As per Arther Dent's suggestion....a thread for all things sourdough. Do you make it? Questions? Suggestions? Successes? Abject failures?
Sourdough... Do You Make It?
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nikkisessence
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I've always wanted to try. Curious about other's attempts. Following!
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I have made it, but don't bake enough to keep the starter going for very long. It makes delicious pancakes.
I too have made it and loved it but haven't done so in a very long time as we don't eat a lot of breads.
I used to make both sourdough and regular bread A LOT. Too much of a good thing though... When homemade bread is around that is all I eat and it started giving me bad crampy pains. Had to cut back too much to keep the sourdough going. I let it get funky and threw it out. Still have a tiny bit freeze dried to start another batch someday.
Arthur Dent
Well-Known Member
I do most of my baking during the cooler months, my starter sits dormant in the refrigerator all summer long. Come fall it revives very easily, and its just as good as ever. I have been using the same starter for... about 8 years or so. It originally came from San Francisco, but I'm sure that it has long ago transitioned to the local yeasts and bacteria.
I started out making standard sourdough loaves, but the last 5 or 6 years have been baking mostly no-knead loaves. We like the crust and texture that results, and the nice round loaves. I have been using my regular Lodge cast iron dutch ovens to bake it in, just recently got a new one with a more domed lid, can't wait for cooler weather to try it out.
I started out making standard sourdough loaves, but the last 5 or 6 years have been baking mostly no-knead loaves. We like the crust and texture that results, and the nice round loaves. I have been using my regular Lodge cast iron dutch ovens to bake it in, just recently got a new one with a more domed lid, can't wait for cooler weather to try it out.
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I agree, the pancakes are delicious, although for everyone's taste. I noticed when I was visiting my niece in Colorado earlier this month, that her husband throws his in the trash. I think they are the best tasting pancakes I've had in awhile!
When I was in my 20's and baked most of my own bread, I used to keep sourdough starter alive, no problem. Since then, baking bread has become an occasional activity. And although I do have some sourdough starter in my fridge at this very moment, I have not yet made bread with it.
My favorite bread to bake is kalamata olive bread, because it is impossible to find here in the area where a now live. In California, where I grew up and lived the first half century of my life, it was easy to find. I love that bread. So I had to learn to bake it myself, although whenever I travel I look for it and if I find it, buy at least one loaf (depends on how long I can expect it to last.)
And I do love San Francisco sourdough, but duplicating it has never been one of my strong points. Besides when I lived near there, it was not expensive to purchase, so I chose to purchase it more often than not as I grew older.
JuneP
Well-Known Member
Sour dough breads and starter
I've used sourdough for years. I need to start a new San Francisco starter since I let my other one lapse when I moved. i have the starter, just don't have time at the moment to deal with it since I'm trying to catch up with my garden work.
The two breads I made regularly, and will again, with it are the wonderful fruit and nut breakfast bread from the King Arthur flour site, and the super easy, overnight fast sourdough round loaf that I make in a covered iron pot. It's crunchy just like an original San Francisco sour dough. I also add 25% of whole wheat flour to replace some of the white to give it more nutritional benefit and a bit better taste. A few years ago I read that you could add up to 25% of whole wheat in the recipe without changing the nature of the recipe other than for the better.
I've used sourdough for years. I need to start a new San Francisco starter since I let my other one lapse when I moved. i have the starter, just don't have time at the moment to deal with it since I'm trying to catch up with my garden work.
The two breads I made regularly, and will again, with it are the wonderful fruit and nut breakfast bread from the King Arthur flour site, and the super easy, overnight fast sourdough round loaf that I make in a covered iron pot. It's crunchy just like an original San Francisco sour dough. I also add 25% of whole wheat flour to replace some of the white to give it more nutritional benefit and a bit better taste. A few years ago I read that you could add up to 25% of whole wheat in the recipe without changing the nature of the recipe other than for the better.
