September 15, 2014 - 10:35am
SF Sourdough - progess
Any body else using a SF sourdo starter? I bought the SF started from Ed Wood at Sourdo.com.
A SF starter- to me - has the potential for a beguling sweetness lurking in the middle of a complex mmmmm.
Been making bread for about 8 months now, with good flavor and oven spring.
Acidity levels turn out more variable than I'd like, but don't gyrate wildly ...
I use a proof box (home built) to stabilize the starter temperature (I'm currently liking 73 degrees).
A no knead method is working well, and is quite simple to accomplish. No autolyese (yet).
Would love to compare notes.
Cheers!
Phil Van Kirk
Share
Comments
a lovely looking loaf. Crumb shot would be good to see too.
How are you planning on maintaining your SF starter? By which I mean what flour will you feed it with?
Hey El Panadero !
Thanks for the notes.
I just bumped into this site today!! So, I'm just "getting my feet wet." My next post will include a crumb shot!
For feeding my starter- I'm super basic at this point- Just using Unbleached white (Bob's Red Mill or Hecker's, typically). I've been keeping the starter at the consistency of a thick batter- (haven't really adopted an exact hydration regime at this point- still coarse tuning the process).
But the biggest thing that I've learned for the starter - (which I typically feed 2x a day when I'm actively baking)- involves the approx 1 to 10 ratio of old starter vs. the refresh of flour/water. I get much more interesting flavors out of the starter when I use minimal starter and a lot of raw flour/water. maybe 10 parts new to 1 part old.
Phil
Take careful notes so that once you get that flavor profile you want, you can reproduce it.
The time and temperatures at which procedures (levain building, bulk fermenting, and proofing) are performed as well as the hydration level of your starter, the amount of starter you use, and the ripeness of the starter and levain, among other things, all play a role in that flavor profile.
Maybe even include notes such as: "Too sour" "Not sour enough" and a grade from A-F for both crust and crumb.
It is a lot to keep track, and no guarantee you will be able to repeat anything with precision, but it is a very good way to increase the odds of rebaking that perfect loaf once you achieve it.
Has to taste great! Well done and
Happy Baking
Thanks Brown man!
I'm looking forward to the crumb shot and your updates as you gain experience. You are surely off to a good start, if that bread tastes as good as it looks!
David
Hey David -Thanks for the attaboy!
I'm excited to have found this community of warm and supportive bread hounds.
And, I breezed thru an extensive post you had up yesterday- haven't read in depth. You devoted quite a bit of effort to communicate the process. bravo!. Looks at though you've got fabulous bread percolating at your place too. looking forward to further conversations.
Phil
I would be interested in the formula and technique you used. This is a lovely looking loaf. I live close enough to SF that I have always used homemade starter. I love trying new formulas and your loaf looks like it held together nicely.
Welcome to the forum.
Hi Maverick -
Thanks for the note, the welcome and the encouragement! I was excited by the look of this one. It is handsome devli- it was hard to cut it in half and wreck the look ...
I'll take some time soon and post the game plan for this bread. It's pretty darn tasty, and involves just a simple method.
Phil
The nice thing about the beauty of the loaf is that it makes it easier to avoid the temptation of cutting into it too early. SF style sourdough always tastes better a day or two later (even three I think but mine never lasts that long). I am trying a new flour and recently moved so I am playing with oven temperatures and times. I look forward to seeing your write up so I can have more to play with.