Sour Dough Bread Thread

[NS Mike D]

My third try- wish I discovered this a long time. My son moved back in with me and this didn't last the week :-).


I will post more, the short story is I am following (mostly) the ATK method/recipe and the starter is finally vibrant. I am giving the bread a 24-36 hour cool rise to up the sourness (Long Island is sweet and so is our wild yeast) and that is also doing a great job and forming the gluten.

This loaf was a nice mix of air bubbles, gluten texture and sourness. holy moly, we toasted it for sandwiches yesterday and we had one of the father-son mutual head nods of cave man approval.


R2R bread makers where are you???? Lets see the pics and recipes!!!!

 

[Dsnakes]

I have never made bread, but I would certainly give it a try. That looks great!

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Mary Barry Irish soda bread.
Ya gotta find a fine ground while wheat though.
Stuff comes out like a steak.
Rally nice to add a bit of berry or nuts as a morning breakfast. OR meat and hard cheese as a savory.
You do have to adjust the about of water for dried fruits , mostly based on where ya live and humidity.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/soda_bread_24837

(Its Marys , not Paul’s) :)

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

I visited Europe about 8 years ago or so and I was shocked by how good the bread is. I'm a casual bread baker now (trying to eat healthy and bread don't go together haha). Here's my favorite recipe for a nice french loaf (it's a modified Peter Reinhart recipe). It's a bit of work, but it's what I would consider a perfect bread recipe: only flour, yeast, water and salt, and tons of flavor:

Ingredients:
142g unbleached bread flour
142g unbleached flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp yeast
171g room temperature water

Directions:
Mix ingredients. Knead for 10 - 20 minutes. Place dough in oiled air-tight container. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours, ideally 48 hours, no more than 72 hours.

On the day you're going to bake, take the dough out of the fridge about 2.5 hours before you want to bake. Cut into 10 about equal small pieces to bring up to temperature quicker. Cover with plastic wrap to keep moist and let rise for one hour.

After the 1 hour wait, combine the pieces into one large dough ball. Some kneading may be required. Let rest for 15 - 20 minutes after combining.

After allowing dough to rest, form dough into your favorite loaf (I usually do a slightly thick baguette). Let rise for 30 - 45 minutes after forming the loaf.

After letting the loaf rest, place your baking stone half way up in your oven and add a steam vessel or pan on the bottom shelf. Preheat at 500* for at least a half hour to allow the oven to come up to temperature.

After the preheat period, dust a baking peel with flour or cornmeal. Score the loaf (I usually do three large scores across the top). Transfer the loaf on the baking stone. Add a cup of water to the steam vessel and close the oven door quickly to trap the steam. After 30 seconds, add another half cup, and close the oven door quickly again. Wait 30 seconds again, then add another half cup. Wait 30 more seconds, then add one more half cup.*

After the last water addition, drop the oven temperature to 450*. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the loaf. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown.

Allow to cool completely before cutting and eating.

* = This method of steaming is recommended by Peter Reinheart to mimic ovens that automatically inject steam throughout the baking process. I found this really helps with the quality of the end product. I do this with basically all breads that I bake.

 

[NS Mike D]

I have never made bread, but I would certainly give it a try. That looks great!

I will post the recipe. Bread kept civilization alive for millennia, in the past 70 years, we have stripped out all the healthy stuff out of it. i think it's why we now see all these allergies like afflictions to bread. Our bodies lack the microbes from real bread (and real beer) to aid digestion and all sort so things. Now we buy stuff like pro-biotics to replace what we have stripped out of the food chain. sour dough is how bread was made before commercialization of yeast and flour.

@PaulB chime in here !!!!

This bread takes a while to get started - took my starter two weeks to really develop enough yeast to get it right. takes 5 minutes the day before to make the dough and then needs overnight to rise. then it goes into a dutch oven to rest for 3 hours . bake time is 1 hr.

I use king arthur bread flour but will start mixing in their whole wheat in my dough.

