Comments on: Managing Your Sourdough Starter http://www.breadtopia.com Bread Baking Instructional Videos and Baking Supplies. Sat, 13 Mar 2010 18:09:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Mary http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/comment-page-8/#comment-42392 Mary Sat, 27 Feb 2010 23:01:42 +0000 http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/#comment-42392 My starter stayed in the fridge (in the coldest part) for almost a year with no feeding...I opened it up, stirred, fed it and it is just bubbling away...Eric is right, it is very hardy stuff. The bread turned out beautifully. My starter stayed in the fridge (in the coldest part) for almost a year with no feeding…I opened it up, stirred, fed it and it is just bubbling away…Eric is right, it is very hardy stuff. The bread turned out beautifully.

]]> By: Bernie Piel http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/comment-page-8/#comment-42349 Bernie Piel Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:36:16 +0000 http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/#comment-42349 Roni, Eric's comment about overfeeding the starter w/ sugar items (high sucrose) is right and explains why my starter has been overflowing on the days I feed it w/ honey or malt. I personally like the taste of these things and the aroma of the starter, although sour, is still plesant and imparts a ncie aroma to the bread---at least it's nice to my sensibilities. The last loaf was my best ever, I think, as far as taste and texture and crust and crumb. But, there were so many other things I played with in making this loaf like coating the dough with crisco to keep it from drying out while letting it rise for several hours on its third rising after thawing it from the freezer and from the fridge then stretching the dough and actually thinking I wa probably overkneading which wasn't the case. Also, I also put some olive oil in my clay baking pot and put in sesame seeds which was an idea I got from one of Eric's great videos, then not being content with that, I generously sprinkled some McCormicks Italian Seasoning over the sesame seeds then put the just kneaded dough on top of the seeds and seasoning and pushed down lightly to force the seeds, etc to adhere to the loaf then turned it over to rise. The bottom of the clay pot, I did not soak, but I did the top for almost 30 minutes, and hours later when the loaf had risen a little more than double, i sprinkled the loaf w/ rock salt lightly. Almost forgot, while kneading this loaf, I took several garlic cloves and sliced them very thick, over an 1/8", and kneaded those into the center of the bread. I discovered the combination of oil, butter and crisco on the loaf along with the steam from the porous soaked clay lid created this really wonderful textured and chewy crust that was lighter than the bottom and somewhat up the sides because the bottom was not soaked, but oiled w/ olive oil and seeds. The toast I made with it was really good and tasted like a NY "everythng" bagel, especially with the chewy texture which became crunchy with the toasting. I guess what I like doing is taking a recipe, whether its starter or a loaf, and using the inital directions as a point of departure....most times I find the end result to be really a treat, but always the journey getting there is the best experience of all. Bernie Piel Roni,
Eric’s comment about overfeeding the starter w/ sugar items (high sucrose) is right and explains why my starter has been overflowing on the days I feed it w/ honey or malt. I personally like the taste of these things and the aroma of the starter, although sour, is still plesant and imparts a ncie aroma to the bread—at least it’s nice to my sensibilities. The last loaf was my best ever, I think, as far as taste and texture and crust and crumb. But, there were so many other things I played with in making this loaf like coating the dough with crisco to keep it from drying out while letting it rise for several hours on its third rising after thawing it from the freezer and from the fridge then stretching the dough and actually thinking I wa probably overkneading which wasn’t the case. Also, I also put some olive oil in my clay baking pot and put in sesame seeds which was an idea I got from one of Eric’s great videos, then not being content with that, I generously sprinkled some McCormicks Italian Seasoning over the sesame seeds then put the just kneaded dough on top of the seeds and seasoning and pushed down lightly to force the seeds, etc to adhere to the loaf then turned it over to rise. The bottom of the clay pot, I did not soak, but I did the top for almost 30 minutes, and hours later when the loaf had risen a little more than double, i sprinkled the loaf w/ rock salt lightly. Almost forgot, while kneading this loaf, I took several garlic cloves and sliced them very thick, over an 1/8″, and kneaded those into the center of the bread. I discovered the combination of oil, butter and crisco on the loaf along with the steam from the porous soaked clay lid created this really wonderful textured and chewy crust that was lighter than the bottom and somewhat up the sides because the bottom was not soaked, but oiled w/ olive oil and seeds.

