Cooking with Jonny69: baking bread.

[jpaul]

not really much activity after day 4 and even feeding it twice a day hasn't done much;

you are transplanting 3-4tbs(100g) of it and adding it to a new 75gflour/100g water mix ? rather than just adding flour/water to existing container ?
that's how I refresh/grow it
... if you add a relatively small % of flour/water to existing container it maybe constrained by waste/acid products of earlier feed.

 

[rickjames]

Discard all but 75g of the starter, then 50g rye, 50g plain, 125g water

Clean the jar completely every time

 

[jpaul]

once it's going, I have fed it exclusively with white flour
... with the theory that introducing (less refined) rye could put other competing yeast strains into the mix

 

[rickjames]

This is it this evening. Thoughts?

 

[jpaul]

looks fairly stodgy mines like syrup in terms of viscosity ... don't know if that enables yeast to ditribute itself more evenly - yours is at room temp ?
rye (because it stoneground ?) always absorbs more water, when I make bread with it, versus white.

I just cling the containers mine in, as opposed to a kilner type air-tight seal, the cling doesn't bulge but I thought it is giving off co2 so I don't know why

earlier picture i posted ... refreshed white mother , after 12hrs at room temp, with wholemeal child (6tbsp mother+80flour/120water) ready for bread making

 

[famas]

I found storing my starter in a much larger jar helped, more air to breath?

I find very strong white bread flour gave the best results and always use the same flour and brand every time you feed. Feed equal amounts of flour and water.
I also found mixing flours resulted in a knock back of the starter.

I kept my starter going for a year or so in the fridge and feeding weekly but now use a much simpler method and get excellent results.

As I only bake bread once or twice a fortnight now I found the starter to much hassle to keep alive, However I have recently found a new method for the starter which is working out wonderfully.

I'm using the same starter I started a year ago but instead of feeding it daily with fresh flour and water and keeping 150-200g in a jar as someone baking regularly would, the new method is much easier for me.

I used all but about 10g of starter from my jar then put that 10g into the fridge. When I'm going to bake bread I take the starter from the fridge in the morning and add 30g of flour and 30g of water. At about midday I add another 30g of flour and water, then by the evening it's doubled in size and I make my bread leaving just 10g of starter in the jar which goes straight back in the fridge ready for next time. The bread is proved over night and ready to bake the next morning.

No need for feeding daily or weekly if you keep it in the fridge.
I didn't think the starter would work well with such a small amount but the flavour and rise is great. I've also left it in the fridge for 3 weeks untouched and it always comes back to life.

 

[rickjames]

It's been in a massive Kilner jar until Monday this week. Fed it last night and it's shot up, so I think we're OK. I'm gonna take rye out and just go with plain for a bit.

 

[rickjames]

Soooo, got my starter out of the fridge last night, let it get to room temp and fed it before bed. Looks pretty encouraging ahead of baking this weekend with it

 

[jpaul]

"It's alive" should be good.

guess it overflowed after you took the lid off

https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/yeast-cells-can-carry-out-both-fermentation-336231

Where oxygen is present, the yeast can concentrate on growing and maintaining its cells, and thus produce little waste (alcohol and carbon dioxide). This process is faster and more efficient.

Without oxygen, the yeast uses its nutrition to produce more waste, allowing less cellular growth. This process is slower and much more inefficient for the yeast itself but is useful for rising bread and fermenting alcohol.

In an aerobic situation, the yeast can replicate itself quickly, which is useful for manufacturing, although care must be taken to limit the amounts of sugar or other nutrition so as not to contaminate the yeast with alcohol. In an anaerobic situation, the yeast affects other compounds, which is more useful for cooking.

... so to asphyxiate it, or not, that is the question ?

 

[rickjames]

So, first effort. Letting it cool for a few hours before cutting, but pretty happy to be honest! Dough was incredibly wet though, shaping was a bit of a nightmare

 

[rickjames]

 

[rickjames]

Used some discard starter to make pretzels. Turned out alright

 

[rickjames]

 

[Merlin5]

My friend who likes my cakes and tarts has asked me to make sourdough bread for him and his wife. Looks like hassle and a very lengthy process, I'm not sure I want to bother!

 

[jpaul]

I'm not sure I want to bother!

depends what role bread has in your diet .. if it's daily sandwiches/toast ... ,
then improving the quality taste/nutrition of that dietary element is significant, I would say going sourdough vs dried yeast is like drinking filter coffee as opposed to instant
and making the time investment in sourdough becomes worthwhile, tending it, and making bread regularly.
I do make most of my sourdough in a bread machine, though.

 

[jpaul]

Umm, was just baguettes, so just the basic 2% salt, 2% yeast and about 75% hydration, I may of added 1% sprint/improver. I generally prove them overnight in a couche, then peel them over to a tray just before cooking.

For full disclosure I should add that I work in a French patisserie, so 2 of the guys there have the very best of training, therefore I've had great teachers / advice. (You can catch them on this years Bakeoff Creme de la creme on BBC2, it's Laurian and Thibault from the Pink team.

noticed your mates are back on Bake-off this evening , to accolades .... no recent pictures of bread, to shame us ?

 

[jpaul]

tried soaking dried fruit in tea overnight, for a machine based sourdough, ovenight biga;
unexpectedly (drained) mixed dried fruit just merged/disintegrated in the bread and also added a lot of unexpected moisture, so (30%wholemeal) crumb did not develop, as normal

had used this recipe https://moorlandseater.com/spiced-fruit-sourdough/#wprm-recipe-container-1046

Usually add cinammon/mixed spice too

 

[Feek]

Here's my latest creation, just how I like it.

Next time, it'll have an egg wash and poppy seeds on top.

 

[Feek]

Nobody in here cares about home made bread any more?

I'm generally baking a loaf a day now and we haven't bought bread for over two months. Here's my latest loaf which I think is my best so far. I'm very pleased with it.

 

[jpaul]

yes looks better did you change oven temperature (what was it/how long), white, mixed-race ... need a texture shot.