 

[NS Mike D]

Mary Barry Irish soda bread.
Ya gotta find a fine ground while wheat though.
Stuff comes out like a steak.
Rally nice to add a bit of berry or nuts as a morning breakfast. OR meat and hard cheese as a savory.
You do have to adjust the about of water for dried fruits , mostly based on where ya live and humidity.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/soda_bread_24837

(Its Marys , not Paul’s) :)

that's what i am talking about - real whole wheat. most whole wheat has been stripped of the healthy stuff

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

now (trying to eat healthy and bread don't go together haha). He

Break out the Ban Hammer!!!

Lol.
Well forgive you becuse of the great recipie.
It’s all about the grain I think. Bleached merican flower (with wood), not good.
I remember buying German wheat flower in the army and and was like , what is this stuff?

 

[NS Mike D]

@chipmunkofdoom2 nice recipe. i will try that

I am losing weight and significantly cut down on my starches. I have to believe that one does not have to cut bread out totally. Buy making our own bread, you get a much better eating experience without being empty carbs. Just have to have the will power not to eat the whole load in one sitting :-)

 

[NS Mike D]

steam is what forms the crust - go figure.

the sour dough uses the dutch oven. 30 minutes with the lid on to trap the steam and then 20-30 minutes with the lid off to turn that crust into golden crunchy goodness.

The ATK methods has you putting 3 cups of boing water into a pan in the off oven with the bread to do the last 3 hour warm rise. i bet that added steam helps.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

Just have to have the will power not to eat the whole load in one sitting :)

Lol, this is why I can't bake bread more often.. I'm weak and I eat ALL OF IT, haha.

 

[NS Mike D]

I baked another loaf for the family's easter brunch. Slow cold rise definitely helps the sourness and the long slow rise gives the yeast to do all the "kneading" to form the gluten.

My adult son can't get enough of it for his lunch sandwiches do it looks like this will be a weekly thing. on fridays I take the starter out of of the fridge and let it warm up and get active over 24 hours. Saturday I make the dough and refrigerate, refresh the starter and set aside on the counter. Sunday, put the dough in the parchment lined dutch oven (cast iron lodge) and let rise with oven with 3 cups of boiling water to create warmth and moisture. the the oven goes on and an hour later we have bread for the week (or first half of the week)

 

[Dancingmad]

My wife had a sourdough culture going for several months. She made bread every weekend. Awesome!

Sometimes when I'm not a *******(0 days since last incident) she'll make french bread and french onion soup from scratch. Naan cooked on a cast iron skillet happens sometimes too. I'm a lucky guy!

For the record I once tried to make some bread w/ some old yeast and instead I made a landscaping rock.

 

[NS Mike D]

my starter





The stater is a mix of KA whole wheat and bread flour. The recipe calls for 18.3 ounces bread flour, but for this loaf I used 5 ounces whole wheat and 13.3 bread. The KA bread flour has lots of gluten that the yeast unlocks with overnight cold rest, not to mention the cold rest also adds more sourness.

Lightly mixed the dough last night and put it in the fridge overnight. Took it out out this afternoon (about 18 hours ) and then to the dutch oven into a cold oven with 3 cups boiling water in a pan for three hours (where it is rising now). Then I'll fire up the oven, score the top and bake for an hour; 30 minutes with the lid and the 20-30 minutes uncovered.

 

[Why-Me]

Looks delicious. Like @chipmunkofdoom2 said above I can't bake breads very often, I'll eat all of it, lol. But....Wednesday I taught my 7 year old how to make detroit style pan pizza, yesterday was a blueberry buckle coffee cake. Today was hot fresh sourdough pretzels.









View attachment 717127

 

[NS Mike D]

 

[Chrisfish]

Where’s @jsker ??? He makes awesome bread from the pictures I’ve seen :D I love baking bread but it’s my down fall, you can put a full course meal in front of me and if there’s fresh baked bread with it, that’s all I need:rolleyes:

 

[jsker]

Use butter milk in your starter when feeding. My starter is over three years old and use the starter about once a month. I only feed the starter when I use it.

