In "Tartine" there are a couple of pictures that show the 100's of cloth lined baskets that Chad uses for his final rise.  These look pretty simple and although I can't tell for sure I'd bet that the liners can be removed from the baskets and that both can be washed (Poly-wicker?) for dept of health reasons.  Anyhow - where might one find these inexpensively?  I currently use cheap poly-wicker bread baskets that you can buy by the dozen along with linen napkins that aren't up to snuff for the table any longer.  I can wash both and thats all well and good.  That being said I'd like to get away from the napkin folds impacting the shape of my loaves.  So in short I am looking for a cheap supply of washable baskets with removable liners.  SFBI's are $8/$10 but aren't removabble, Lined Bannetons are $30+.  What do you all think Chad uses?

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I can see that sourdough requires a certain amount of chemistry, which may be why I'm not doing well at it (I've never studied chemistry).

I made another attempt at it. My starter is doing quite well. It's USING the starter that's a problem. I used someone's basic dough recipe off this site and let it rise overnight. When it had risen, it was almost liquid, so I added more flour to it and kneaded it vigorously. It turned into a pretty fair-looking round, which I then left to rise again.

It rose again. It wasn't liquid, but it was far too sticky, or so it seemed. It wasn't a round of dough anymore, but a bowl of rising substance. I added more flour, made a loaf, and baked it.

It barely rose at all. It seems to be done, as far as I can tell, but it's a real disappointment. Is there an idiot-proof recipe out there? I should add that I'm using ONLY wheat flour. I refuse to use rye; I hate the stuff, and I stay as far away from it as I can.

Hey Guys,

I am from South Africa and new to sourdough. I have a lot of experience with yeast but none with sourdough. Taking baby steps and learning as I go.
I started my starter 10 days ago. I followed the recipe found on sourdoughbaker.au.com. I keep the starter on my counter (18-26 degrees Celcius)

Quick Summary of the 7 Day Sourdough Starter Recipe

Fresh Flour
Day 1:
25 mls warm water, or warm unsweetend pineapple juice
25 gms fresh flour,
Mix to a paste.

Day 2:
To your mixture, which will have 'softened' overnight, add
25 mls warm water, or warm unsweetend pineapple juice
25 gms fresh flour,
Mix to a paste again.

Day 3:
Add to the mixture
50 mls warm water, or warm unsweetend pineapple juice
50 gms fresh flour
and whisk together.

Day 4:
Add to the mixture
100 mls warm water, or warm unsweetend pineapple juice
100 gms flour
and whisk it all together again.
Day 5:
Rest, (you and the starter) observe,
take notes. Activity? Bubbles? Smell? Times? You want Details! This procedure can really make the difference between many griefs and few. It also lets any delicate fermentation processes get a foothold.

Day 6:
Add to the mixture
100 mls warm water, or warm unsweetend pineapple juice
100 gms flour
and whisk it all together again.

Day 7:
Use, if you have observed that it's ripe!

So on day seven I could see a lot of bubbles but a thick layer of hooch has formed on top. And no rising.

The following morning I continued with a feed the same as day 6. No rising and an even thicker layer of hooch!

So on day 9 I poured of the hooch. Used 50g of starter with 100g of water and 150g of flour. A little rising and a thin layer of hooch.

This morning I figured that I did something right and poured of the hooch again. Used 50g of starter with 100g of water and 150g of flour. Now 12hours later the starter have doubled and no hooch so far! Problem is the starter is now more of a dough than a liquid!

How will this effect my bread and why does it rise now and not with equal parts water and flour? Can I get it back to a liquid but keep the rising abillity?

A quick proof hint for the microwave as seen in a magazine:

Yeast doughs that normally take an hour or more to rise at room temperature can be proofed in the microwave in about 15 minutes. Place the dough in a very large bowl and cover with plastic. Place an 8-ounce cup of water in the back of the microwave with the bowl of dough in the center, and set the power as low as possible (10 percent power). Heat for 3 minutes, then let the dough rest in the microwave for 3 minutes. Heat for 3 minutes longer, then let rest for 6 minutes. The dough will double in bulk.

Guys,

I'm still a rookie; made 30 loaves of bread this year, and am getting better each time.  I kneed my dough.

However, I still struggle with gettig the loaf to rise high, without using a breadpan.  The loave do their final rise on Parchment paper.  When they've risen, I coat them with butter, slice the top a couple of times and put them in the oven.

While the bread is on it's final rise on the parchment paper, it spreads out and is about 12" long, 5" wide and 2" height.

I'd like to see the bread rise to 4" high, 5" wide.  But dough doesn't have the "structure" to stand up that high while it is on the parchment paper. and before going into the oven.

Any thoughts?

Should I kneed it longer?

Shouls I add egg whites?

Should I add some glueten to the dough?

Again, Any thoughts.

