Talk to me about sourdough - The Fermentation Club!

[overthehill]

I know some of you make sourdough bread. It's a long time since I attempted to make bread with yeast, and my efforts were never very successful. I make one or two loaves of soda bread each weekend to eat with soup, for the sewing classes, but it doesn't toast well :understatement: and R is now complaining that he doesn't like the sliced bread we buy in the shops. I thought I might give sourdough a go.

I've read a few recipes on t'internet but, aside from telling you that you need a 'starter', they tend not to go into great detail about where it comes from or how to make it. Hence, I don't think I really get the whole starter thing. Is it really just fermented flour and water? And how, and for how long, do you need to feed it before you can use it? And how, and why, do people end up using other people's, lovingly nurtured, starters? I know that sourdough takes longer to prove than bread made with fast-acting yeast, but do you need any special equipment?

Can anyone point me at a good beginners' guide?

[Cosmopolitan]

So, to make a starter, mix 1 tablespoon of flour & a little water to make a thick paste and then put it in a warm(ish) room. Every day, add more flour & water for about 2 weeks. It should be ready then to bake with.
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-yo ... j4V9lVzXVV

and then once you have a nice healthy starter
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-so ... ead-224367


I usually use the recipe from this book https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bread-River-Co ... tage+bread which is a great general bread book. It's very reliable. I'll take a photo of the page tonight if you want?

This is also a good method http://www.msmarmitelover.com/2013/09/h ... -easy.html

[smalex]

I have nothing useful to say, but am taking an interest in this. S got a sourdough starter recently (from Hobbs House, no less), and attempted to make sourdough and it came out like some sort of high density building material

[purple_dress]

I'm not doing it at the moment as my starter died but I'm thinking about starting again.

This is the loaf I used to make a lot: http://www.wildyeastblog.com/my-new-favorite-sourdough/

[overthehill]

I'm not doing it at the moment as my starter died but I'm thinking about starting again.

RIP I think this is what scares me a bit. What do you keep it in, and where? It's almost like gardening.

Thanks a million for those links, Cos. I'll have a proper look later on. (And will probably find the answer to the above question.)

[Mountain Goat]

I keep meaning to, as I make a lot of bread (well, once a week or so, not 25 loaves a day) and I love sourdough best of all the breads, but I can't get anything to ferment in this weather and it takes me bloody hours to make a normal loaf this time of year because the yeast's shivering. In the spring I may.

[emma_p]

I'd love to be able to make sourdough. It's been on my list for about 4 years

Which starter recipe do you use, purple dress?

[Cosmopolitan]

Smal, Hart's Bakery will give you some starter as well. They're really nice about it as well. I used it last time to start off my starter and basically just added flour & water to it every day for a week and then had loads to make bread with.

And yes, Goat is right, your starter needs to be somewhere warmish and regular in temperature ideally. If you keep it in the fridge, you don't need to add water&flour very often as it doesn't need feeding when cold. It should last a week or so in the fridge if you go on holiday. You can also freeze it and then resurrect it a few weeks later.

Spelt sourdough is amazing as well. Low in fodmaps and really gentle on the digestion and so tasty.

And I kill starters all the time :shame:. I may start another one shortly though, it can live with the kombucha and the kefir I mean to start.

[purple_dress]

I really can't remember what starter recipe I used. It was about 5 years ago. I kept that one alive for about 3 years. For ages, I used to keep it at room temperature and feed it every day, using it often. Later on, I started keeping it in the fridge and feeding it every few days, only taking it out and feeding it daily for a few days if I was planning to use it.

Eta - I've just found my notes and I used the Bourke Street Bakery method for my starter. It took about three weeks.

[emma_p]

Ok, I will look that up. I have a jar and flour so am going to start today.

Who's up for sourdough club?

[Cosmopolitan]

Alright. I'm in. Fermentation Club

[H1ppychick]

The first rule of Fermentation Club is...

[emma_p]

I like that Cos I made coconut yoghurt the other day and I fancy making kimchi too :theme:

[smalex]

The first rule of Fermentation Club is...

[Mountain Goat]

I will join Fermentation Club. I have miso fermenting (hopefully, can't look at it yet) and shio koji failing to ferment because it's too damn cold, and will have some kimchi next time an appropriate cabbage falls into my lap, even though I can't see a sourdough starter springing to life until it gets warmer.

[overthehill]

'Fermentation Club' Hooray!

The kitchen/living room of this house is always around 18-20C. Is that warm enough, or should I put keep the starter in the hot press in colder weather?

[purple_dress]

I don't really know but I used to put mine in an insulated cool bag to keep it warm/cool enough. Is the hot press like an airing cupboard? That's probably too warm, I would have thought.

[Cosmopolitan]

About 20c sounds good. You could always wrap it in a towel to keep it steady.

And here is my kombucha!

[absley]

Fermentation Club sounds good, I'll have to think what I cam do to join in. It won't be sour dough though - I find it too much of a palava.

[overthehill]

The temperature in the kitchen dipped to 15.5C overnight, but I'd left the starter in the hot press, hoping it wouldn't get too warm. I put the thermometer in there this morning and the temp was 26C with the heating on - so, yes, it was a little too warm. I'll try wrapping it.

I used Odlums Cream (plain) flour, following the Kitchn method. It has some small bubbles forming already.