Sourdough from starter to bread or to Big Bertha and beyond!
When I started this project (and it is a project!) I was told that starters have to be named so here is what I did to create Big Bertha (the starter)
This recipe is more of a diary as I kept notes and pictures as I went along to help me keep track of what I was doing and maybe it can help you.
I've included a sample schedule and starter discard recipes at the very end of this long and winding post.
Day 1:
1/2 cup flour (I used all purpose, they say rye is best to get it started but I didn't have any. Bread flour would be better too but all purpose is like it's name says ... all purpose and ok to use.)
1/2 cup water (room temperature and filtered or if you don't have filtered leave on counter 1 hour for the chlorine to dissapate).
Combine the flour and water in a glass jar mixing vigorously with a fork. Clean down the insides of the jar with a spatula so you can see the progress. I used this jar scraper spatula. Cover with a paper towel and elastic band and leave in a cosy spot in the kitchen for 24 hours. Mine sat on the counter right beside the stove.
Day 2:
If bubbling add 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup water and mix very well again and leave for 24 hours. If not bubbly yet then leave another 24 hours and come back to day 2. I was excited to see how bubbly mine was already but apparently this happens on day 2 or 3 then it slows down.
Day 3:
Now begins the discarding of half the starter. Stir then remove 1/2 of the starter and throw it away (I would never do that! Waste not, want not!) or use it in another recipe (lots of discard recipes out there). This time I gave the other half to my daughter so she could continue her own starter at day 3. After removing 1/2 add 1/2 cup flour and 1/4-1/3 cup water, stir well and sit 24 hours.
Day 3:
Bubbles appearing on the top. I didn't remove half but still added 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup water and left it for 24 hours.
Stir then remove half (and refrigerate the discard for later use or leave on the counter if baking with it same day) then add 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 - 1/3 cup water every 12 or 24 hours. I chose 24 hours. Continue through days 4, 5 and 6. Also to note, I alternated with using different amounts of water to see if it made a difference in the appearance of the bubbles. They say in thinner batters the bubbles can rise up and pop. You want them trapped. I ended up keeping it about pancake batter consistency. I did try using whole wheat on day 6 but didn't see any difference. Keep an elastic around the jar at the batter level to track it's progress.
I had some bubbles in the batter so I thought I'd try the float test. That is how you test to see if your starter is ready to bake with. I took a teaspoon of batter and dropped it into water and it floated! Then I read up on float tests again and realized I hadn't done it right. I'll get back to the right way a little later.
Day 7 through 12:
On day 7 I discovered some light brown liquid floating on the surface of the starter. This is called hooch, nothing wrong with the starter it just wants to be fed. I poured off the hooch and continued feedings... discard 1/2 the starter, add 1/2 cup flour and almost 1/2 cup water every day. Remember to use room temperature water. At some point along the way I transferred the starter to a clean jar as it was getting hard to clean inside a see what was happening but bubbles were definitely appearing throughout the starter (although they were small)
Day 13:
Stir and discard 1/2 the starter. In a bowl or measuring cup take 3 tbsps starter, 1/3 cup flour and 1/4 cup room temperature water and combine. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise to double. You could put it in the oven, NO heat just the oven light on, for about an hour to help it along the way. I started in the measuring cup with 1/2 cup total and it increased to almost one whole cup after about 10 hours. Keep an eye on it. If it is still growing that's good but if it stops or starts to drop there won't be anymore rising. To the remaining or leftover starter I added 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup water. This is Big Bertha who I hope to keep alive for many years.
Float test:
Take 1 tbsp of the active starter from the measuring cup and drop into a cup of room temperature water. If it floats it's ready to bake with. If not, remove 1/2, add 1/4 cup flour 1/4 water and check again in a few hours. This time it floated nicely... it's Go Time!
Sourdough Bread Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups water, room temperature
1+ cup active starter
5 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp salt
Pour 2 1/4 cups water into a large bowl. Add ripe starter, mix with spatula or wooden spoon until floating cloud of starter is combined with the water. Add the flour and mix until it forms a shaggy ball. Cover with a damp dish towel for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
Then mix the 1/4 cup water with salt and work into the dough with your hands to evenly distribute the salt through the dough. Let rest covered with a dish towel 30 minutes.
Stretch and Fold:
I read that you never punch down or knead sourdough as you would a yeast dough. Instead you use a stretch and fold technique. It's a sticky dough so best to use wet hands. Pull dough from under ball up and over top. Turn the bowl 1/4 turn and do it again. Repeat so that it's done 4 times around the bowl. Rest 30 minutes.
Repeat the stretch and fold 2-4 times waiting 30 minutes between each.
Bulk Rise:
After all the stretching and folding cover the bowl with a dishtowel and leave at room temperature 1 hour.
