How can I change recipe from yeast to sourdough?

[Debbie T]

I found a recipe for soft pretzels on the back of my flour bag and it calls for 1(1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast but I would like to make it with my sourdough starter. Could anyone tell me how I can change the recipe? Beings I am planning on using my sourdough often, is there any simple formula for changing the dry yeast to sourdough in recipes? Thanks.

[BrianShaw]

Re: How can I change recipe from yeast to sourdough?

Debby... I have a method, but it is decidely unscientific. I make a dough and then add about a "baseball size" amount of active sourdough starter, then correct the dough (little more water or flour, as needed) and let rise until risen. The most inconvenient part of this process is the uncertainty of rise time. Otherwise, it has always worked for me.

[PizzaPolice]

Re: How can I change recipe from yeast to sourdough?

Shhhhh!
Keep it on the down/low.

Pizza Dough Calculation Tools - PizzaMaking.com

Don't want to upset James on Holy Saturday.

[BrianShaw]

Re: How can I change recipe from yeast to sourdough?

Those are very useful, he whispers. Too many numbers, however, tend to cramp my brain when I'm baking bread.

[texassourdough]

Re: How can I change recipe from yeast to sourdough?

When I make pizza dough using my sourdough I treat it much like bread. I typically do a 4:1 expansion on the leaven and let it sit out in a bowl overnight to preferment at about 72 degrees F. Where I typically do a 4:1 expansion the next morning to get to my final dough, I tend to use a lower expansion on pizza - mainly to help it rise a bit faster and reduce the total dough made. So I usually expand 3:1 (and sometimes even 2:1). Yes it has a minor effect on the dough but...

As an example, if I start with 50 grams of leaven I get 250 grams of preferment (I actually do this as BP100 for simpler calculations). Then I do a 3X expansion in the morning using the amounts of water and flour to give the desired BP - I usually use around 65. That will result in just about a kilo of dough. (If I want less, I would simply start with less leaven or use a lower first expansion ratio.)

The biggest challenge is that the rising time is a bit tricky if the yeast is not fresh. I use refrigeration to retard the dough balls once they are getting close to inflated. Experience with bread dough mixing, times, etc. helps but pizza dough is not IMO as critical as bread so over/under proofing is not as big a deal.

Good Luck!
Jay

[dmun]

Re: How can I change recipe from yeast to sourdough?

I think the whole-package-of-yeast theory is propagated by the people who sell yeast. You seldom need more than half a teaspoon of IDY for 500 grams of flour.

Besides aren't pretzels boiled in lye? Scares me to death.