Hubby has a starter he made from just flour and water, its been awesome for years. He named it "the Bi!@*", and when he gave a part of it to some friends, they promptly named it "the son of a Bi!@*".
I've kept a rye starter in my fridge for several years now. I named it Lazarus, because just when I think it must surely be dead after months of me not having fed it, it always comes back to life for me when I pay it some attention again. lol And yes (in case anyone is wondering)- when I'm feeing it again after a long stretch of neglect, I say to it, 'Lazarus- come forth!' 
I use Lazarus to make a seeded Jewish rye, and I also use smaller bits of it to give a flavor boost to some of my other breads- not enough to give them a sour tang, mind you, but only just enough to add that extra certain 'something' that will keep them from tasting blah/boring.
IrishLass
I use Lazarus to make a seeded Jewish rye, and I also use smaller bits of it to give a flavor boost to some of my other breads- not enough to give them a sour tang, mind you, but only just enough to add that extra certain 'something' that will keep them from tasting blah/boring.
IrishLass
Dahila
Well-Known Member
oh more people bake bread that i had thought. I bake bread for ...........4 years or more. My sourdough starter is that old. When we do not bake I just add a tbsp of rye bread once a week. I had give away so much of it, and everyone killed theirs
Easy to make from scratch just rye flour and water. The older starter is the faster is the process of making bread
Easy to make from scratch just rye flour and water. The older starter is the faster is the process of making bread
Here's a picture of my Sourdough 100% Rye loaf... no wheat, no added yeast... just 100% sourdough, 100% rye. It's the first time I made a loaf like this and it's definitely a success. Both my daughter and my husband like it. Texture's not bad - a little chewy but it's a substantial bread. For anyone interested, here's the link: http://www.beetsandbones.com/100-rye-sourdough-bread/
Dahila
Well-Known Member
I had done it and you right it is a bit chewy. then the acidity got best of me. I experimented and right now I use , rye, white unbliched, whole wheat, flaxmeal and spelt in my bread. The bread is very dark and a bit chewy but it lost the typical rye taste. No syntactic yeast added of course. Do you add salt and honey ?
Dahila, this recipe includes both raw sugar and salt. I guess it would be easy enough to substitute honey for the raw sugar. I used Succanat.
Arthur Dent
Well-Known Member
I dug out a photo of one of my sourdough loaves from a while back. Sorry, couldn't find a crumb shot.
grassyriver
Active Member
My husband is the bread maker in our family. He had a really nice sourdough starter going about a year ago. It was from the "wild yeast" in the air I believe. He made a couple amazing loaves of bread we all loved. Then the jar of starter sat on a high shelf in the kitchen until we forgot about it. Shortly after we searched all over for the source of the horrible stench that arose in the kitchen. The starter was black and green. Quite disgusting.
He also made some kombucha with a gross scoby he ordered. I never tried that but he drank some for a while. He loves to experiment with food. I prefer crafts.
He also made some kombucha with a gross scoby he ordered. I never tried that but he drank some for a while. He loves to experiment with food. I prefer crafts.
I dug out a photo of one of my sourdough loaves from a while back. Sorry, couldn't find a crumb shot.
Yum!!
I tried and it's not that I failed, but it was a combo of family not liking the taste and lack of time.
Started was lively and did great job with dough. I found keeping it alive quite easy.
We don't eat much of crusty bread anyway and it was like a bit time consuming for something we would only enjoy occasionally.
Started was lively and did great job with dough. I found keeping it alive quite easy.
We don't eat much of crusty bread anyway and it was like a bit time consuming for something we would only enjoy occasionally.
My husband asked yesterday if I was planning on making more of the 100% sourdough rye bread. Well, I'm off work this week so why not? We're experimenting with eating less wheat and, since the rye has no wheat in it, this is the perfect time to do it.
Arthur Dent
Well-Known Member
I have made a few 100% Spelt loaves, we really like Spelt.
