The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

My best result with Sourdough to date

Miller's picture
Miller

My best result with Sourdough to date

Not much to look at, but the texture and taste are fantastic. I'm posting here by way of thanks to all those who have given me valuable advice and suggestions in the last couple of months that I have been attempting to bake with sourdough.

The journey is long, but exciting. I'm looking forward to even better results. I only have to watch my waistline, because with baking you must try out your work. Hmm... Now I wish I had taken up a different vocation/pastime, like painting or hiking. At least then I wouldn't be literally consuming my efforts!

 

barryvabeach's picture
barryvabeach

Nice job.  For me,  I stay with 100% whole wheat,  so not as bad for my health, and I usually just have a slice or two, and bring the rest in to work and give it away.  The taste is so much better than store bought,  I never have trouble giving it away, and find the best thing to do is to cut it in half and take out a few slices out of the middle as tests, then give away the rest.  

Miller's picture
Miller

There is no way to resist the temptation if there is bread in the house. The changing nature of the bread as time passes since the bake makes it interesting and I’m curious to try it, until it’s all consumed.

Maverick's picture
Maverick

One thing to keep in mind with sourdough is that it can change its flavor over time. So it is worth trying a little each day to see how it evolves. Plus sourdough breads tend to last longer than other lean doughs before going stale and this is a good way to see how long it lasts. You can always make some croutons or bread crumbs xD

Miller's picture
Miller

I refer to the changing flavor and the longevity of sourdough. I noticed it even with my recent unsuccessful attempts.

Maverick's picture
Maverick

Looks really good. It doesn't look like you scored the bread. Or is it just not showing in the picture?

Miller's picture
Miller

Despite my feeling successful there were two errors that I could have prevented.

The final rise was completed overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning I took out the dough and I left it in its banneton for two hours in order to reach room temperature. That turned out to be too long. About one hour should have been enough. As a result the dough was proofed more than necessary and it was impossible to score the bread. On top of that I didn’t have a lame or a sharp enough knife to do the scoring effectively. The dough had developed a hard skin in the refrigerator and I could feel it’s structure was fragile.

The other mistake was that although I floured the banneton, the dough was clinging to it and I couldn’t remove it from the banneton without some damage. You can see that the bread is a bit wonky. After this mishap I went out today and bought some rice flour! Maybe next time I’ll not have this problem.

bread1965's picture
bread1965

It looks great. I'd be pleased! Enjoy..

Azay's picture
Azay

I saw your comment on another thread about the point that there are so many ways and views on how to do things in baking that it can become difficult to know what to do...I have been baking for some years now but never tried sourdough bread so am interested in your post and have been coming across contradictory views. main one has been about adding Vitamin C, either in tablet or fruit form. I have also read that it makes no scientific sense to do so! I will start a starter most probably tomorrow.....

Miller's picture
Miller

Using a starter is a lot of fun, but for me also frustrating. It's an interesting experience because among other things you have to take care of your starter.