Hello - I'm new at posting here, although I have been reading the recipes and studying the forum for a while.
It's taken me at least 8 loaves, but I am finally happy with my sourdough bread. I've amalgamated several recipes that I've found in books, here and elsewhere online, and adapted as I've gone until I have ended up with what I think to be a reasonable bread.
I've included a picture of the sponge just before mixing and the loaf (I've overdone the crust, but it is the texture inside I was most concerned about).
The problem is my loaf takes about 36 hours from start to finish, so i am wondering if there is anything I am doing that can be altered to reduce the time a bit. I'm all for slow food, but this is a bit excessive!
It's a very cold winter here at the moment (for us at least) so room temp is around 15-18 most of the time.
here is my recipe so far:
1. The Sponge: Mix starter with 1 cup rye flour,1 cup white bread flour and 2 cups warm water in the evening. Leave in warm room over night. In the morning, mix another cup of white flour and 1 cup of water. Leave until teatime. (approx 24 hours total)
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2. The Dough: 3 cups sponge in large mixing bowl with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon sugar. Add 1 & 1/2 cups of flour in and stir until a sticky mess. Add a further 3/4 cup and mix - still sticky. Cover bowl with cling film and leave for 1/2 hour in warm room. Empty 3/4 cup of flour on kneeding surface and empty sticky dough onto it. Work in the flour and stretch dough at same time. Keep going, adding small amounts of flour as the dough sticks, until it is only slightly tacky and not sticking to surface. Cover and rest for 10 mins, then kneed again for about 10 mins. Dough is ready when it passes the stretch/light test.
3. Rise and Fold: Leave covered for 30 mins then gently push down dough and stretch into a rectangular shape. Roll it up lengthways to make a long cigar, then roll it up sideways to make a snail-shell spiral. Leave for 30 mins and repeat the folding technique. I do this a least 4-5 times then cover and leave overnight in a warm place to rise.
4. Form & Prove: gently push down the risen dough into a rectangle shape, turn over so drier side is face up then roll up like a cigar. Scatter some polenta/ cornmeal in the bottom of a baking sheet. Place the cigar with the join side down onto the sheet. Cover and leave for an hour or two in a warm room.
5. Bake: Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees with a tray of water at the bottom to make steam. Slash the loaf lengthwise. Put the bread in and after about 8 mins, turn the tray round and turn the oven down to about 180 degrees. Check every 10 mins and turn occasionally to ensure even cooking.
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Any thoughts/ tips on making things a bit shorter would be very helpful.
This is a great forum and has given me loads of help in my quest. Thanks
Leon
Replies
Try using warmer water in all steps and it will speed things up.
Thanks LeadDog.
the only time I use water is in the sponge. I dont add any when I mix the dough, but instead use a very wet sponge. Maybe I should use a thicker sponge and add warm water when mixing the dough?
I saw that you used warm water in your sponge guess I didn't realize that all of your water was in there. There are a coupe of other warm places that you can make for your dough. I turn my oven on for a minute then off again and proof the dough in there sometimes. I have heard of people using their microwaves for proofers also. They boil some water in the microwave then remove the water and place the dough in the microwave. The door is left open on the microwave so the light stays on and keeps it warm. People have used ice chests with something like hot steamed towels to provide the warmth. I have even used the sink with a warm water bath to bulk ferment in, you have to use a bowl of course as a banneton would leak.
Personally I like bread baking when it is cooler as I get more flavor development but sometimes a person just needs the bread sooner. I hope I gave an idea or two that will work for you.
I activated two starters one a wild one with the pineapple and rye flour swapping to white flour after a few days. The other from a dried starter called Tasmanian Devil which was sent to me by a friend a couple of years ago. I found the instructions a bit daunting but after starting the wild one did much the same procedure just with water and flour feeding.
I enjoy making Youtubes from some of my cooking. I just take a photo each step and put them together with the recipe mostly under the drop arrows.
I have really loved eating this one both fresh and sliced very thinly for toast.
This is a link to my blog if you want to see it. http://carolynscocioz.blogspot.com/
I made both bread and cheese rolls from the Tasmanian Devil starter and I didnt Youtube them.
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that's great - thanks for the tips LeadDog
Just one more point ... my bread is quite spongy but not fluffy. I cant think how to describe it really. The crumb (think that is the right term) is almost shiny, and looks plasticky inside the bubbles. It tastes great, but the texture isn't right. Does anyone have any tips as to how I can get the texture more bread-like?