Sourdough Jack - The Saga Continues
Boron Elgar
(which I have named "Lazarus," by the way) were lean, white flour
doughs, so I decided to see how it behaved with something a little
more "toothsome."
Yesterday morning night I made a Heckers Unbleached white flour
sponge that had about, including the starter, had two cups of flour
and enough water to make a thick batter.
Last night I mixed a dough adding about (all of this is rough
measurement) 4 cups of white, 1-1/2 of dark rye, 1-1/2 of spelt, 3/4
cup coarse ground cornmeal, 1+ cups of partially cooked steel cut
oatmeal, 1Tbsp of salt and enough water to make a sticky dough that
came together well off the mixing bowl walls. (Magic Mill). It had
about 8 minutes of mixer kneading. Then into a greased bowl and the
refrigerator.
This morning I shaped it into 4 boules about 8 am. Each was proofed
under an inverted bowl that had been rinsed with hot water, but not
dried. Three went on the kitchen table and one proofed on top of the
microwave. Even though the kitchen was 72 degrees, at 3 pm, the temp
of the three on the table was 65 degrees. The one on the micro, which
has gotten a bit of directly sunlight, was 75.
All were baked at 425 on a Fibrament stone until the internal temp was
200 - 205 degrees.
The one on the microwave was likely slightly overproofed at 75
degrees, and did not have really spectacular oven spring, but was
consumed before the picture below was taken. Shucks.
I assume the other three are as yummy.
The knife I use as a lame is in the pic. We had a bit of debate on
depth of slashing, as you can tell.
http://i2.tinypic.com/s6qc6r.jpg
Boron
Gordon
"Boron Elgar" <boron...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:qhhb22hg219j4pv1a...@4ax.com...
> So far, all I had baked with the resurrected Sourdough Jack starter
> (which I have named "Lazarus," by the way) were lean, white flour
> doughs, so I decided to see how it behaved with something a little
> more "toothsome."
>
> Boron
Got my "Sourdough Jack's Cookery and Other Things" Book in the mail today.
Looking forward to trying out the Sourdough. I may wait until after Passover
before reviving it.
A couple of questions before I do. When I reconstitute the starter, should I
scald the flour with boiling water before adding the starter? After it cools
enough of course. If not, what did you do to try to keep the starter strain
pure?
Did you use all the packet (1/2 ounce) at one time?
Gordon in SW Indiana
Boron Elgar
wrote:
>
>"Boron Elgar" <boron...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>news:qhhb22hg219j4pv1a...@4ax.com...
>> So far, all I had baked with the resurrected Sourdough Jack starter
>> (which I have named "Lazarus," by the way) were lean, white flour
>> doughs, so I decided to see how it behaved with something a little
>> more "toothsome."
>>
><snip>
>> Boron
>
>Got my "Sourdough Jack's Cookery and Other Things" Book in the mail today.
>Looking forward to trying out the Sourdough. I may wait until after Passover
>before reviving it.
Makes sense. Though it might be interesting to refresh a starter with
potato flour or matzo meal, just as a lark. There is no question that
a thriving starter is the ultimate chometz. I am not that strict in
observance that it make a difference to me.
>
>A couple of questions before I do. When I reconstitute the starter, should I
>scald the flour with boiling water before adding the starter? After it cools
>enough of course. If not, what did you do to try to keep the starter strain
>pure?
>
>Did you use all the packet (1/2 ounce) at one time?
>
There is no "right" way to do this. I used regular flour and had a
"control" starter of that same flour and water. I used the entire
packet at once. I wasn't really setting out to do scientific
experiment, just to have fun.
There is no question to me that the test containers were much more
active much more quickly than the control, but what happens with
yours, I cannot tell you.
My packet was intact and perfectly sealed, Who knows under what
fortunate conditions it was stored over the years?
I have two containers of it still going and it as active as Carl's,
which I always use as the standard of activity. It does, though, yield
a more sour flavor, given the same basic recipe and technique.
Boron
Ed Bechtel
>
> The one on the microwave was likely slightly overproofed at 75
> degrees, and did not have really spectacular oven spring, but was
> consumed before the picture below was taken. Shucks.
>
> I assume the other three are as yummy.
>
> The knife I use as a lame is in the pic. We had a bit of debate on
> depth of slashing, as you can tell.
