Sourdough

[iBooz2]

23 hours ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

Ha Ha no retirement home, I have my eyes on a great place in the same street, lot's of room for brewing & other activities. 

@Classic Brewing Co I think he (@disgruntled) was hinting of the need for Gaffer tape account the recent gaffes.  But all good, we are among friends here, maybe not our own but they are somebody's friends. 

[iBooz2]

On 11/18/2021 at 8:01 AM, stquinto said:

Mate, that’s perfect

What everyone is looking for is the big holes, great job!

The shape only comes from the banneton basket: if you want that you can get all sorts of shapes - round, oval or baguette-shaped. But it doesn’t change much apart from the aesthetics.

Your loaf really looks the business though !

My poor loaf did not last long @stquinto.  I smashed it first with several taste test slices then my wife decided she wanted fresh picked asparagus out of our garden on toast for dinner last night.  So steamed up 3 bunches of asparagus and put some slices of sourdough under the grill then topped them off with heaped asparagus, butter, cracked black pepper and sea salt.  

Sad part is not enough left for garlic bread tonight.  I can see this becoming a regular bake up from now on.

Next I will try some baguettes as I love that French crusty style.

[kmar92]

Your wife has great taste Boozer and your meal looks great.

[ben 10]

On 11/19/2021 at 5:17 PM, iBooz2 said:

fresh picked asparagus

Lovely, I struggled to get much inside, I'd just eat it when picked, so yummy

[ben 10]

On 11/23/2021 at 9:16 PM, Pale Man said:

This thread is excellent. I'll make sure she has a read. 

It's relatively easy to mate.

 

Hey for everyone - if you mill grains use a small handful or the dust in your dough. It's a n excellent addition. Soaked grains go well too,

[iBooz2]

Made some mini sourdough baguettes today from the starter discard combined with some rustic stone ground white bread flour.  I am really liking this bread.   A bit of cheese and some red wine for a snack late this afternoon, nearly had me speaking froggie ha ha.

[ben 10]

7 hours ago, iBooz2 said:

Made some mini sourdough baguettes today

Looks lovely!

[stquinto]

On 11/23/2021 at 12:16 PM, Pale Man said:

My Mrs has had to leave her work because of back issues. So she's getting into a bit of baking.

Sour Dough is top of her list. I'm not allowed to take photos until she gets it right apparently, so watch this space.

This thread is excellent. I'll make sure she has a read. 

Once you've got the starter working you'll be flying. Can do loads of other stuff too: I tried out hot-cross buns the other day, ugly b*ggers they were but hey tasted good.

[iBooz2]

My sourdough starter got all moldy whilst I was away travelling even though I stored it fridge and gave it a feed a couple of days before we left, so tossed it.  Created another starter with two new straight sided jars and lids that sealed properly when stored in the fridge and after getting that up and rip roaring made a couple of loaves then stored it the fridge again.  Bugger me, moldy once more even though sealed up (or should I not be doing that?).

Anyway I have since moved over to making poolish yeast starters the day before bread bake day and now making Ciabatta loaves as well as baguettes.  Trouble with the baguette's are that not long after I pull them from the oven, my high school sweetheart has ponced on one and eaten it all.  Then she does not want to eat any dinner that i have cooked up for her.  She reckons she would be happy with just a baguette some butter and some cheese to go with her wine.

Its less work that a sourdough starter, but wondering what I am doing wrong for its storage longevity?

Edited September 20, 2022 by iBooz2

[Pezzza]

17 hours ago, iBooz2 said:

Its less work that a sourdough starter, but wondering what I am doing wrong for its storage longevity?

@interceptor Ceptor might be able to help more...  pretty sure he has a Sourdough Starter that is years old... 

 

But Wow there is some lovely looking bread going on there... 

Edited September 21, 2022 by Itinerant Peasant

[ben 10]

20 hours ago, iBooz2 said:

moldy once more even though sealed up

Ouch. Maybe needs more time to get proper culture and acidity going?

Mine came with me when we moved and that was over 10 years ago. Tupperware container, survived us being in Sri Lanka for 5 weeks (sealed, in the fridge)

[stquinto]

21 hours ago, iBooz2 said:

My sourdough starter got all moldy whilst I was away travelling even though I stored it fridge and gave it a feed a couple of days before we left, so tossed it.  Created another starter with two new straight sided jars and lids that sealed properly when stored in the fridge and after getting that up and rip roaring made a couple of loaves then stored it the fridge again.  Bugger me, moldy once more even though sealed up (or should I not be doing that?).

Anyway I have since moved over to making poolish yeast starters the day before bread bake day and now making Ciabatta loaves as well as baguettes.  Trouble with the baguette's are that not long after I pull them from the oven, my high school sweetheart has ponced on one and eaten it all.  Then she does not want to eat any dinner that i have cooked up for her.  She reckons she would be happy with just a baguette some butter and some cheese to go with her wine.

Its less work that a sourdough starter, but wondering what I am doing wrong for its storage longevity?

It's defo gone mouldy ? Not just the black, boozy-smelling liquid on top (called hooch apparently) ?

Like interceptor I only feed mine once a month and the rest of the time I keep it in the fridge. I say "it," but in fact I have three different ones on the go. When I want to bake (less now, trying to cut down on the carbs...) I take one out of the fridge, pour off the hooch, put 50g in a new glass jar (with straight sides). I add 100g water that has been heated in the microwave for 10 seconds, stir it in, then stir in 100g of plain flour. I clean the sides, and put a lassie band round the level of it.

