix any ‘alcohol’ slurry back into the mother and feed the mother with approximately 1 cup of bread flour and about 1 cup of FILTERED water.
My starter is kept at a soupy consistency. Occasionally, I like to throw some rye or whole wheat flour in the mother to add some sour complexity to the culture. If you’re not going to bake with it, consider dumping some of the mother out or share it with a friend.
THE SOURDOUGH
| Basics |
1 POUND / 7 rolls
|
2 POUND / 14 rolls
|
| Sourdough Starter |
1 cup |
2 cups |
| Water (FILTERED) |
1/2 cup |
1 cup |
| Salt |
1 tsp |
2 tsp |
| Unbleached, Unbromated Bread Flour |
2 cups |
4 cups |
Add water to bown. Stir in sourdough starter, sprinkle on 1/2 of the flour, then the salt, then the other 1/2 of the flour. Knead by hand for about 5 mintues, add water if necessary. The dough should be smooth and silky.
Shape the dough into the final shape and allow to rise on a floured board in a warm place, approximately 10 hours. Sourdough goes slow, I don’t like to reshape or punch it down, so get your loaf, rolls, or baguette shaped ahead of time.
BAKING
Preheat oven with a baking stone on the lowest rack to 450 degrees for at least 30 minutes. Put a cup of water into an oven safe dish and place in the oven, under the stone to steam up the oven. Carefully transfer the dough to a floured peel. Using a very sharp knife or razor, slash the top of the dough in an X shape , circle, or something fancier. Brush the dough with a well beaten egg mixed with a tablespoon of water.
Carefully slide the dough onto the baking stone. Reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes. After baking, allow the bread at least an hour to cool before cutting.
This entry was posted on June 15, 2009 at 5:15 pm and is filed under bread and grain food, food commentary, recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Sourdough Bread 100%
Consistent Sourdough Baking Results
This is a 100%, not instant, dry or active yeast sourdough recipe that yields consistent results. It’s a modification of a previous post. I learned that the yeast is unnecessary and actually interferes with decent sour characteristics. This bread gets more sour over time, so eating even 1 day after it has baked can be an enlightening experience.
FEEDING AND TENDING THE SOURDOUGH MOTHER
EVERY WEEK: Remove sourdough mother culture from refrigerator, remove it’s lid and let it breathe and get bubbly for a few hours. Mix any ‘alcohol’ slurry back into the mother and feed the mother with approximately 1 cup of bread flour and about 1 cup of FILTERED water.
My starter is kept at a soupy consistency. Occasionally, I like to throw some rye or whole wheat flour in the mother to add some sour complexity to the culture. If you’re not going to bake with it, consider dumping some of the mother out or share it with a friend.
THE SOURDOUGH
Add water to bown. Stir in sourdough starter, sprinkle on 1/2 of the flour, then the salt, then the other 1/2 of the flour. Knead by hand for about 5 mintues, add water if necessary. The dough should be smooth and silky.
Shape the dough into the final shape and allow to rise on a floured board in a warm place, approximately 10 hours. Sourdough goes slow, I don’t like to reshape or punch it down, so get your loaf, rolls, or baguette shaped ahead of time.
BAKING
Preheat oven with a baking stone on the lowest rack to 450 degrees for at least 30 minutes. Put a cup of water into an oven safe dish and place in the oven, under the stone to steam up the oven. Carefully transfer the dough to a floured peel. Using a very sharp knife or razor, slash the top of the dough in an X shape , circle, or something fancier. Brush the dough with a well beaten egg mixed with a tablespoon of water.
Carefully slide the dough onto the baking stone. Reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes. After baking, allow the bread at least an hour to cool before cutting.
This entry was posted on June 15, 2009 at 5:15 pm and is filed under bread and grain food, food commentary, recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.