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Sour Dough

07 Nov 2016
@ 08:04 pm (GMT)

Andrew Murray

I tossed up whether or not this should belong in the game recipe section, I mean technically, sourdough is full opf living organisms and I've cultivated them after initially capturing them but no, it's going in "Off Topic". Making sourdough really wouldn't work that well in the field either because you need the starter. I mean you could take a loaf that is in it's proving stage but that just gets a bit awkward...

Ever made your own bread?

It's very easy, especially with Sourdough, which is how bread has been made for thousands of years (up to 20,000 after some recent finds in Australia although more traditionally accepted is 5000 years originating in Egypt).

Sourdough involves the cultivation and maintenance of your own yeast culture known as "starter". To make this start you mix water and flour and just leave it out, the next day, mix some more, leave it out. You continue this with ever increasing amounts. By the second day you should notice bubbles in the flour. This is yeast beginning to eat the flour and multiply in the flour. The yeast is literally just floating around in the sky and the flour acts like a fly trap, once the yeast hits it, it's gets stuck in there, but instead of killing it, it's the perfect environment for it.

Once your starter is mature, you mix it with bread flour, salt, water, then let it prove over about 9hrs and then bake!

To maintain the starter I just keep it in the fridge and feed it flour and water about once a week. When I want it for making dough, I pull it out and leave it on the kitchen window sill to warm up, top it up with flour and water and wait until it starts bubbling really actively.

Sourdough, being fermented like yoghurt and beer, is much healthier for us as human beings. The fermentation process breaks down the gluten and flour, releasing much more nutrients from the flour and helping our gut with the gluten. The rise of gluten intolerances are linked to our modern bread production processes. People who are gluten intolerant, not allergic or coeliac, can eat sourdough with no problems in most cases.

I'm just about to pull a loaf out of the oven while I'm writing this post.

Nothing like fresh bread and nothing like making something yourself.

Replies

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08 Nov 2016
@ 03:53 am (GMT)

Paul Leverman

Re: Sour Dough
Another use is sourdough pancakes. Just a little thinner batter. So good.

Thanks for reminding me of bush camp breakfasts. Been too long.
08 Nov 2016
@ 04:27 am (GMT)

Trace Jacoby

Re: Sour Dough
I have been wanting to make home made sourdough bread for a while now, but never "got around to it". After reading this post, I think I'll start this weekend. There is just something about sourdough for me that puts all other breads to shame. Thanks for giving me the kick in the pants that I needed.
08 Nov 2016
@ 10:23 am (GMT)

Andrew Murray

Re: Sour Dough
Nothing like fresh bread :)
08 Nov 2016
@ 12:50 pm (GMT)

Mike Neeson

Re: Sour Dough
It's funny, as I'm reading this I've just finished discarding some of my rye starter into a bowl with some white flower and water to ferment overnight to make pancakes in the morning for the kids. I'm about 3 batches of loaves into my sourdough experiment and the loaves are getting better and better. There is a lot to learn. I started with this guy https://youtu.be/R1lKNx2v8ww and have been trying to get the recipe sorted before I moved on.

A couple of things.... your starter takes time and constant refeeding to get really strong, you'll know the starter is good when it doubles in size in less than 12 hours. It might take 2 days initially and slowly as more yeast is introduced and grows, fermentation will really take off. It really does take time. If you have problems with mold forming a skin on the top of the starter, wet the back of a spoon in vinegar and wipe it over the mixture - will kill any mold spores before they can grow.

Rye flour is the best way to start a starter - forget the potato water, honey etc just rye and equal weight water, great stuff.

FRIKKIN AMAZING BREAD - nothing like it.
08 Nov 2016
@ 04:33 pm (GMT)

Paul Leverman

Re: Sour Dough
The rye we use here makes a great starter. It is already distilled and is easily pourable. We use it as starter for conversation, at group gatherings, and as the hours pass, you can observe the gradual increase in unbounded knowledge freely given. It also has the ability to increase the decibel level of any given group of individuals. However, care must be taken when consuming large quantities, as a condition might develop commonly called "26 oz. flu".
08 Nov 2016
@ 08:23 pm (GMT)

Andrew Murray

Re: Sour Dough
You had me a for a bit there Paul, quite clever.

Mike I use more of a liquid starter rather than a dough or desem(?) starter. But I think that's the rye flour vs white flour thing...

I've not tried rye as yet. I'd love to make a dark rye. I cannot get enough of that stuff!

The other thing too is the type of flour your use can have massive effects on the outcome of the bread. I had a massive change of success when I switched from plain flour to Bread Flour (or strong flour, high protein flour, 14% flour). The difference being the gluten content. Regular flour is 7% rated for gluten content and bread flour are usually double this.

Once I get some more experience I think I'll mix it up with the different flours. My biggest problem presently is getting the cuts right on the loaf.

I also found having a pizza stone or baking stone in the oven is a really good way to ensure even and consistent heat in the oven, even when I bake in a tin, I'll put the tin on the stone. I'd love to have a wood fired oven for baking the bread in, I think that would really make it taste great!

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