June 28, 2013 - 8:42pm
New guy with questions.
Hi, found this site after getting some books out of the library and watching lots of youtube. I have made a no knead dutch oven bread that i like the taste of, but looking for more sourdough taste. Wondering if the next step is to let the leaven age a bit more or let the dough proof a bit longer (in the fridge?)
also looking for some equipment. I like the look of the orange King Arthur scrapers, but was told they are not made any more. Anyone have one thy would part with? I would also like to get a couple of proofing baskets, plastic or natural. Used is fine.
Having lots of fun!
Paul
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Welcome, Paul!
That's a nice looking loaf. Lovely "ears" on it where the crust pulls away from where you scored.
Are you using wild yeast (i.e., only flour + water) as a starter for your leaven? If so, you might like to experiment with the temperature at which you maintain your starter. In a wild yeast (sourdough) culture, yeast and bacteria multiply at different rates. It's the bacteria that give the sourness to a bread. In general, if you would like a starter to impart sour flavor to a bread, keep it in the fridge, where the bacterial growth will outpace that of the yeast. If you would like a less sour loaf, maintain the starter at room temperature, where the higher rate of yeast multiplication will keep the sour bacteria in check.
Looking forward to your next post,
Jacqueline
Thanks Jacqueline, i am using a wild yeast. Just started keeping it in the fridge as i only bake once a week. I think next time i bake i will proof one loaf in the fridge overnight and see what that does to the flavour.
i posted that photo because it was the prettiest so far. Still having some problems with the dough sticking to the tea towel as i tip it into the dutch oven, but that one worked ok. Picked up a tip from here about using rice flour which has helped somewhat.
Paul
I am also on a quest to make my sourdough bread more sour. I hope you will continue to post about your progress on that front. :)
labs reproduce 3 times faster than yeast at 36 F and keeping your starter in the fridge. Yeast also like wet so make the starter a stiff on 60-70% will also reduce yeast activity. When you build the levain for a bread you can also retard it along the way too in increase sour. Longer retardation of the dough will also make more sour. Also interesting is that a high temperature proof 86 F labs also reproduce 3 times faster than yeast, So long slow retards of starter, levains and dough along the way with a high temp final proof is the way to coax sour out of the SD bread,
Happy baking
By LAB, I think dabrownman is referring to "lactic acid bacteria" or lactobacilli. These provide the smooth/mild acidity we find so pleasant in foods like yogurt and some breads. As dabrownman said, you can encourage lactic acid development in a levain by keeping it warm (86F/30C), and keeping it wet (100% hydration).
There's another note of sour that may interest you, a more powerful, tangy sour (from acetic acid), whose development can be encouraged by keeping the levain a bit cooler (77F/25C) and drier (use 60% hydration).
Looking forward to hearing about your experiments.
Jacqueline
Wow, learning lots! Will do some experimentatipn this week and repost.
I, too, am new to bread baking, and was worried about the dough sticking, as well as how I was going to get it into a hot Dutch oven without crisping myself, so I have been doing my final rise on a largish piece of parchment paper, covering the dough with a lightly floured kitchen towel, and then using the paper to lower my dough into the pot. I leave the parchment in for the entire bake, and then use it again to lift the finished loaf out of the Dutch oven and onto my cooling rack.
Just got my first bit of sourdough starter from my father, can't wait to try it...
Take care,
Jennifer