I then do the same again, and put this one back in the fridge for a month. This is my "mother". The first one (the "levain", in the sourdough parlance)  will my go-to starter for the next loaf (or more, if I make more than one).

Here's a cuppla articles :

https://www.theperfectloaf.com/what-is-a-levain-and-how-is-it-different-from-a-starter/

If your starter is mouldy I wouldn't risk it:

https://www.pantrymama.com/moldy-sourdough-starter/#:~:text=Unfortunately%2C if you discover mold,be right throughout your starter.

Good luck !

 

[Pezzza]

With fear and trepidation... cuppla loaves... yeah its dry yeast... but I do a long cool ferment overnight and so the Book says it picks up some wild yeast on the way haha!

There is the lovely Rye and Walnut top and then a Hard-Organic-White Italianish Country Loaf bottom...

I really loved @iBooz2 Boozer's comment:  

21 hours ago, iBooz2 said:

Trouble with the baguette's are that not long after I pull them from the oven, my high school sweetheart has ponced on one and eaten it all.  Then she does not want to eat any dinner that i have cooked up for her. 

... beautiful... pretty much same thing happened w me recent visitors that I did this bread for -- and well I would have been happy if the one in question was my sweetheart... anyway she is very lovely all the same but is taken. Not normally a beer drinker either, she joined in w us and drank some Nitro Creamy Ale -- loved it -- but more so with the Ale quietly tucked into the lovely baked-a-few-hours-earlier-and-cooled-nicely Rye n Walnut w the various lovely cheeses n Wursts they brought along from The Big Smoke delis.... and then announced she was too full for the main course 

After a quick trip out for all in the fffffreeezing night air to look at the Milky Way and vast array of stars everyone seemed to retrieve their appetite and on we went haha 

Sharing good food and nice beer with lovely people is one of life's nicer aspects... 

 

[ben 10]

14 minutes ago, Pezzza said:

yeah its dry yeast

Looks great but time to upgrade

[ben 10]

39 minutes ago, stquinto said:

Like interceptor I only feed mine once a month

Mine actually gets fed when I use it, I remove some, replace what I used and fridge it

[ben 10]

22 hours ago, iBooz2 said:

Bugger me, moldy once more even though sealed up (or should I not be doing that?).

Pics please

[stquinto]

2 minutes ago, interceptor said:

Mine actually gets fed when I use it, I remove some, replace what I used and fridge it

Yeah, you mentioned leaving it 5 weeks once. What I meant to say is it doesn't need feeding every week.

What I didn't mention with the levain is that it might take two feedings (i.e. morning and evening) until it has reawakened enough to bake with. If you've left it a month that's more likely, if you've only left it a week one feeding will probably be enough.

[ben 10]

Just now, stquinto said:

What I meant to say is it doesn't need feeding every week.

Correct, once it is old and happy you cannot kill it.

Kinda like @Classic Brewing Co

[Classic Brewing Co]

Just now, interceptor said:

Correct, once it is old and happy you cannot kill it.

Kinda like @Classic Brewing Co

Ceptor I am deeply hurt by that vulgar remark, go & stand in the corner for 20mins without a beer. 

[Pezzza]

Just now, Classic Brewing Co said:

Ceptor I am deeply hurt by that vulgar remark, go & stand in the corner for 20mins without a beer. 

And @interceptor Ceptor DO NOT take the rest of the day off 

[Classic Brewing Co]

Just now, Pezzza said:

And @interceptor Ceptor DO NOT take the rest of the day off 

Here here, 

[ben 10]

9 hours ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

Ceptor I am deeply hurt by that vulgar remark,

I thought it kinda complimentary

[Classic Brewing Co]

1 hour ago, interceptor said:

I thought it kinda complimentary

All good Ceptor - I won't mind if you have today off. 

[iBooz2]

On 9/21/2022 at 5:45 PM, beach_life said:

Ouch. Maybe needs more time to get proper culture and acidity going?

Mine came with me when we moved and that was over 10 years ago. Tupperware container, survived us being in Sri Lanka for 5 weeks (sealed, in the fridge)

I reckon it was well and truly up and running, it was costing me 1/2 kilo of flour's a week to feed this new one and it had be alive for a month or so.

 

On 9/21/2022 at 7:50 PM, beach_life said:

Pics please

Those with squeamish stomachs please look away.

I think I made the mistake by feeding it, letting it more than double up the jar then put it in the fridge all sealed up and not decanting a good proportion of it and using a fresh sanitised jar.  I just put the recently fed jar in the fridge just after it went nuts.  The jars I use have a SS lid and silicone lip to seal and make air tight. 

Normally I sanitise a fresh jar when doing the discard thing and start off the new jar and get it going up over a couple of days before using some to make bread etc.  I did notice that when I used the starter in the few loaves / pizza bases the dough seemed very dense and wet.  It just did not rise like it normally does, very noticeable in the pizza bases.

Note I give the starter a good feed and then harvest some for my breads etc. when it is in full flight, i.e. double the size in the jar.  I use organic Rye flour and Whole Wheat flour to feed the beast.

 

Edited September 22, 2022 by iBooz2

[ben 10]

22 minutes ago, iBooz2 said:

Those with squeamish stomachs please look away.

Hmmmm... looks like hooch to me.. How was the smell?