The toast I made with it was really good and tasted like a NY “everythng” bagel, especially with the chewy texture which became crunchy with the toasting.
I guess what I like doing is taking a recipe, whether its starter or a loaf, and using the inital directions as a point of departure….most times I find the end result to be really a treat, but always the journey getting there is the best experience of all.
Bernie Piel

]]> By: Wil http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/comment-page-8/#comment-42334 Wil Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:26:43 +0000 http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/#comment-42334 In regard to using sugar or other sweetner in the feeding and management of your sourdough starter. Other than perhaps giving a new starter a jump, and even that is really not necessary, there are consequenses in the continuance of the practice of using sugar or other sweetners long term. The flour has all the sugar the natural yeast in the starter needs to flourish. That's why it's called "feeding" the starter. Adding sugar to the starter causes the yeast to binge, but then it also gets starved once the sugar is gone. The result of the binge is the over flowing container. The sugar causes the population of yeast to grow uncontrollably to the point that it will take quite a bit of flour to feed it. You want a "sour" dough starter not just a "yeast" starter. You want to achieve a balance in your starter between lactobacillus bacteria (the sour) and natural yeast (the rise). That being said, if you like your starter, the rise of your bread and the taste, that's what counts. Don't let me go purist on you. Wil In regard to using sugar or other sweetner in the feeding and management of your sourdough starter. Other than perhaps giving a new starter a jump, and even that is really not necessary, there are consequenses in the continuance of the practice of using sugar or other sweetners long term. The flour has all the sugar the natural yeast in the starter needs to flourish. That’s why it’s called “feeding” the starter. Adding sugar to the starter causes the yeast to binge, but then it also gets starved once the sugar is gone. The result of the binge is the over flowing container. The sugar causes the population of yeast to grow uncontrollably to the point that it will take quite a bit of flour to feed it. You want a “sour” dough starter not just a “yeast” starter. You want to achieve a balance in your starter between lactobacillus bacteria (the sour) and natural yeast (the rise). That being said, if you like your starter, the rise of your bread and the taste, that’s what counts. Don’t let me go purist on you.

Wil

]]> By: Roni http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/comment-page-8/#comment-42329 Roni Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:47:29 +0000 http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/#comment-42329 Bernie Piele Thank you for sharing the different additives to the Basic Starter....I will certainly be playing more and being more adventurous. The Guinness and Malt sounds like a winner. Bernie Piele Thank you for sharing the different additives to the Basic Starter….I will certainly be playing more and being more adventurous. The Guinness and Malt sounds like a winner.

]]> By: Breadtopia http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/comment-page-8/#comment-42292 Breadtopia Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:16:25 +0000 http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/#comment-42292 Hi Jackie, Sure, that's fine. I run into the sourdough Mt. Vesuvious effect too sometimes. So much fun cleaning up. Hi Jackie,

Sure, that’s fine.

I run into the sourdough Mt. Vesuvious effect too sometimes. So much fun cleaning up.

]]> By: Jackie http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/comment-page-8/#comment-42289 Jackie Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:26:17 +0000 http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/#comment-42289 In this video your starters are much more liquid than the ones you use in other videos making bread. My starter was more like pancake batter too. I've been using 1/4 cup in your recipes with good results. Then this morning I decided that I wanted it to be thick like the one in your Sourdough Rye video. It was so active last night after feeding that it ran over the top of the jar. I used some and then fed the remainder a half cup of flour & no water. Was that okay? In this video your starters are much more liquid than the ones you use in other videos making bread. My starter was more like pancake batter too. I’ve been using 1/4 cup in your recipes with good results. Then this morning I decided that I wanted it to be thick like the one in your Sourdough Rye video. It was so active last night after feeding that it ran over the top of the jar. I used some and then fed the remainder a half cup of flour & no water. Was that okay?

]]> By: Breadtopia http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/comment-page-8/#comment-42288 Breadtopia Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:29:03 +0000 http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/#comment-42288 Hi Catherine, I would just double bag some in a zip lock type food storage bag. The plastic will flex enough to accommodate some expansion from the starter. It should easily tolerate the journey. Hi Catherine,

I would just double bag some in a zip lock type food storage bag. The plastic will flex enough to accommodate some expansion from the starter. It should easily tolerate the journey.

]]> By: Catherine http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/comment-page-8/#comment-42287 Catherine Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:16:47 +0000 http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/#comment-42287 In a few weeks we will be flying to our annual ski trip and want to take our sourdough starter with us so we can have fresh baked bread and we can then share it with our friends so they can take the sourdough starter home with them. What is the best way to store and transport the sourdough for the flights? In a few weeks we will be flying to our annual ski trip and want to take our sourdough starter with us so we can have fresh baked bread and we can then share it with our friends so they can take the sourdough starter home with them. What is the best way to store and transport the sourdough for the flights?

