The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.
kolobezka's picture

How does a SD starter survive drying / freezing?

July 21, 2013 - 12:21pm -- kolobezka

We were discussing this question with a friend but our knowledge in microbiology is not so deep :(

The "wild" yeast and lactobacilli do not form spores, is that right?

So how come that the starter survives drying / freezing for longer storage?

Any idea what percentage of the SD microflora usually withstands the unfavorable conditions?

Syd-a's picture

The perfect fruit sourdough

July 21, 2013 - 10:58am -- Syd-a

So, I am looking to do a big final (for now) sourdough bread bake this week. I have a very good sourdough recipe that last (and the first time) I did it give some very nice airy crumb. 

I want to maintain and maybe even enhance that airy crumb even more, but this time around I am looking to add some raisins and sultanas as I love fruited breads.

Question 1. What percentage of fruit should ideally be used for a sourdough?

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

In our quest for the ever better pizza dough, this time we went with cherry yeast water and a pinch of ADYfor the levain using durum semolina and AP for the flour.  It was built over two 4 hour stages and then mixed with the dough flour, that had been autolysed for 1 hour water, salt and water. 

We did 10 minutes of slap and folds before 3 sets of S&F's on 15 minute intervals before being retarded for 12 hours in the fridge.  We took it out of the fridge 4 hours before we wanted to bake with the 1st hour being outside in 105 F heat to make sure it warmed up fast as it only grew 30% in the fridge.

It did press out very nicely and we let it rest half way through.  Since it wasn't rolled paper tin like our normal crusts it ended up being a little thicker but since were baking this on the gas grill outside we thought a little thicker wouldn't hurt at all and we were right about that.

As is our usual, we docked the dough with a fork and brushed Mojo de Ajo over the entire crust to give it that garlic flavor. We didn't put fresh rosemary and sun dried tomato in the dough like we usually do either. 

 

We preheated the stone on the grill for 30 minutes before starting to form the first pizza crust and the grill was was at 500 F when we put the first crust on the stone to par bake for  3 minutes before it was removed to pile on the sauce and toppings.

After returning the pizza to the grill we baked them another 6 minutes rotating them on the stone after 3 minutes.  The first pizza, the one my wife built, was on the grill 2 minutes longer (8 after toppings were put on) since I figured that the stone wasn't as hot as it should be but she said the crust was too crispy for her even though the crust wasn't burned anywhere top or bottom.

The toppings included store bought mild Italian sausage and pepperoni for the meats, mozzarella and Parmesan for the cheeses, Fresh hatch green chilies and red peppers for heat and color, caramelized red onion and mushrooms, kalamata olives and green onion with fresh basil for garnish.  Not as home made or extensive as our usual but still a plentiful load when piled on.

This crust baked up very crispy with dark splotches on the bottom side.  There was not a millimeter worth of sag in the pieces once cut and not much when complete cooled.  The crunch when talking a bite was just testament to how well the crust baked up,  The semolina added a hint of sweetness with no sugar in the dough.  All in all, I give this crust an 8 out of 10,  Not the best tasting or as open and puffed up as some but it is the the best of the crispy by far.

If you like soft, thick crust,  folded over, floppy NY style pizza.... this crust is not for you.  It was stormy at he sun's setting last night and it rained hard for many hours after it set  We need the rain so badly, I will gladly give up a beautiful sun set for it.

 Formula

YW and Pinch of YeastBuild 1Build 2Total%
Pinch of ADY   0.00%
Durum Semolina25255013.33%
AP25255013.33%
Water0505013.33%
Yeast Water500013.33%
Total10010015026.67%
     
YW % of Total29.06%   
     
Dough Flour %  
Durum Semolina379.87%  
Corn Flour256.67%  
AP21356.80%  
Dough Flour27573.33%  
     
Salt82.13%  
Water19050.67%  
Dough Hydration69.09%   
     
Total Flour375100.00%  
Total Water and YW290   
T. Dough Hydration77.33%   
     
Hydration w/ Adds77.33%   
Total Weight689   
     
Add - Ins %  
Olive Oil164.27%  

 

mymeowzer's picture

Making Yeast based Donuts to order?

July 21, 2013 - 9:07am -- mymeowzer

I am thinking about starting a business where I make donuts to order. I wanted to use a brioche type dough. How do I go about treating the dough? Do I leave it in the fridge and then take out as needed? Do I need to leave the dough to rise outside of the fridge before frying? I have been to many restaurants that have made-to-order yeast-based donuts on their menus and I was wondering how they prepare them so fast.

Thank you..

Laura T.'s picture
Laura T.

Before going gluten free, I used to love making Jason's Coccodrillo Ciabatta. So quick, easy and delicious! I wanted to try to create something similar with my gf flours and this is what I came up with. If you enjoy the taste of sorghum, you'll definitely appreciate this one. :)

  • 400g flours, mixed to combine - 150g sorghum, 100g rice, 150g corn starch
  • 5g yeast
  • 15g salt
  • 20g psyllium
  • 660ml water

Mix the psyllium with the water and beat until a gel is formed. Add all of the remaining ingredients. Mix and knead until a smooth dough is formed. Cover in an oiled bowl and leave to rise until approximately 2.5x the original size. Pat and stretch on a floured baking sheet to create very flat ciabatta shapes. Prove whilst preheating the oven to 250c. Just before baking, flip the ciabattas over. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until golden. Do not cut the bread until it is fully cooled.


Sorry about the terrible slice! I need a new bread knife!

 

cinnamonshops's picture

Arva flour problems - pale crust

July 21, 2013 - 5:48am -- cinnamonshops
Forums: 

Hey all,

Not sure how many Canadians frequent this site (though I know there are some!), but this might be a more general question anyway. I recently bought a bag of Arva Unbleached White Hard Wheat Flour to use for bread, and it seems as though it's resulting in loaves that barely brown at all. Is there anything else that could be causing this? I used it in two or three different recipes, one sourdough and the others not, and all resulted in pale, pale breads. They weren't terrible aside from that, but it's definitely not right.

Cob's picture

Terrible London (UK) bakeries...

July 21, 2013 - 4:58am -- Cob

....are all over my parts.

I've not had much luck with those recommended by the Real Bread campaign. Some of the bread I've bought have really shocked/peeved me off equally.

£3-4 for a sourdough that's worse than mine (my SD is not actually bad!)? Just because it's organic and real. Do not know what's up with that.

Most days I love to bake bread. Some days I like to buy bread and take a day off.

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