The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

PhiloBreddoe's blog

PhiloBreddoe's picture
PhiloBreddoe

 Sponge-started white (french?) above, yeast-leavened sourdough below

Two Starters: Sponge-started white (french?) above, yeast-leavened sourdough below

So, this weekend, I decided to do a side-by-side comparison of baking with a sponge starter and a yeast-leavened sourdough (yeah, yeah, so sue me).  I wanted to feel the different textures see the different crusts, and make other comparisons between working with the two kinds of starter.  For both recipes I used the Joy of Cooking.  My experiences were, I'm sure, typical: the sourdough was much drier and the sponge very sticky; the sourdough was easier to work from the start, the sponge took a couple of foldings on a floured board.  As with most home bread-baking, where total failure is almost impossible, the outcomes were VERY good, in both cases.  Taste-wise, the french turned out slightly better.

And the insidesAnd the insides

Subscribe to RSS - PhiloBreddoe's blog