]]> By: Bernie Piel http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/comment-page-8/#comment-42279 Bernie Piel Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:35:15 +0000 http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/#comment-42279 Well, I'm happy to report that the starter I made using rye flour 2 C; H20 1 1/2 C; 2 tsp commercial yeast; and 3/4 cup Guinness has turned out quite well. 2 days later I added 1/2 cup of buttermilk and same amt of rye. 3 days later I added 1/2 cup of spelt and 1/2 C of H20 and a tsp of honey. I had to keep adding flour because the additional sucrose caused the yeast to become hyperactive and it overflowed my container while in the fridge. Other than the initial commercial yeast in the beginning, I've not added more yeast. This afternoon, I added more rye, H20 and malt barley, just 1 tsp of the malt barley. I forgot it on the counter while I went to a cooking class and it had bubbled up nicely--very foamy, but also very much out of its container, again. However, I finally noticed that the starter has this really great pleasant rustic smell to it that is almost heady. Tomorrow, it's try making sourdough. I'll say one last thing. I read about 12 books today regarding sourdough starters--one of these was from 1942, several were of more recent vintage. But what I gleaned from them is that starter is nothing to fret over. If it doesn't bubble, then give it some time. Feel free to experiment with beer, milk, grape skins or whatever you want. I've been lucky enough to mentally taste what I throw together and I know not to add some obvious things that could create a chemical or negative organic event that could be detrimental to the final product, but even one's health. If you think about the people that came across this country to settle it--they didn't have refrigerators, they didn't have packages of Red Star or Fleischmann's to help them along, nor did they have containers that would seal out every little microbe that they'd brush up against while heading west on horseback or a conestoga wagon. So, I don't think we need to be so worrisome about our starters---I have a feeling if you keep it wet, keep it from freezing and drying out, feed it its pinch of flour or whatever flavorful foodstuff that might seem tasty and an occasion bit of sweet---these things will pretty much take care of themselves. My only drawback is that my starter seems to want a bigger jar and so I guess I'll get one to make it happy. Thanks for listing some great books on the site. Br. Reinhard is my new best hero. Well, I’m happy to report that the starter I made using rye flour 2 C; H20 1 1/2 C; 2 tsp commercial yeast; and 3/4 cup Guinness has turned out quite well. 2 days later I added 1/2 cup of buttermilk and same amt of rye. 3 days later I added 1/2 cup of spelt and 1/2 C of H20 and a tsp of honey. I had to keep adding flour because the additional sucrose caused the yeast to become hyperactive and it overflowed my container while in the fridge. Other than the initial commercial yeast in the beginning, I’ve not added more yeast. This afternoon, I added more rye, H20 and malt barley, just 1 tsp of the malt barley. I forgot it on the counter while I went to a cooking class and it had bubbled up nicely–very foamy, but also very much out of its container, again. However, I finally noticed that the starter has this really great pleasant rustic smell to it that is almost heady. Tomorrow, it’s try making sourdough.

I’ll say one last thing. I read about 12 books today regarding sourdough starters–one of these was from 1942, several were of more recent vintage. But what I gleaned from them is that starter is nothing to fret over. If it doesn’t bubble, then give it some time. Feel free to experiment with beer, milk, grape skins or whatever you want. I’ve been lucky enough to mentally taste what I throw together and I know not to add some obvious things that could create a chemical or negative organic event that could be detrimental to the final product, but even one’s health. If you think about the people that came across this country to settle it–they didn’t have refrigerators, they didn’t have packages of Red Star or Fleischmann’s to help them along, nor did they have containers that would seal out every little microbe that they’d brush up against while heading west on horseback or a conestoga wagon. So, I don’t think we need to be so worrisome about our starters—I have a feeling if you keep it wet, keep it from freezing and drying out, feed it its pinch of flour or whatever flavorful foodstuff that might seem tasty and an occasion bit of sweet—these things will pretty much take care of themselves. My only drawback is that my starter seems to want a bigger jar and so I guess I’ll get one to make it happy. Thanks for listing some great books on the site. Br. Reinhard is my new best hero.

]]> By: Ami http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/comment-page-8/#comment-42256 Ami Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:18:17 +0000 http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/#comment-42256 Hi, I think I might be having problems with my starter. It doesn't seem to be rising like your does when I feed it. I usually feed it and put it back in the fridge, but it never really rises. I'm using 100% whole wheat. Last night before I went to bed, I made the recipe on your website, "Sour Dough No-Knead Method". This morning when I woke up (about 8 hours later) it hasn't seemed to rise very much at all. I usually make bread with instant dry yeast and therefore know what risen bread should like it, but this hasn't really bugged. Do I need to let me starter 'rise' out of the fridge before I use it? Or can I just take it out and add it to my recipe. Any suggestions as to why my starter is having issues? Should I start all over again? Thanks so much. Hi,

I think I might be having problems with my starter. It doesn’t seem to be rising like your does when I feed it. I usually feed it and put it back in the fridge, but it never really rises. I’m using 100% whole wheat. Last night before I went to bed, I made the recipe on your website, “Sour Dough No-Knead Method”. This morning when I woke up (about 8 hours later) it hasn’t seemed to rise very much at all. I usually make bread with instant dry yeast and therefore know what risen bread should like it, but this hasn’t really bugged. Do I need to let me starter ‘rise’ out of the fridge before I use it? Or can I just take it out and add it to my recipe. Any suggestions as to why my starter is having issues? Should I start all over again? Thanks so much.

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