This the sour dough sandwich bread

 

[jsker]

Deli rye bread is the bomb too. I also make Black Russian rye one cannot find this in the stores. Use dry malt baking powder to help with the rise;)

 

[NS Mike D]

Use butter milk in your starter when feeding. My starter is over three years old and use the starter about once a month. I only feed the starter when I use it.

This the sour dough sandwich bread

interesting

I presume the butter milk is two- fold - 1) to inoculate the starter with souring bacteria that is added to the buttermilk and 2) lower the pH.

I understand that commercial sour dough often has acids mixed into increase the sourness. Along this line, I contemplate adding buttermilk to the dough (not the starter) at a future date.

As for the starter, right now I am curious about maintaining a starter that is unique to my area letting it develop with the local airborne yeast and bacteria. Before I start messing around with variations, I want to get a few more basic bakes under my belt so that it becomes more intuitive for me and that I have a base from which to branch out.

I did very little kneading this time; no kneading (simple quick mic with a spatula) before placing it in the fridge. and just 10 folds before popping it into the dutch oven for the rise. I can't be sure if it was the addition of the whole wheat flour (less bread flour) or the minimal handling, but this bread (coffee and a slice of bread fo breakfast!) was noticeably less "chewy"

@jsker , do you do anything special for the bread loaf or just pop that in the oven. The dutch oven traps in steam to help form the crust. Or, is that sacrificed to get good sandwich slice shapes. Since my bread is mostly for my son's lunches, I expect that I would eventually be using my loaf pan.

I also have a mini loaf pan that can make 12 individual loafs I use for bbq competitions (perfectly shaped chicken thighs and mini meat loaves for the judges eyes) which has me thinking about uses for that pan.

 

[NS Mike D]

Deli rye bread is the bomb too. I also make Black Russian rye one cannot find this in the stores. Use dry malt baking powder to help with the rise;)

I have a deli rye recipe from the NYT that claims to restore the rye (they say commercial rye uses mostly wheat flour and a scant of rye)

rye toast is my choice of breakfast and sandwich bread. this is the times recipe:

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE BREAD:

• 2 cups/310 grams bread flour
• 1 cup/155 grams light rye flour
• 2 teaspoons/6 grams caraway seeds(optional)
• 2 teaspoons/10 grams kosher salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon/5 grams active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons flavorless vegetable oil, such as grapeseed or canola

FOR THE GLAZE:

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

PREPARATION

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer, whisk together the flours, caraway seeds (if using), salt and yeast. Put 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water into a small bowl, then stir in the honey and oil.
2. Using a dough hook attachment at low speed, gradually pour in the liquid mixture. Mix just until a cohesive dough starts to form and no streaks of dry flour remain, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of the bowl halfway through. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 20 minutes.
3. Turn mixer to medium-low and knead until smooth and elastic, easily clearing the sides of the bowl, about 8 minutes. The dough should be moist but not sticky; if needed, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
4. Lightly oil a medium-size mixing bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead 30 seconds, shaping dough into a smooth round ball. Place seam side down in the oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
5. Stack 2 rimmed baking sheets and line the top sheet with aluminum foil. Punch the dough down to deflate. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Press and stretch into a rough 6-inch square.
6. Lift and fold top 2 corners of dough into the center of the square and press gently to seal. Lift and fold down the upper third of the dough toward the center and press gently to seal. Lift and fold down the top half of the dough to form a loaf, and pinch the seam closed. Turn the loaf seam side down, gently slide hands underneath, and transfer to the prepared pan. You should have an oval loaf about 8 inches by 4 inches; use hands to shape as needed. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise until loaf increases in size by about half, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
7. Meanwhile, place a rack in the lower third of oven and heat to 450 degrees. When the dough has risen, make 3 deep slashes across the top, using a sharp paring knife or razor blade. Place in oven, reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake until deep golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating pan once during baking.
8. Meanwhile, dissolve cornstarch in 1 cup cold water. Simmer in saucepan or microwave until clear and syrupy. Transfer hot, baked bread immediately to a wire rack and brush top and sides with cornstarch mixture until glazed and shiny. Let cool completely before slicing.