Comments on: Amazing But True Sourdough

By: Charlie

Charlie — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 22:19:51 +0000

OK, y’all! Need some guidance, or recipe. I’ve been following your comments now for a few months. Congratualtions your assistance has me using Sourdough Starter and even adjustin a couple of recipes. So I am a happy bread maker. Now comes the issue, Youngest Daughter is planning her wedding for September, and has requested that I make bread for the after ceremony eating, “A nice crunchy crust, soft insidse, with a light garlic flavor?” This would be for about 50 people to go with an Italian meal.

Any suggestions, or how much garlic to use? I have already figured rolls would be easier, but have never got the crunchy crust right, so need some guidance there too.

Basically this is a request for HELP!!!

Thanks Charlie

By: Chuck

Chuck — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 20:44:23 +0000

Ooooppps! Forgot the starter in the ingredients. sorry.

David,
I am new to NKSD but yesterday baked my first ever “Rye” bread. It turned out great! I’m not sure it is a formal recipe, but this is what I did.

50g Light Rye flour
50g Dark Rye flour
315g White flour
2 tsp salt
388g water
100g starter
caraway seeds

I let the dough ferment for 18 hours. Then I turned it out on a board, french folded it 5 or 6 times adding the caraway seeds along the way. I formed the dough into a ball and put it in an oiled bowl to proof. It proofed for about 2 hours before baking.
As you might imagine, this concoction turned out to be a little wet, but for the first try not bad. I didn’t get the oven spring I am looking for, but the crumb, crust and taste is great. I am going to increase the white flour to 340g the next time. I cooked the bread in a cast iron dutch oven.

Good luck with your rye bread.

By: Chuck

Chuck — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 20:30:50 +0000

David,
I am new to NKSD but yesterday baked my first ever “Rye” bread. It turned out great! I’m not sure it is a formal recipe, but this is what I did.

50g Light Rye flour
50g Dark Rye flour
315g White flour
2 tsp salt
388g water
caraway seeds

Good luck with your rye bread.

By: Chuck

Chuck — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:52:53 +0000

It’s always been very interesting to know about the origins of a particular culture. Somehow that’s a link to the history of the region, its people and its culturel environment. Ed Wood at Sourdo.com does a great job of giving that kind of information. If you do a search, you’ll find that Dr. Wood has also done a great deal of research into bread, grains and the production of breads.

By: breadtopia

breadtopia — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:41:47 +0000

Ok, cool.

By: Bob Packer

Bob Packer — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:58:06 +0000

Eric,

The two Italian starters Chuck was referring to are commercial starters from Ed Woods. I have both and they both make a medium sour bread. I noticed on both that the sour increases considerably the next day.

By: Chuck

Chuck — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 13:02:41 +0000

The two starters I purchased were from Ischia and Camaldoli (regions in Italy). I managed to destroy the Camaldoli and after my frustration with attempting to get it activated, I tossed it out. The Ischia starter, on the other hand, activated within several days and does a great job of leavening. “Italian” starter refers to the region of the world from which it came. I think it’s always interesting to try giving a short history of the starter and information about it whenever you give someone either a “care” loaf or a starter for their own use.

By: breadtopia

breadtopia — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:57:27 +0000

What’s an Italian starter?

By: Chuck

Chuck — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:41:44 +0000

I bought two of the Italian starters and one absolutely died; the other does a great job of leavening but never achieves more than about a half-inch of foam on top. I recently activated another starter (non-Italian) and it practically jumped out of the jar after only two days. With the first starter, I tried everything I could think of – watching it closely, “washing” it, etc., etc., and nothing seemed to work. It may just be a characteristic of that particular starter but I can’t understand why yours worked as it did. It may just be that you have a magic touch.

By: breadtopia

breadtopia — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 19:43:32 +0000

Hi Judy,

I’d be interested in hearing how your testing (on yourself) goes with adding more and more grains. I’m sure others would too. I know some people have found that their intolerance for grains turned out to be some other additive or commercial yeast and that they can gradually transition to freshly ground organic grains leavened with wild yeast cultures (sourdough).

I just dropped your starter and thermometer off at the post office. It’s an all white flour starter, but it’s real easy to switch it to a whole wheat or rye starter if you want just by feeding it those grains for a couple days.

It’s okay if your house is on the cool side. Cool is actually a better temperate to proof bread in than warm. Things take longer but you getter better flavor development with the longer and slower rises.

Good luck with everything.

Eric