Who has a good recipe for sourdough bread that won't confuse the heck out of me?

C

cynupstateny

Well-known member
I've been looking at sites for recipes and many of them refer to 166 per cent hydration or 68 per cent hydration and I have no clue what that means. My starter will be ready to use in a few days and I'm looking for a good basic recipe. One you've already tried and know it makes a good bread, please.

 
Cyn, here's one I've made several times now. I'm afraid it might seem confusing, but

just forge ahead. If you've made other breads, you can make sourdough. This recipe fives a lot of detail.

I find sourdough takes a longer time to rise no matter what the directions say, but it's worth the wait.

The percent hydration is lost on me. It has to do with how wet the starter is. It can be just moist, like a soft dough, or very wet, like a batter. One is supposedly more sour than the other. (don't ask me which).

Once you have a feel for how moist the finished dough should be you'll have no problems.

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

 
I'm sure you could, but you might sneak in a little rye for character. My regular French bread,

(Julia's) which is not sourdough, calls for one tablespoon rye flour per pound of white flour. It doesn't change the flavor to rye at all--it just gives the bread added heartiness. I really notice a difference when I've forgotten to add it.

A touch of whole wheat flour would do the same.

By the way, I baked 30 loaves of bread on Fiday to freeze for the wedding and to have for houseguests afterwards. Mostly French bread, and also walnut and fig breads. I already had a big wheel of this sourdough rye in the freezer.

I hope we'll have enough to eat, LOL.

 
Thanks, I'll add a bit of whole wheat (which I already have). Thanks, also, for

reminding me about the fig and walnut.
OMG! How long did it take you to bake 30 loaves?!!

 
I started the dough at 8:00 and took the last batch out of the oven at 6:00. I tried to do other

things around the house during the risings and baking but mostly just traipsed flour everywhere.

 
30 loaves of bread in one day is mind boggling! do you have multiple ovens? Who is minding the

store, or is it running on auto-pilot?

 
Ang, I commuted back and forth between the store and home between batches, LOL

No, I was home all day. Jacques was at the store. It was 12 batches of dough all together. I only have one oven so I try to stagger the risings about a half hour apart--they take about 20-25 minutes to bake.

 
do you still need shrimp ideas? found this for shrimp salad in cuke cups by Heather SF

Shrimp Salad in Cucumber Cups Heather in SF
this made 25 cups - a little messy to eat but so good!

3 English cucumbers
3/4 lb fresh cocktail shrimp
2 t chopped chives
1 t chopped tarragon (1 large sprig)
2 T chopped parsley
~2 T mayonnaise
squirt of lemon juice
ground black pepper to taste
25 pretty parsley leaves for garnish

To make the cucumber cups - peel and cut cucumber into 2" pieces. With a grapefruit spoon, carefully carve out center of the slice to make a cup, being careful not to pierce the bottom. let drain upside down on a paper towel. Can be made ahead and stored with a damp paper towel in a zippy bag.

Mix together the shrimp and herbs (done all together in a mini chop) with the mayo and a squirt of lemon juice. Spoon into cucumber cups and garnish with a parsley leaf.

These went quickly at the party!

I'd also like to try filling these with a poke tuna salad - or my friends wanted to drink sake out of them - which is the original purpose of them from a cooking show I saw on the Style channel last year.

 
Yum! I've settled on some pretty simple shrimp dips, but maybe you can add Heather's to 11369

 
Oh NO! My worst fear with any event is that there won't be enough food! You're RIGHT, Luisa,

I need to go back to Costco and buy a few more sides of salmon and many more pineapples. A sack or two of potatoes too. (Never mind the rice, it's being rationed.)

Back to Trader Joe's for another dozen chickens and another carload of wine. And pounds of nuts and piles of cheeze.

Oh NOOOOO!!!! We need more FOOOOOOD!!!

(This is how my mind actually works).

THEY'LL STARVE!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
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