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Thought Experiment #2:  What is the difference between a starter and a bread dough?

One question I like to ask new apprentices is, what's the difference between a starter and a bread dough?  Or, for that matter, between a pre-ferment and a bread dough?

I have never received a satisfactory answer, and I think because there isn't one.  Not an answer, a difference.

Hello fellow Fresh Loaf'ers.

I would like to announce that today is my birthday. Thanks to everyone here that has made me feel welcome in this wonderful forum. This is a great community full of enthusiastic bakers and I wouldn't be where I am today without you all.

Cheers and Merry Christmas.

Thought Experiment #1:  Data Points

Parameter-based Thinking

What is the difference between a car mechanic and an automobile engineer?  Right off the bat we know the second job title sounds fancier.  Why?  We assume you have to be “smart” be the latter.  “Smart” really just means educated, in this sense.  Doesn’t a mechanic have to know about cars, too?  Of course!

Ask Questions, More Importantly Know the Answer

I think about bread a lot.  This idea is very hard for me to convey to people.  Then, again, many of my ideas are hard to convey.  This is typical of somebody with Asperger’s, even more so when the co-morbid obsession is bread.

I forget other people don’t know what I know.  It also irks me when people ask me to give more explanatory background on something I consider to be plainly obvious. 

So in response to a recent post, I decided to try Beth Hensperger's Sennebec Hill bread for myself, to see if the original recipe was problematic as I initially suspected. This is an enriched multigrain bread with 3 different flours, as well as rolled oats and yellow cornmeal. 

It's been too long since I baked up some Vermont Sourdough, so that was today's bake. Why have I waited so long?!   The loaves sang as soon as they emerged from the oven, and the crust developed those beautiful hairline fissures we all aspire to achieve. 

We were struggling with our normally robustmRye sour and Desem mixed SD starter.  It had been left for dead after its last feeding and storage about a month ago.  I had baked 4 loaves of bread from the 80 g stored and had 40 g left and it was looking the worse for wear.

Today, I baked 2 loaves of New York Deli Onion Sourdough Rye from The Bread Baker's Apprentice.  They look ALOT better than the previous attempt.  It's amazing what can happen when you watch the bread and make sure it doesn't overproof.  I'm still getting used to my make-shift microwave proof box.  The temp in there is about 80F so proofing loaves goes really fast.  I also reduced the amount of yeast in the bread to 1 1/2 tsp. instead of 2 tsp.

I know this is off topic, but we're so pleased with the results, just had to post it.

The old stove never failed to deliver, but it was time to go

typical between-times mess

Finished. The stove is a dual-fuel Electrolux Icon