>
> http://i2.tinypic.com/s6qc6r.jpg
>
>
>
> Boron
Ed Replies...
Boron - your recipe sounds tasty and the bread looks great. Nice pics.
Do you have any pictures after slicing ?? My idea of going wild is
adding a tablespoon of whole wheat flour to the white bread flour. I
may try these multigrain breads pretty soon.
Ed Bechtel
Boron Elgar
wrote:
I did not take a photo of it, but it is not an open, airy, holey
texture, neither was it as dense as, say, a good Jewish rye. Great
sandwich bread, great toast.
I think you will enjoy the depth of flavors provided by the
combination of several grains.
Boron
Boron Elgar
wrote:
>
Say there, Gordon...whatever happened to your experiment. or did I
miss the results?
Boron
hayes.a
I haven't started it yet, Boron. I will start my starter after the 19th of
this month. Will let you know how it goes.
Gordon
Boron Elgar
Slim Langer
came from a nice Texas Mom and Grandmom who started it sometime in the
60s from an SDJ packet and kept it going since. It has a good flavor, a
little sharp and wheaty. It's a fast rising and steady rising starter,
somewhat on the order of the SDI Russian. When first starting from the
dry flakes or powder, it likes to grow big bubbles on or near the top
surface of the culture. In the bread, it does not usually show the
varigated or big crumb of some other starters, like the SF, Bahrain or
Giza. Still it's a good working starter. I have two of the SDJ books
that came with the starter packet. One, I tried several years ago,
dates to an early edition of the book, late 50s, and did not start when
I tried to grow a spoonful with a small amount of scalded flour. The
other is from the 70s, (a thicker book, 1/2 vs 1/4 inch thick!), I keep
in the fridge with my other dried starters and haven't gotten around to
trying yet.
Slim
Dick Adams
"Slim Langer" <slim_...@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:1144892077.3...@u72g2000cwu.googlegroups.com...
> ... In the bread, it does not usually show the varigated or big
> crumb of some other starters, like the SF, Bahrain or Giza.
I doubt if the name or strain of the sourdough culture used has
much to do with the texture of the loaves produced.
> One, ... did not start ... the other ... I keep in the fridge with my
> other dried starters and haven't gotten around to trying yet.
Sounds like you got a bunch of starters ... like you spent a few
bucks at SDI. You should test them for viability right away when
you get them. Probably you wouldn't get your money back, but
that would be your best shot.
--
Dicky
Slim Langer
> I doubt if the name or strain of the sourdough culture used has
> much to do with the texture of the loaves produced.
Hello Mr. Adams,
Nice to hear from you and hope you're well. You may certainly doubt to
please yourself. I notice, all other things being equal, quite
consistent individual qualities in the crumb of bread raised with
specific starters. And distinctions that remain true and generally
reproducible. My bread making technique tends to stay the same and I've
been at it a while.
> Sounds like you got a bunch of starters ... like you spent a few
> bucks at SDI. You should test them for viability right away
I think I did spend *just* a few bucks at SDI several years ago, less
than twenty dollars probably. The rest of the starters came from
trading with friends who had starters they liked, or had starters they
wanted to try. I have a little bit of a microbiology background and
carefully keep 'em separate, most as dried samples in sealed baggies in
my fridge. From my own experience I know these last pretty well, at
least 3 years. I guess I have 15-20 or so.
Slim
hayes.a
> On Mon, 10 Apr 2006
> >I haven't started it yet, Boron. I will start my starter after the 19th
of
> >this month. Will let you know how it goes.
> >
> >Gordon
> >
>
>
> Thanks.
>
> Boron
Well Boron,
UB is over and I have started my little experiment with the Sourdough
Jack's.
Group One: 3/4 cup by volume All-purpose flour, 1/2 cup by volume distilled
water, One packet of Sourdough Jack's Sourdough starter.
Group Two: 3/4 cup by volume All-purpose flour, 1/2 cup by volume distilled
water.
Used seperate plastic spoons to stir and mix. Used clean, not sterilized
quart mason jars. Placed each jar in a cold oven with the oven light on at
about 10:30 this AM. (04/20/06).
Will make notes and keep the group posted for those interested.
Gordon in SW IN., USA
Keen de el yeshuati
Boron Elgar
wrote:
Good luck. I hope yours revives as mine did, as I find it one of the
more interesting and productive starters I have.
Boron