First Sourdough

[noboundaries]

So I made my first sourdough after working with my starter for over a month. I had a hard time getting the starter to the correct stage but it is finally ready. The bread was delicious, but not a lot of sourdough flavor. I'm not sure if they will get more sour as the starter ages. It was a simple starter just 60 grams each of water and flour daily.

Awesome! Big salute to your new amazing hobby and an admirable start I’ve been obsessed with bread lately, but haven’t been as far as you. I’m tagging noboundaries as an established SMF expert with obsessive experimentation. He’ll be by soon with keen and hard earned insight. Points fit a brave and killer start, even if you aren’t happy!

Fantastic-looking loaf! Yes, the flavor of the starter will develop with time.

"SMF expert with obsessive experimentation?" Ruh oh! I'd never claim to be an expert, but I am an obsessive experimenter. When I made a starter, I wasn't baking bread once a week. I was not impressed with the sourdough flavor initially. I stuck the starter jar in the fridge and only pulled it out about once a month when making pizza dough.

The first time I took it out of the fridge, it had about a quarter-inch of hooch on the top. I thought it was ruined, but it smelled sour. I dumped the hooch, gave it a feed of AP flour, and stuck it on the counter overnight. The next morning, it was thriving.

I used that starter for a couple of years, always keeping it in the fridge. Sometimes it was 6 months between feedings, and I'd find a half-inch of hooch on the top of the starter. Dump the hooch, feed, and it came to life.

I killed that starter when I fed it whole wheat flour instead of AP flour as an "experiment." It fermented like crazy, then nothing. It became brick-like. I tried everything I could to bring it back to life but was unsuccessful.

My wife hated seeing the starter in the fridge for some reason. Now I use long bulk fermentations on the counter (12-36 hours) or in the fridge (1-7 days) instead of a starter. For bread, not pizza dough, I add yeast after the bulk ferment to get a quicker second rise. There's not quite as much flavor as sourdough, but there's still a nice hint.

 

[newbrian]

Fantastic-looking loaf! Yes, the flavor of the starter will develop with time.

"SMF expert with obsessive experimentation?" Ruh oh! I'd never claim to be an expert, but I am an obsessive experimenter. When I made a starter, I wasn't baking bread once a week. I was not impressed with the sourdough flavor initially. I stuck the starter jar in the fridge and only pulled it out about once a month when making pizza dough.

The first time I took it out of the fridge, it had about a quarter-inch of hooch on the top. I thought it was ruined, but it smelled sour. I dumped the hooch, gave it a feed of AP flour, and stuck it on the counter overnight. The next morning, it was thriving.

I used that starter for a couple of years, always keeping it in the fridge. Sometimes it was 6 months between feedings, and I'd find a half-inch of hooch on the top of the starter. Dump the hooch, feed, and it came to life.

I killed that starter when I fed it whole wheat flour instead of AP flour as an "experiment." It fermented like crazy, then nothing. It became brick-like. I tried everything I could to bring it back to life but was unsuccessful.

My wife hated seeing the starter in the fridge for some reason. Now I use long bulk fermentations on the counter (12-36 hours) or in the fridge (1-7 days) instead of a starter. For bread, not pizza dough, I add yeast after the bulk ferment to get a quicker second rise. There's not quite as much flavor as sourdough, but there's still a nice hint.

I am going to try another loaf this weekend, I hope it comes out as good

 

[SmokyMose]

It looks darn good to me, especially for a first try!
A month is a long time to get a starter. What flour are you using?
I've settled on a 50/50 mix of whole wheat and bread flour to get it moving and switching to AP after that and going to a 50/50 mix of AP and bread flour the night before the dough making. You might also think about doing 90 or 100 grams instead of 60, at least to get it going.
For what it's worth, mine come out a little different every time, though I do experiment with pan types and baking temperatures. I shoot for a softer crust.

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

I used that starter for a couple of years, always keeping it in the fridge. Sometimes it was 6 months between feedings, and I'd find a half-inch of hooch on the top of the starter. Dump the hooch, feed, and it came to life.

Good to know. I been just using dried when ready since may go couple months. I found some left over in fridge from last one couple months ago. Said what do I have to lose. Poured off liquid came right to back to life. I started loaf yesterday and baking it tomorrow. Only do bread on weekend breakfast mostly so I just keep loaf in freezer.

 

[mneeley490]

My wife hated seeing the starter in the fridge for some reason.

LOL, my wife is the same way. Don't know what her problem is, as she rarely goes into the kitchen.
I'm going to get back into this. Had a batch going for about 6 months, then got tired of it. But my son and I love sourdough pancakes.
I recently bought some dried starter from somebody on Ebay. Claim is, it comes from a 200 year-old mother batch. We'll see what it can do.

 

[choochooman442]

Looks good! I got a envelope of starter and directions for Xmas. Guess I better read up on what to do with it, present came from my wife. RAY

Hint Hint

 

[SmokyMose]

I recently bought some dried starter from somebody on Ebay. Claim is, it comes from a 200 year-old mother batch. We'll see what it can do.

