Sourdough bread bakers? I have some lovely starter and have been trying to bake some bread...

B

barbara-in-va

Well-known member
I have never really baked bread but would love to learn. I have tried several recipes and read a TON of stuff about sourdough how to. The closest I have come is Peter Reinhardt's recipe. All the loaves I have made are lovely and very tasty, but not traditional sourdough, IMHO. I think I have figured out the crusty crust: I mist loaves and put a steam tray in the oven; I think I have figured out a more sour flavor: use Reinhardt's 3 day proofing method for a higher yeild of alcohol and therfore stronger sour flavor; but I can't get the more coarser and hole-y texture. Any suggestions???

 
Barbara, does your recipe call for additional yeast or does it rely only on the starter?

The starter tends to be slower to proof than commercial yeast, and in my experience it is the long slow rising that gives the hole-y texture. Also, keeping the dough wetter will give larger holes.

Cheaper commercial sour dough bread is made with commercial yeast and the starter is added for flavor. It can be terribly sour, in my opinion. A well-maintained starter that's been fed a time or two in the days before being used will have enough live yeast to raise the dough on its own, and it won't have such a sour taste

If you prefer a more sour taste perhaps use more starter and less added liquid. You slow the rise if necessary by keeping the dough a little cooler

 
Hi Joe, I did use yeast and I did do a multi day rising...

first day I made the sponge with my starter. It sat on the counter all day and got beautifully puffy. I put in the fridge overnight. The next day I added flour, water, salt and yeast. Back into the fridge on Sun morning and then on Tues evening I formed the loaves and proofed and baked.

The sour flavor was just enough and the crust was good, just no holes! Should I try it without the yeast this time? do you think that could be the difference?

 
How did you knead it? By folding?

I've never used an extended fermentation as yours, but it should work

Lack of large holes can happen for many reasons, the most common maybe excessive handling during pre-shaping and shaping.

Do you fold your dough for kneading, or do you use some other method?

How long did you allow the shaped bread to proof before baking, and how did you judge it was ready to bake?

 
Hi Sally, I have read about too much kneading and too much flour added during kneading..

I didn't add any extra flour for kneading. I used the dough hook for 4 minutes as the recipe suggested then I did a "stretch and fold" rest for 10 minutes then repeat. Then into the bowl and the fridge. I took it out 2.5 days later and shaped into torpedos and proofed for about 3 hours, until 1.5X the original size. Then I baked. Can you suggest something different to try?

 
I would probably pick a different recipe....

.... and go for a shorter final fermentation rather than the 2.5 days.

It is sometimes easier to play with the sourness level by changing the level of hydration of your starter and the temperature it is fermenting.

I just want to make sure we are talking about the same thing - you are making a bread using wild yeast, correct? Or is it just a poolish or biga made with commercial yeast?

 
Since the rising time is long, I would guess it's the dough consistency that is

depriving you of the hole-y-ness you desire. Try keeping it wetter. It's stickier to handle but so what--you can clean up later. When I started baking bread I kept adding flour because the recipe said to keep it from sticking, but they should have qualified it, such as "sticking uncontrollably."

For instance, ciabatta is very wet and comes out full of holes. NY Times' No-Knead bread is the same. You can find that recipe online and it's really worth a try. Trying different types of bread will help you hone your skills.

Here is the one and only sourdough recipe I use. I had beginner's luck and I'm afraid to mess with it. It's for rye bread but you could sub more wheat flour, even some whole wheat since it's not a high proportion.

http://eat.at/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=83455

 
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