Greetings from the panhandle of Florida!
I found this great site about a month ago while looking for a sourdough starter recipe, one that uses only the wild yeast collectd from the flour ( a book I read said it was in the air) and was lucky enough to find SourdoLady's blog and recipe. Since then I have successfully created one and made bread a few times. I have been gleaning the forums to learn as much as I can and have found the people here extreamly helpful when I've asked a question. I started cooking when I was very young and learned most of the basics from my Bigmother by standing in a chair next to the counter when she was cooking begging to "lick the bowl". By the time I got to a cooking class, my chef instructor told me I already knew all the techniques, I just didn't know what they were called LOL I'm schooled in the French techniques of Escoffier, but i'm a country cook at heart and baking is my most pleasurable task. Sourdough has opened up a whole new frontier for me and sourdough bagels are my goal right now, after I master the Deluxe Sourdough Bread posted by SourdoLady. Which may be a looooooooooong time LOL It seems every loaf i've made has been good, but turned out very differently from the last one I made. I live alone with my little Papillon, "Skeeter", and am always cooking and baking for me and my freinds, who are very happy to be my guinnea pigs.
Hello Deonia, and welcome to TFL!
I'm sure with a little practice and consistent technique, your sourdough won't surprise you each time you bake. It's possible that your starter is a little young and is changing composition still. This could lead to variable results. If this is the case, eventually your starter, if fed regularly (and with a consistent refreshment regime) will settle in to a nice groove.
I hope you are weighing your ingredients? Volume measurements are not the best route to consistent bread baking.
The idea of sticking with a recipe until you get it right, and can duplicate your results time after time, is a very good way to refine your skills.
Good luck with your baking!
David
GE David, I'm ashamed to say I havn't been, and I know we were taught to do that in the limited baking instructions we recieved in school. I've just become lax in doing that because when I was cooking privately, my boss wanted me to "wing it" LOL and when I cook here at home it's not imperitive either. Soooooooooo how am I going to get the measurments into difinate weight? And does that include weighing the flour and water I feed my starter with?
I do have a handy dandy little converter on my desktop that I used when making soap.( another one of my hobbies) so let me run this recipe by you in what I think will be correct and would you please correct me if i'm wrong and tell me how I should be doing it? I have converted everything to ounces, but does every ingredient have to be weighed or just the flour, water, and starter? Sorry i'm so inept, but this way of baking is really new to me. Any help would be greatly appreciated. :-)
1 1/4 cup proofed starter = 10 oz.
1 cup water = 8 oz.
3 3/4 cup bread flour = 30 oz.
1/4 cup whole wheat flour = 2 oz.
3 Tablespoons powdered milk = 1.5 oz.
3 Tablespoons Butter =1.5 oz.
1 Tablespoon lemon juice = .5 oz.
2 Tablespoons sugar =1 oz.
2 teaspoons salt =.33 oz
Deonia