Recently, for the second time I went here
http://home.att.net/~carlsfriends/
And picked up some of their sourdough starter N/C.
Yesterday was my second attempt and I used a stiffer dough than the first
time.
This batch was 1/2 bread flour 1/2 AP flour.
The ingredients were simple, starter, water, flour, salt,
I started the sponge @ 11:00 AM and the loves came out about 6:30 PM
Here is the bread after 3 minutes @450 ready for a spritz.
http://i41.tinypic.com/9940b8.jpg
After 15 Min @ 450 - reduce to 425 for 20 more
http://i43.tinypic.com/33w1wqx.jpg
finished and ready to cool
http://i44.tinypic.com/v5wlyr.jpg
Decent texture (crumb)
http://i44.tinypic.com/de6xps.jpg
I need to work on the crust texture as well as the color shaping and of
course photography.
The flavor was as good as I have tasted.
Later this morning - French toast - I may microwave dry (make stale) for
some bread pudding.
Dimitri
Actual recipe followed.
San Francisco Sourdough BREAD, from Bread Alone by Daniel Leader & Judith
Blahnik:
First make up a sponge and let it sit at 74 - 80 degree draft free place for
24 hours:
Starter - 2/3 cup
Water (dechlorinated) - 1 cup
White flour - 1 1/2 cup
Final dough:
Water - 2 cups
White flour - 5 1/2 - 6 1/2 cups
Fine sea salt - 1 T (Used Kosher)
Mix final dough and knead it for 15 to 20 minutes. Let it ferment at 74 -
80 degrees in a draft free area for 2 1/2 hours in a large bowl, covered
with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Deflate the dough by pushing down in the
center and pulling up on the sides. Cover bowl with a clean damp towel or
plastic wrap and let sit in a warm (74-80) draft free place for 30 minutes.
Turn out on a floured area and knead briefly. Shape into a tight ball.
Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a warm (74-80)
draft free place for 30 minutes. Shape. You may divide the dough into two
pieces and shape into two round logs or into round loaves (free form) or one
large freeform loaf. Proof the loaves in a warm (74-80) draft free place
till they rise 1 1/2 times the size - about 1 hour - on a floured towel.
Preheat oven for an hour before baking. Bake an a baking stone at 450 for
15 minutes, reduce heat to 425 for 20 minutes longer. Turn out and thump the
bottom to test for doneness (sounds hollow) and cool on a wire rack for 25
minutes before cutting. Spritzing the oven at the beginning and each 3
minutes for the first 10 minutes will make a hard crust. One can use two
conventional baking pans if desired.
:I never had had the time or the patience to go through the learning curve
:for bread baking. Now having said that I dearly love the taste of Sourdough
:bread.
If you have trouble summoning the patience for breadbaking, I recommend
you do NOT start with sourdough. It requires 5x the patience of
breadbaking in general. I speak from experience. It's possible to get
excellent results, however you have to devote yourself to the health of
your starter and if you do not continue to produce sourdough products,
you will find that your starter quickly suffers and requires
rejuvenation. Even if your sourdough starter is in great health, it's
necessary to give sourdough products more attention than yeast products
due to the fact that the leavening properties are simply not as good.
I would start with yeast products, and possibly venture into sourdough
later. I agree that sourdough is exceptionally delicious when done
right.
Dan
Email: dmusicant at pacbell dot net
Or, you could take a look at my sourdough at
http://www.artisanbreadbaking.com/breads/sourdough_12_20/sourdough_12_
20.htm
I don't keep a starter going. I make my starter fresh each time I
decide to do the sourdough thing.
There is a lot of folk lore surrounding sourdough bread making, a lot of
it having to do with old starters and how they're better than new
starters. Most of this is just smoke and mirrors. There is no reason
an old starter would have to be better than a new starter, since they
have the same organisms and the same chemical balance.
So, if you want to try sourdough, give my "make it fresh every time"
sourdough a try. I think you'll like the results.
Barry
A New York rye for example has a crust that will almost cut the roof of your
mouth. Wonder Bread has no difference for all intents and purposes between
the bread and the crust.. What I need to learn is how to create a crisp
crust and how to create a soft crust as well as how the different flours
work. In short I'm a babe in the woods. :-)
Dimitri