Playing with sourdough

[asudavew]

Re: Playing with sourdough

Here are some pics of my experiment.

I must admit the bread came out looking excellent and had great texture.

But........ I thought the flavor was a bit dull, although it was sour and I got a good rise.......... I think it may have been lacking in salt.

I usually just make my bread dough without measuring and this batch was a bit larger than my normal batch and I was afraid to over salt it.

[asudavew]

Re: Playing with sourdough

Here's my starter after a few days of doubling the concoction.

It was nice and bubbly. Seemed pretty active.

[asudavew]

Re: Playing with sourdough

Started with my mixer, and then hand kneaded for about 15 minutes.

[asudavew]

Re: Playing with sourdough

The "window pane test" and the initial dough ball. The ball had about an eight inch diameter.

[asudavew]

Re: Playing with sourdough

After 3 hours the dough ball was 16 inches.

Here are a couple pics, one at about 1.5 hours and one at 3 hours.

[asudavew]

Re: Playing with sourdough

Initial panning of the loaves.

Then pictures of the rise at 1.5 hours and 3.0 hours.

[asudavew]

Re: Playing with sourdough

The oven, the final product, and a slice.


Thanks for looking.

[asudavew]

Re: Playing with sourdough

A couple more slice pics.

Good Eats

[rlf5]

Re: Playing with sourdough

Below are the results for my third try. Much better than before. More sour flavor, but more importantly, I had a better crumb. Lots of little air pockets (still not enough though) and the usual cavern big enough to fit a hamster in is not present. Still needs work but at least its coming along nicely.

[CanuckJim]

Re: Playing with sourdough

Alfredo,
Had just got off the phone with a prospective customer whose name was Alphonse; just slipped off the tips of my fingers, I guess.

RLF, USDA,

You guys are both getting there pretty quickly. I suggest that the pan breads were at the very top of their rise when they went into the oven; you really want to load them at about 80 per cent. The crumb looks quite good, but I'd try a slightly shorter secondary rise: 2-2 1/2 hours. I always add salt when the dough in the mixer has reached the shaggy mass stage. Adding it to your starter will impede the wild yeast. As a starter matures, you'll not only get deep bubbles in it when it's fed, but also stripes of tiny-bubble foam on the surface.

The crumb will be improved and the hampster holes be eliminated if you pat the dough flat after dividing and scaling and before the secondary basket rise. The patting deflates the really large gas pockets. Some people just drop the dough on the counter a few times for the same effect. "Punching down" is a far too aggressive name for this procedure. What I'm seeing is a geometric improvement over your previous attempts. Notice that the walls of the gas pockets are shiny/creamy. This is a direct result of good gluten development during kneading. Keep it up.

Panna,

Suggest you consult the videos that accompany the Wood-Fired Bread E-book. There you will find one on shaping a boule. The surface tension that this method creates will give you a round loaf. If left free standing during the secondary rise, they will spread a bit, though. Suggest you get some banneton (like RLF uses) or buy some wicker/cane/platic bowls at the buck store instead, then line them with floured linen. The shape will be better if you do. Simply invert the dough from the bowl to the peel just before baking. You should learn to slash or dock the loaves with a bread blade immediately before loading or the loaves will burst in inconvenient places. These procedures are covered in depth in the E-book.

Jim

[asudavew]

Re: Playing with sourdough

I suggest that the pan breads were at the very top of their rise when they went into the oven; you really want to load them at about 80 per cent. The crumb looks quite good, but I'd try a slightly shorter secondary rise: 2-2 1/2 hours. I always add salt when the dough in the mixer has reached the shaggy mass stage.

Jim

I'll give this a try on my next go around.
I thought a bigger second rise would be better, but I'll go for 2-2/12 hours my next go around. Do you think more salt would help with flavor? Or should I begin creating a new starter?
Do all starters taste the same when developed in the same location?

Thanks Jim!

[asudavew]

Re: Playing with sourdough

Below are the results for my third try. Much better than before. More sour flavor, but more importantly, I had a better crumb. Lots of little air pockets (still not enough though) and the usual cavern big enough to fit a hamster in is not present. Still needs work but at least its coming along nicely.

Nice work!

How did you get that nice design on the crust?
I would love to be able to do that.

[CanuckJim]

Re: Playing with sourdough

Dave,

On salt, it's not a question I can answer without details on the formula you are using. A starter will not develop it's full flavour for months, if not years, of feedings. My experience is that starters, no matter where they originate, will eventually taste the same as one you made yourself in your own location, though I know there is some debate on this.

The spiral design on those loaves came from coiled rush rising baskets. They are traditional in France, where they're called banneton.

In order to start baking consistent breads, I think you should adopt the weight rather than volume or eyeball methods. That way you can begin to repeat the formula that has worked for you in the past and start refining it.

Jim

[rlf5]

Re: Playing with sourdough

Nice work!

How did you get that nice design on the crust?
I would love to be able to do that.

Dave

You can get the bannetons from a kitchen supply store, amazon, or the baker's catalog. They'll run you about $35-$40 a piece though. I got mine from Cost Plus World Market in the wicker basket section. They are actually 1.5-2 times the size of a real banneton, but they only cost $10.

Ron

[CanuckJim]

Re: Playing with sourdough

Ron, Dave,

The retail arm of The Sanfrancisco Baking Institute sells genuine banneton at a much lower price. They also have other cool stuff at good prices: Baking Supplies|Basket and Supplies|Basket|Wicket Baskter|Plastic Baskets|Linen Liners|Proofing Boards|Wood Peel.

Jim