The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

My Daily Bread

AndyPanda's picture
AndyPanda

My Daily Bread

Hello all!   I haven't been in the forum for ages and just thought I'd pop in and say hi. 

I keep two jars of the same starter in the fridge (a failsafe) and alternate which one I use every couple of days as I bake a small loaf just about every day.  The other day I started to preheat the larger oven (Pizza day) and completely forgot that I had my starter warming up in the smaller side oven - it got too warm and died but still smelled great so I just fed it fresh flour and stirred it up with the same spatula I used to stir up the safe starter from the fridge. It only took a day for that little bit of live starter from the spatula to rejuvenate the damaged stuff and the flavor is still there --- not sure how silly it was for me to try and save it but I didn't want to toss it out and it ended up working just fine.

Here's the results just out of the oven using that damaged and rejuvenated starter:

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

I hear you about your starter. I feel the same way when I have some Levain left over. I hate to throw it out and usually add it back to my starter in the fridge. 

By the way, tell us more about that gorgeous loaf!

AndyPanda's picture
AndyPanda

Just look down a couple of posts lower.  I responded back a few days ago with details of my process.

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

I agree about keeping some back . I have a jar in the freezer just in case. Would love to know more about such a pretty sesame loaf. c

AndyPanda's picture
AndyPanda

This loaf is just the basic 1-2-3 ratio.  I bought a 25 pound bag of AP flour at Costco (Miller Milling - the mill is nearby in Oakland, California) and to my surprise it is terrific for bread.  

So I take one of my two starters from the fridge (there will be a tablespoon or two left in the jar that I didn't use in the previous bake) and I feed it 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water.  Stir it up, cover with a baggie and let it sit someplace warm for 3-4 hours.  

300 grams flour and 200 grams water barely stirred to wet the flour and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour.  

Add 6-7 grams salt and 100 grams of my now bubbling starter and mix for 6 minutes in the Ankarsrum. 

Letter folds and cover and set someplace warm for 45 minutes
(repeat this 3-4 times)

Shape into a loaf and roll in sesame seeds and plop it in a small bread pan and cover with a second, inverted bread pan and leave it on the counter all night with an ice block on top (I freeze a water bottle and just set it on top).

Next morning when it has risen the right amount (corners still below the edge of pan and center a bit above the edges - it oven springs just about double in height), I spray it with water and slash the top and spray extra water on it - cover again with the inverted pan and into a 425F oven for 22 minutes covered --- uncover and another 22 minutes. (note: I used a thermometer to learn that on my oven, I have to set it to 350F in order to have it be 425F - I burned a lot of things before I figured this out)

I was using hulled sesame seeds but was going thru so many seeds I bought a 25 pound bag of seeds with the hulls on (Bob's Red Mill) and I prefer the flavor and so much cheaper buying 25 pounds at a time.

And I just put the tablespoon or so of left over starter back in the fridge (unfed) until tomorrow or the next day's bake.  My starter does not grow at all in the fridge - it really likes 85F and it will do a slow rise at 45F or so but won't rise at all in the fridge.