The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

My first Sourdough Babies....

macette's picture
macette

My first Sourdough Babies....

Introducing Bready Krueger and Harp, my very first sourdough babies...This is day one, I have great hopes for Bready but just in case Harp is the heir and the spare...fingers crossed everyone...

leslieruf's picture
leslieruf

that is very exciting - good luck and here’s hoping Bready & Harp do what they should.  look forward to to the first bakes once they are ready to rock!

Leslie

macette's picture
macette

Thank you for the well wishes, I really hope at least one of them develop, I wonder do you know if I can covert my usual yeast white bread to a sourdough version just to see the difference... my usual is 450g flour, 2 tsp yeast, 1.25 tsp salt,1 tbl sugar, 30g butter,290g water/milk mix. Don’t know how much starter I would use ....or maybe I’m suppose to use a whole new recipe...I like to plan ahead..lol

Lechem's picture
Lechem (not verified)

You can convert a number of ways each one giving different timings and flavour. I could give you one way and everyone else can give you their own way. It just won't be the same bread. As long as you keep the overall flour and water then you can chose to preferment (this will be your starter) any proportion of flour and water from the recipe. Then you add it back in. For instance:

Your Recipe:

  • 450g flour
  • 290g water/milk mix
  • 1.25 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp. sugar
  • 30g butter
  • 2 tsp yeast

Now my advice for you is to start off with just flour, water, salt and starter for your first recipe. But for the sake of showing you how to convert i'll give you an example:

1: Take out the yeast

2: chose how much starter you wish to use and then take out however much flour and water there is in the starter from the recipe.

So if you were to do 100g starter (or preferment levain which means taking a little starter and creating a larger amount like an off shoot starter. People do this for a few reasons. They don't keep enough starter as its used just as a seed and/or their starter might not be built to the right requirements. It's also easier to manage).

Now taking into account your starter is 100% hydration which means equal amounts of flour to water by weight here's your recipe re-arranged...

 

  • 400g flour (-50g from your 450g flour)
  • 240g water/milk mix (-50g from your 290g water/milk although starter should be water)
  • 1.25 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp. sugar
  • 30g butter
  • 100g starter (50g water + 50g flour)

 

When you use your starter it should be fed and bubbly. Or if you're making an off-shoot starter (a levain) then you take a little from your starter, feed it and wait till it's mature and bubbly. Once active it goes into the recipe.

Form the dough, knead, wait till the bulk ferment is done, shape and final proof. Very much like you'd have done in the original recipe although the timings will be longer and there's more prep like getting your starter fed and active.

Depending on how much starter you start off with will effect the final loaf.

macette's picture
macette

I have copied and pasted this thank you very much. I will read it a few times to make sure I’m doing it right. Is there a way of seeing when my starter needs feeding or will I feed on a time schedule...and would delaying its use and feeding and disgarding for a longer period make it stronger to make sure it will rise the bread...?

Lechem's picture
Lechem (not verified)

What I've given you is a very basic description of how to convert. There are methods and techniques in sourdough (and indeed many breads) which can be incorporated. One obvious one is an autolyse but your recipe may be difficult to incorporate one. But there you have a simple way to convert a recipe. You may choose to use more or less starter depending.

It will be difficult for you to grasp everything if you haven't yet made or used a starter. You're in the middle of cultivating one and at this stage it might be more then a tad confusing. But here goes...

When your starter is mature what you'll have is now called "mother" or a "seed" etc. Hopefully after nurturing it you'll get an idea of how it behaves. It takes a while to get it going but once strong enough it'll bubble up when fed in a relatively shorter amount of time. You'll get to know your starter while nurturing it too.

So when your starter is born what you'll do is feed it, wait for it to mature and become bubbly and at this active stage you'll use it in the dough. Everything else, all the other techniques, is a variation of this. People will have different methods to suit their own schedule and maintenance.

Now not everyone bakes everyday so they keep their starters in the fridge. For a starter will need to be fed daily (even twice a day) if it isn't slowed down. In the fridge it can be fed less often and you won't be slave to your starter plus if you are feeding it daily but not using it daily then before long you'll be swimming in the stuff.

When it comes to baking you'll either take it out a day before, feed it, bring it back up to strength and use it when active. Or you can take a little off to build up to the amount you need for the recipe. This second way is called a levain build. An off-shoot starter if you will. This allows you to keep little starter, use it as a seed only and it sits in the fridge till it runs low. then you take it out and feed it etc.

But both follow the same principle! Fed, matured and used when active. You'll find a way which suits your needs best.

Using a starter when bubbly after it's had a healthy feed makes it stronger. A healthy feed is feeding a starter at least it's own weight in flour or more.

A starter will bubble up and catching it at its peak is the optimal time to use it.

macette's picture
macette

Oh that is so helpful thank you Lechem , I have a lot to learn, but I will get there. Time and patience I think...lol and lots of reading...

leslieruf's picture
leslieruf

I tried to reply last night but my ipad kept locking up ☹️ 

the only other recipe I wanted to suggest, on e starter is ready, is the 1:2:3 ie 1 part starter + 2 parts water + 3 parts flour with 2% salt so an example 100 gm 100% hydration starter + 200 gm water + 300 g flour & 6 gm salt. giving a 600 gm loaf. you can use any combination of flours, easily scale this up or down - it is a very versatile loaf. I often make it to use up left over levain if I build too much. I like to add say 10% spelt or 10% rye etc. 

anyway look forward to your new adventures.

Leslie

macette's picture
macette

That sounds like a pretty good recipe and not to complicated. Will keep a copy of that and that size would suit me to. I’m looking forward to seeing how it will turn out just hope it’s not a flat bread...lol

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

when you kill them off you will be a baby killer and feel horrible for years, possibly needing expensive therapy or ending up on the streets homeless, unloved and addicted ............to good SD bread.  I guess it is worth it so never mind :-) 

macette's picture
macette

How am I going to sleep at night....lol.  I really hope it is worth it...I will take care of my little bread-lings and hope for the best...I will keep you up to date with their health...lol