The Bread Thread

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Sourdough. I think my starter is going on 2 years old now.

I use a tweaked recipe from here:

https://www.ediblenm.com/the-perfect-loaf-beginners-sourdough-bread/
You basically start the dough in the morning and work it (off and on every few hours) most of the day. Then shape the dough into 2 loaves around 6PM and place into the bannetons and cover with a produce baggie and seal and store in the fridge overnight to proof. Pull out the next morning and bake off. I use CI Dutch Oven. 25mins covered. 16-18mins uncovered at 450F.

Mike, you are truly an artist! What kind of bread is it? It appears to be a sourdough or a Tuscan type white. Would you be willing to share your recipe?
 
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Back in the saddle.......... Started at 6AM to beat the heat.

View attachment 90900
Those sure are perdy.

How long since you made your last batch or fed your starter. That's where I always had issues. I'd want to make a loaf, but always had to get my starter back in shape because I never got a good enough loaf to make me excited enough to really focus on the starter.

Do you use anything to transfer to the dutch oven?
 
I feed my starter(s) every two weeks (max). I keep them in the fridge out in the garage. Sometimes I just dump 200gms starter into the trash and then add back 100gms AP flour and 100gms water, stir and......... rinse, repeat......

Other times I make a sourdough pizza crust dough out of it and feed it. Days like today I made both bread and a sourdough pizza crust and froze it. I let it rise and proof for about 10 hours then punch it down one last time and then wrap the pizza dough in Saran Wrap and then into Tupperware container and pop into the freezer. The dough will last about a month and still turn out a nice crust once baked.

I dump the loaves out of the bannetons directly onto a sheet of parchment paper. Score the loaf quickly and then pull the preheated DO out of the oven and just transfer the loaf to the DO via the parchment paper (drop it in). Put the lid back on and pop it back into the oven for the 25min covered bake portion.



Those sure are perdy.

How long since you made your last batch or fed your starter. That's where I always had issues. I'd want to make a loaf, but always had to get my starter back in shape because I never got a good enough loaf to make me excited enough to really focus on the starter.

Do you use anything to transfer to the dutch oven?
 
Thanks! Adding pizza dough into the mix is a good idea. I never thought of it. Waffles would be a quick one just to recharge the starter.

I'll have to try parchment next time. I was cooking in a gas oven before, heat from the bottom only, and my loaves were DARK on the bottom. That and the transfer were my two failing points. It's disappointing after weeks of working on your starter, and hours working on the 'perfect' loaf.

I'll have to revisit it again this fall.

I've noted your pizza pictures before, thinking that looks damn good. Now, had I known it was a sourdough crust....
 
Yep the pizza crust option gives you an excellent way to use up a discard for use now or later if frozen.

I have taken discards and just made a quick pancake but man that is one sour pancake! It really needs to be diluted into multiple pancakes.

I have a sourdough pizza recipe when you or anyone else is ready. It's now tried and true.
 
Heat from the bottom should not be a problem, in fact I think it should be preferred. You can always move your rack up to equalize heat distribution. I find the DO really helps to smooths things out (heat wise). We went from electric oven (POS) LG to Gas oven GE Cafe' with heat from the bottom and have never been happier.


I'll have to try parchment next time. I was cooking in a gas oven before, heat from the bottom only, and my loaves were DARK on the bottom. That and the transfer were my two failing points. It's disappointing after weeks of working on your starter, and hours working on the 'perfect' loaf.
 
Heat from the bottom should not be a problem, in fact I think it should be preferred. You can always move your rack up to equalize heat distribution. I find the DO really helps to smooths things out (heat wise). We went from electric oven (POS) LG to Gas oven GE Cafe' with heat from the bottom and have never been happier.

Hmmm. I was using a dutch oven. Maybe I was too hot, or not enough room to raise the DO up high enough. Likely not a variable I'll have to contend with anymore

I am sure I will hit you up for that recipe at some point.

Have you ever tried sourdough bagels? They are amazing. I get some from a little farm store right on the farm, 20 minutes outside of a little town of 10,000. They are something you would expect to pay a few dollars a piece for in a fancy NY bakery.

If you haven't, and ever want to impress yourself, t's quite the thing. Lots of work I'm sure, but oh my! They are GOOOOD.
 
Speaking of bread. I fed my starter this AM and went to my local Smiths (Kroger) and KA flour jumped up $1 more for both the AP and bread flour. KA Bread Flour is now up to $7.50/ 5lbs!

View attachment 92009
It's still a bit under $5 here - but not by much. I think it was $4.79 last week. $4.48 at Walmart right now - those prices are for the regular, not bread flour.
 
That's more than buying from KA himself. $6.95 @ 5 lbs. Shipping might make it higher than the grocery, though.
 
I was just on the Walmart site to compare an saw the $4.48 for the AP. I use a "proprietary blend" (LOL) of both AP and Bread flour in my sourdough. Might have to see about snagging some at Walmart at some point but the closest one is a 45 mile round trip vs 1 mile round trip to the Kroger store.
 

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