Then put it all in a large plastic bag (I used a garbage bag), tie the bag closed and refrigerate for 12-15 hours (or overnight)
Note: depending on what time it is when you do this step you could choose to skip the 12-15 hour refrigeration and leave on the counter 3-4 hours then bake. Just check the rest of the recipe to see that you're not baking bread at 4:00 in the morning!! Unless that's you're thing! Check the sample schedule at the end of this recipe that could help you with timing.
The next morning remove the bowl from the fridge and leave on the counter for 2 hours.
Then gently dump the dough out onto an unfloured surface. Flour the top lightly then carefully cut in half. A dough scraper is called for here but I have a cake lifter which worked fine.
Gently form the dough into 2 balls going around the edge with the scraper or lifter. Rest 20-30 minutes. If the shape falls re-do the ball and rest again. It's a sticky dough so it will be a flat-ish ball.
Slide scraper under ball and gently flip onto floured side. Stretch and pull from bottom to 1/3 up loaf. Repeat 3 times then take dough from top of ball and pull it all the way to the bottom. Pinch seam and place seam side up in a floured bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and rise on counter or fridge 2-4 hours. I read that both the 12-15 fridge rise and this fridge rise increases the sour taste of the dough so you can decide if you want your sourdough more or less sour.
Preheat oven to 500°F for 30-40 minutes and set a dutch oven and lid or baking pans to be used in the oven to heat. For this round one pictured I used an old 2 qt. Guardian service pot and lid. For the loaf I used an 8 X 4" pan with a 9 X 5" pan for the "lid".
Have a cast iron pan of water ready to be put in the bottom of the oven. Some ovens have a concave floor that you can pour the water right into. Never use Pyrex for this job! I learned the hard way! When I took it out of the oven it exploded red hot pieces of glass all over the kitchen!
Anyways, place a large piece of parchment for each loaf on the counter, sprinkle some flour on it and gently flip the ball out onto the center, seam side down. Remove the hot pot and lid from the oven and carefully lift the parchment and gently lower into the the pot. Score with a very sharp knife (mine was not that sharp). So my ball looked deflated and so was I but I figured I'd see it through and bake it even if I ended up with a hockey puck. Place the lid on top, turn the heat down to 475°F and place the pot in the oven. Add the water to the bottom to create steam and quickly shut the oven door.
Bake at 475°F for 10 minutes, then turn the heat down to 450° for 20 minutes.
Finally remove the cover and bake 20-30 minutes longer. A digital thermometer should read between 205-210°F when done. Remove from pot by lifting the parchment. Remove the paper and cool on rack. Or if you want the crust more brown return the bare bread to the oven right on the rack for a couple more minutes. Just keep on eye on what's happening.
Cool completely on rack before slicing to preserve it's texture.
Not bad for a first-timer!
Lots of bubbles throughout...
And here's a couple more I've made
So Big Bertha birthed her first baby sourdough bread on Mother's day of this Covid19 pandemic breadmaking marathon year! (Ok, I know that's weird but true!)
You can keep your starter on the counter and continue discarding and feeding as long as you want to keep baking bread every few days, but if you want a break from it feed the starter then put it in the fridge. Remove and feed once a week. Then when ready to bake again take the starter out of the fridge, go back to the feeding routine at room temperature until she wakes up again.
Big Bertha is in my fridge right now. I hope I haven't killed her!
Sample Baking Schedule:
Day 1:
11:00 p.m - Stir the starter, do not remove any to discard, add 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup water. Leave on counter with paper towel and elastic cover on jar 8 hours.
Day 2:
7:00 a.m. - Remove 1/2 to discard, take 3 tbsps starter, 1/3 cup flour and 1/4 cup water and mix together. Cover with plastic wrap and leave on counter 8 hours.
3:00 p.m. - Do float test. If it works make shaggy dough ball and cover 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
3:30 p.m. - Add salted water and wait 30 minutes.
4:00 p.m. - 1st stretch and fold with wet hands
4:30 p.m. - 2nd " and "
5:00 p.m. - 3rd " and "
5:30 p.m. - 4th " and " then cover and wait 1 hour at room temperature.
6:30 p.m. - Cover with dish cloth and plastic bag and put in fridge overnight. (Or on counter 3-4 hrs but for this schedule I overnighted it)
Day 3:
8:00 a.m. - Take out of fridge. Leave at room temperature for 2 hours
10:00 a.m.- Dump out and form into ball. Rest 30 minutes.
10:30 a.m. - Stretch and fold X 4
12:30 p.m. - Form into a ball, cover 2 hours in fridge or on counter
2:30 p.m. - Bake, with enough time to let cool before supper time!
And here are some starter discard recipes that I've tried. I might be adding to this list from time to time so check back.
Sourdough Discard Brownies
Brownies with Cream Cheese Swirl
Cheesy Breadsticks from Sourdough Discard
Sourdough Discard and Yeast Bread
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