Blog posts

My Sourdough Starter Routine: FAQ

December 30, 2014

I get questions about how I manage my sourdough starter frequently enough that I decided to put the information in a single blog entry to which I can refer in the future. What follows applies to a sourdough starter/levain containing mostly white wheat flour. Mostly rye and mostly whole wheat starters are different beasts.

My final loaf of 2014 is the overnight country blonde from Ken Forkish's FWSY. I did everything by the book except I increased the amount of rye from 5% to 10%. I bulk fermented for 15.5 hours (at 64F) and proofed the shaped dough for 3.5 hours (at 77F). I baked at 450F for 45 minutes using my Le Creuset marmitout (aka cast iron combo cooker) with the lid on for the first 25 minutes.

The bread was moist with just the right amount of sour. It turned out as perfect as I hoped it would. 

For my first real post, I'd like to share the results of this little experiment: I wanted to test the merits of the long cold fermentation vs. the long cold proof.

Sorry I haven't posted for some time as I have been busy with the holidays and visiting family (they are still here!)  I did bake a number of loaves of bread as gifts for friends, and that seemed to go over well.

More than two months has passed since my last post on TFL, yet it feels like a brief moment in the grand scheme of things...

Anyway, never mind that. Updates, updates, updates. A few major, life changing events have happened in the past couple of months. And today I finally have a break from my bakery (in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Southeast Asia), so now’s my chance to reconnect with my fellow TFLoafers.

Newly registered, though I've been lurking long enough to bake the Rustic Loaf twice and David's iteration of Bouabsa's baguette 3 times all in about 3 weeks.  Each time is better w the baguette.... but I'm waiting for a lid to completely cover my loaves so the first 10 minutes of steam cannot escape. 

Seems like people aren't crazy about the Gosselin (a la Reinhart) recipe for baguette.  WOndering if I should try or just stick w the Bouabsa which everyone in my family loves (served 3 of them and the Rustic for the holidays).

Thanks for reading.

Dough was from pg.22, sauce was New York-New Jersey on pg.28, finished with garlic oil from pg.29, cheese was fresh mozzarella (grated, easier said than done) I made 3 pizzas. The first two in 500 degree oven using pizza stones placed at specified oven locations. I used top stone first then moved to bottom stone. Allowed about 10 min recovery time before loading another pizza. For fun I did my third pizza with the broiler. Once the oven recovered I turned off the oven and broiler to high. Gave it about 5 min then loaded the pizza on top stone.

hello,

I am after a copy of Le Gout du Pain / The Taste of Bread by R. Calvel to borrow (ideally in French) and am wondering if anyone would be kind enough to lend me a copy? I know it has a lot of value these days, reason why i cannot afford to buy it, but as an artisan baker interested to open my own place (in London UK) this sounds like the book i need to get my hands onto.

I know i have very little chance to get to see a copy, but i thought i d ask :-)

many thanks,

xx alex

I received a new My Weigh KD-8000 scale to replace the Oxo scale that developed some form of digital psychosis recently.  More capacity and an even easier to read display make it a pleasure to use.  It's already received quite a workout just since Christmas.

Bulk fermented for 5.5 hours (not by choice). Too tangy for my liking but kinda shreddeable n soft. 40g yeast water used.