I'd be curious what you think.
Color me skeptical....

 

[mneeley490]

I'd be curious what you think.
Color me skeptical....

Yeah, me too. But starting from scratch takes quite a while to develop the flavor. This is the link, fwiw.

 

[newbrian]

It looks darn good to me, especially for a first try!
A month is a long time to get a starter. What flour are you using?
I've settled on a 50/50 mix of whole wheat and bread flour to get it moving and switching to AP after that and going to a 50/50 mix of AP and bread flour the night before the dough making. You might also think about doing 90 or 100 grams instead of 60, at least to get it going.
For what it's worth, mine come out a little different every time, though I do experiment with pan types and baking temperatures. I shoot for a softer crust.

I'm using Gold Medal unbleached APF. The starter seems to be good now but yes it took a long time to get here. I started one after Thanksgiving and gave up on it as my house is pretty cold in the winter. Everything I was reading said to proof the starter at 75 to 80 degrees, my house is 62 at night so I wasn't getting anywhere. Then for Christmas I got a proofer and started another one. In my readings it sounded like the starter would be good to go in a week but it still took a month. I did use wheat flour in the bread mix but not in the starter.

 

[sawhorseray]

I got some starter for Xmas and might pop the top on it sometime later today when my little hippie jar arrives from Amazon. I got mine from these folks, and I'll be darned it they ain't from Texas. I'm a San Franciso native, my roots go back to before the 06 quake, and I grew up on sourdough French. If this doesn't pan out I'll resort to some of my old buds still in the Bay Area. RAY

Sourdough Breads - Sourdough Bread Starter, Cooking Tools and Gadgets

San Francisco Sourdough Bread Starter, Kitchen Things, Toys and Tools for Breadmakers

www.sourdoughbreads.com

 

[SmokyMose]

I'm using Gold Medal unbleached APF. The starter seems to be good now but yes it took a long time to get here. I started one after Thanksgiving and gave up on it as my house is pretty cold in the winter. Everything I was reading said to proof the starter at 75 to 80 degrees, my house is 62 at night so I wasn't getting anywhere. Then for Christmas I got a proofer and started another one. In my readings it sounded like the starter would be good to go in a week but it still took a month. I did use wheat flour in the bread mix but not in the starter.

My oven with just the light on is around 78 degrees.
Works to jump start a starter or to get the loaves warmed up after being in the fridge overnight.

 

[Fueling Around]

Been watching this thread.
Congrats on the feature and great looking boule.
Never fully appreciated homemade bread growing up when all the other kids got store bought.

If you want to try a starter go to this website.

Carl Griffith 1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough Page

 

[noboundaries]

Never fully appreciated homemade bread growing up when all the other kids got store bought.

Ain't that the truth. My mother and father grew up eating home-baked bread in low-income homes. They felt buying store-bought anything, especially bread, was a sign of their socioeconomic progress.

 

[forktender]

Your bread looks perfect!!!
Use more starter in your recipe if you want more of a sour taste.
Also, cold fermentation is a way to get more of a sour taste into your bread or pizza dough. The tip of feeding your starter then placing it into your oven with just the oven light on is a great way to do it, also a good place to keep your starter is on top of your water heater or in the water heater closet if your home has one.

Learn from my mistake, tape a note to the oven door even if you have family living with others living with you and if you live alone, stating remove jar from oven before turning it on!!!!! I didn't and killed a 10-year-old starter, luckily I had dried a rescue starter/ some of the discard just for this reason.

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

Got mine baked last night after two day in fridge. That oven spring always amazes me.

 

[Brokenhandle]

Some great looking breads!

Ryan

 

[babydocsmoke]

Very nice. You should be very proud of that! Great feeling getting a good SD. I think you get more flavor from holding in fridge before baking. I try to leave at least 24 hours. I starting one today. Been a while since made one.

This is true!! A lot has to do with the starter...but if you let if ferment 24-36 hours in the fridge for the final rise it can really develop the flavor.

 

[babydocsmoke]

Got mine baked last night after two day in fridge. That oven spring always amazes me.

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LOL, my wife is the same way. Don't know what her problem is, as she rarely goes into the kitchen.
I'm going to get back into this. Had a batch going for about 6 months, then got tired of it. But my son and I love sourdough pancakes.
I recently bought some dried starter from somebody on Ebay. Claim is, it comes from a 200 year-old mother batch. We'll see what it can do.

I bought that same starter...never could get it to work. You'll have to let us know how it goes!!

 

[newbrian]

Got mine baked last night after two day in fridge. That oven spring always amazes me.

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That looks fantastic

 

[617Smoker]

The sour flavor is acetic acid -what’s in white vinegar. It’s a byproduct of natural fermentation. So the longer your starter and/or bread ferments, the more acetic acid will be in the loaf. I don’t know enough to tweak a recipe to try and make it more “sour” but that’s the principle of it. Of course everything can be over fermented which causes its own problems. Also-naturally levained bread doesn’t have to be sour (unless you want it to be).