John,

In Annapolis.

Good Friday evening, everyone!  I'm the "hybrid" starter lady, in case anyone remembers me from my asking about a starter that was a combo of 6-10 different starters (it's still going strong, still have lots of it, it makes wonderful pancakes, but I haven't gotten up the nerve to try bread with it yet...  not knowing the hydration percentage for certain scares me.  But ohhh does it look VITAL and smells just GRAND!).  Haven't posted since then, but now I've got a question for all you "science-types" out there - about a starter (what else.. sigh).

I've read that it's the oxygen that's so important to the growth & upkeep of the yeastie-beasties, i.e., that you need to stir, stir, stir to incorporate LOTS of oxygen to keep them healthy.  Then one day I found a post stating in reality it's that yeast are immobile creatures & cannot 'swim' to the food source; a starter needs to be stirred so the food source comes to them.  From my recent experiences, I lean toward the this explanation as being truth, but the whole concept has caused me to question the science behind the action... I hate not knowing WHY!

So what's happened is this...

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m303/mrosem2/Sourdough%20Baking%20Record%202010/2ndrise-in4hrs.jpg

I fed the starter at 2:30 this afternoon.  Just 3 hours later it had doubled (it's really a pretty fast starter).  Then, about 6:15 or so I noticed a dent in the middle of the surface that had fresh-looking tiny bubbles - an indication to me that it was starting to fall again.  With other activities going on in the kitchen I thought no more of it until about 7 pm.

At that time, sure 'nuff, the level had fallen off.. a little over half an inch lower than where I'd marked the top of the rise.  Remembering the 'immobile creature' bit, I stirred the starter back down to around the original level at feeding time - sending more food toward the yeast.  And 2 hours later, sure 'nuff, it had again risen to a touch over doubled-height.  By 10:15 pm it had fallen again by half an inch, so I assume the rising is over for this feed (could have happened before 10.. not sure.. that's just the time I got around to checking it).

(Sorry for the lengthy explanation but it's the only way I can get this across... I use dry-erase markers to keep track of levels, and while stirring down the starter tonight managed to remove my original feeding/rising marks so can only show in my pic the most recent timing/rising info.)

What I would like to know is exactly what does this mean for my bread-baking?  Anything?  If I DON'T stir after a fall, is that hurting the yeast?  What does it mean as to WHEN I use the starter.. when would be the best time to make a sponge (my current method of making bread)?  For a long time I fed my starters twice daily (this resulted in 2-3 1/2 hour proofing then the fall) but I had to take it down to once daily - each afternoon.  Does frequency of feeding have anything to do with it falling early & so (seemingly) needlessly?  Does it mean, that to get the best rising action in the dough I need to stir it 3 hours after EACH feeding?

Grrrrrr rr r!  I'm so conFUSED!!  Thought I had it all (fairly) figured out but now feel like a beginner who knows MUCH of - nuthin'!  The worst part is thinking I haven't asked the question which REALLY needs to be asked.  Well, if anyone knows what I'm talking about (not sure now that I do), please take a shot at explaining the multi-rises?

Thanks!

Marla

On the first fermentation it doubled in less than an hour. In the loaf pan it doubled in half an hour. Add to that the oven spring and I fear it's going to be a very open crumb. I've been striving for this in baguettes but not in sandwich bread. What happened? It stikes me that a whole tablespoon is a lot of yeast, but I doubt it's a typo as this book has been out for a while. Any thoughts?

I've been baking successfully for a few months now, french bread with packaged dried yeast, one loaf every weekday.

Thought I was turning into an expert.

Suddenly my doughs won't rise. No matter how long I leave them.

And they don't suddenly explosively rise and fall down again while I'm not watching. They don't rise. At least as best I can judge.

I've proved my yeast and it is excellent, works no problem.

The ambient temperature around here recently has been usually better than 32C - 89F.

The only things I can think of is this ambient temperature - would that be too hot for the dough to rise, too hot for the yeast?

Or the flour. I use 25kg bags and this one is down near the bottom quarter and has been in use over about a month. It, too, would be at ambient temperature.

Could the flour be no good for dough?

When I first turn it out of the mixing bowl to begin kneading it I find it feels heavy and lifeless straight away. Where I am accustomed to my dough feeling light, airy,  springy.

When I put it back in the bowl for the first rise it feels like a lump of lead.

When I look at it half an hour later it looks like, feels like, it has a dry skin on it and though there's no holes in the surface it looks like sort of 'pitted' under the surface, like it had risen and collapsed.

Looks like temperature to me, on reflection as writing this. Could I get some more opinions, please, from the knowledgeable and experienced?

 regards,

 ab  :)

I made Peter Reinhardt's Broom Bread yesterday in a batard shape about 10 inches long. Its highest point is 2 1/2 inches. Should it rise higher?