August 24, 2014 - 11:31pm
Greetings from a Starter Newbie
This site is a bread goldmine for those who are learning. I hope to find a bit of advice on a great bread book(s) that covers all manner of starters as I only have some older, less detailed bread books.
I have recently acquired some 18 y/o wild grape yeast starter and would love it if anyone can tell me how much would one would use to replace dried yeast as a general bread making guideline and specifically in rye breads. The bakery I got it from fed it three times a day, if I do less will it still be as good?
Thanks to all of you who post such great information!
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I usually use 9 oz (weight) of 100% hydration starter for 36 oz. of total dough. I do store my starters in the refrigerator for two weeks without refreshing it. When I refresh it, I'll do it in the ratio of 1:1:1=starter:flour:water.
When I am ready to bake I'll feed twice before baking. I remove the starter from the refrigerator and refresh as above, lifting it stand for six to ten hours then refresh again letting it stand overnight. It is ready to go then.
Rye bread is another process. I use the Detmolder Three Stage Method for that.
I can give you more details, if you wish on any of these. Be specific as to what you wish.
Ford
I appreciate the info!
I'm wanting to bake a dark rye, Bob's Red Mill, but probably a 50% rye to AP flour, again BRM. Sorry to say I don't know what a Detmolder method is, can you enlighten me?
Allison
made with a sourdough starter so it won't be hard finding a recipe but narrowing it down might. Allison, site search: Sourdough rye bread to hit a multitude of recipes and discussions. Or try site searching specifically: 50% rye bread or 40% rye bread
Rye and spelt is a good combination. Dark ryes are usually high % rye breads in Europe but there are American recipes that are dark without a high portion of rye and include other ingredients to darken them. How do you like your crumb texture?
Yes finding the right recipe thus far has not been fruitful, but on I will go.
Never have used spelt but may give it a try.
As for texture, I like it somewhat soft but with good chewy element.
swings here in our Arizona kitchen for 64F to 88 F and as the temperature rises in the summer we use much less SD levain in bread, about half what would use in the winter. We like to do long dough retards in the fridge of 12-48 hours and, the longer the cold retard, the less levain is needed. Whole grains also require less levain too. So in the summer, using a 50% whole grain recipe and wanting a 18 hour retard we might use 8-11% levain and in the winter 16-22%. So it depends on what you are after and what your recipe has in it.
Other places, where the temperature is more constant, the variation in levain amounts isn't so great.
Welcome and Happy baking
for me on kitchen temps, I too live in a place where temps may have a broad difference. (But I do use the AC when it's too hot.) Thanks so much.
This one:
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/27264/baked-pips-phils-new-post-40-sourdough-rye-w-caraway-today
and see where it takes you... :)
I will try it. Much appreciated Mini O.