Sourdough Starter

[moose]

Finally! The crocheted jar jumper worked (plus a top tip from my colleague to not worry too much about the starter growing in size, as long as a teaspoon of it floated in a bowl of water) Used Ms T no-knead recipe. Bit wonky, but tastes delicious.

 

[Ms T]

Looks great! Did you slash the top before baking?

 

[moose]

Looks great! Did you slash the top before baking?

Oops! No, it slashed its own top was I supposed to?

 

[sojourner]

Looks fab moose !

 

[Ms T]

Oops! No, it slashed its own top was I supposed to?

I do now. Otherwise it bursts.

 

[RubyToogood]

Next step:

 

[Biddlybee]

What do you slash with MsT and Ruby? My blades are blunting and pulling

 

[iona]

What do you slash with MsT and Ruby? My blades are blunting and pulling

I use a very sharp thin knife or a razor blade. Needs to be done as a quick slash, not a slower cut.

Think I still have a few of the proper razor-y things a bakery owner gave me if you or anyone else want any.

E2a these:

 

[Biddlybee]

Aye, I'm doing it quickly, but the blades are definitely blunting.

Not sure where sells old school razor blades.

 

[iona]

Aye, I'm doing it quickly, but the blades are definitely blunting.

Not sure where sells old school razor blades.

I buy mine online

 

[RubyToogood]

What do you slash with MsT and Ruby? My blades are blunting and pulling

I didn't know until recently that I was supposed to. Since then I have been hacking ineffectively with a knife. It never works very well.

I'm doing an online course atm and the tutor today was saying "ooh I've got a new razor blade, I love that, it's so much easier when you get a new one". So I guess you have to change them fairly often. It was just a razor blade.

 

[Wolveryeti]

The process is so messy I thought I might as well do 2 loaves at a time. Not too unhappy with the result. 900g strong white flour, 150g starter. 1hr autolyse, 4hr first prove, 3hr second prove.

 

[han]

Quick question - I'm about to buy a proving basket. Should it be the same size as the Le Creuset pot that I'm going to bake the sourdough in?

 

[moose]

My basket's 23cm across the top, and my pot's 21cm, and both work fine for a loaf made with 500g flour, han

 

[moose]

Well this loaf came out magnificently, despite a rather unorthodox method/massive error
I put the pot in to heat, then put the dough in after 30 mins. I'd asked my husband to take the lid off for another 25 mins, at which point he noticed I'd turned the grill on, not the oven! He rectified that and baked it for another 20 mins with lid on, and 20 with it off, and this came out! Disaster averted! It's a little bit dense in the middle, but the lovely crust makes up for it. Probably won't try to repeat that method though.

 

[eoin_k]

 

[han]

My basket's 23cm across the top, and my pot's 21cm, and both work fine for a loaf made with 500g flour, han

Brilliant, thanks!

 

[han]

Well! Finally got round to our first loaf, using Ms T 's recipe. Just waiting for it to cool down for an hour before tasting.

 

[han]

It's very tasty!

 

[Saunders]

I’d left my starter out of the fridge for a few days (maybe a week) and didn’t like the look of it so flushed it away and am restarting again from a couple of dried starter chips that I froze. It worked last time I did this....

 

[han]

Bread-baby 2! Already scoffed! This is fun!

 

[han]

It's quite adorable. My OH feeds the starter, then sits there, watching and waiting for it to bubble.

Life in the fast lane.

We're on our third loaf now. I may have to stop the running commentary now, lest it gets boring. Though I probably won't.

 

[han]

Toast from bread-baby 3! Our most delicious one yet. Accidentally leaving the oven turned up to the top for 7 mins before turning down to 220 turned out to be a good thing. Nice hard but also chewy crust.

 

[Saunders]

My little piece of frozen starter flakes, which I fed daily with 15g water and 15g flour, looked and smelled ready enough on Wednesday evening,

so I mixed up a dough which I baked yesterday. I used half whole meal bread flour and (by accident) half ordinary wholemeal, and added loads of seeds, so it took a while to rise and cooked quite dense. It’s delicious, though.

 

[han]

Saturday sourdough!

Looks like accidentally leaving the heating on overnight helped with the rise on this one. Or maybe it was feeding Krystal just as she was about to bubble over out of her pot.

 

[han]

Caraway and caramelised onion sourdough, made yesterday by my Wifey!

 

[moose]

Every time I go off-piste and add stuff, it doesn’t rise so well. I wonder what I’m doing wrong this one has poppy seeds but otherwise everything’s the same as usual, but it’s a bit flat.

 

[han]

Looks tasty - I wonder if when you add stuff it might be necessary to let it rise for longer?

 

[sojourner]

My last two have been flat as a bloody pancake. The overnight bubbling works the way it always did - come down to find a bowl full to the brim with risen bubbly dough, but once it goes in the banneton, it just loses all life. I thought summer would make it better, not worse!

 

[moose]

once it goes in the banneton, it just loses all life. I thought summer would make it better, not worse!

Yes, this, actually. I had to try so hard to get it to rise in the cold weather I thought this would be a doddle, but you're right - mine's doing the same thing.