Bread makers

thanks HHB, i think I will try that. I mean you can make pancakes and everything out of that base right?

but here is stupid question, since I totally have no idea as to what to even add to the starter once it is finished. are there recipes online for this type of thing?

 

its the oldest bread known to modern man. there are still sourdough starters that were started 2000 years ago.. the answer is as far as i know,,,no..

sprouted wheat bread,,just sprout the wheat like you would any other sprout before following the wheat bread recipe..

 

I don't even know how to make something sprout, although I can make potatoes sprout by leaving them in a cupboard for a long time.

 

here this is on our desktop,,.. theres LOTS of recipes for all things sourdough on the web,everything from pancakes to dozens of different breads,pretzels,cakes,bagels to cookies,but this should get you started..

Blend a cup of warm water and a cup of flour, and pour it into the jar.
* Every 24 Hours, Feed the Starter. You should keep the starter in a warm place; 70-80 degrees Farenheit is perfect. This allows the yeast already present in the flour (and in the air) to grow rapidly. Temperatures hotter than 100 degrees or so will kill it. You can take comfort from the fact that almost nothing else will do so. The way you feed the starter is to (A) throw away half of it and then (B) add a half-cup of flour and a half-cup of water. Do this every 24 hours. Within three or four days (it can take longer, a week or more, and it can happen more quickly) you should start getting lots of bubbles throughought, and a pleasant sour or beery smell. The starter may start to puff up, too. This is good. Here's the gist: When your starter develops a bubbly froth, it is done. You have succeeded. If this sounds brain-dead simple, that's because it is. People who didn't believe the Earth was round did this for millenia.
* Refrigerate the Starter. Keep the starter in your fridge, with a lid on it. Allow a little breathing space in the lid. If you're using a mayo or pickle jar, punch a hole in the lit with a nail, that kind of thing. Once the starter is chilled, it needs to be fed only once a week. Realistically, you can get away with less; it's important to remember that your starter is a colony of life-forms that are almost impossible to kill (except with extreme heat). Even starving them is difficult.

Care and Feeding: Hooch

Aside from weekly feeding, the only other thing you need to worry about is hooch. Hooch is a layer of watery liquid (often dark) that contains alchohol. It smells a bit like beer, because it is a bit like beer - but don't drink it! Hooch builds up in your starter, especially in the fridge. Just pour it off or stir it back in. It doesn't hurt anything. If your starter is looking dry, stir it back in. If your starter is plenty wet, pour it off. Just remember that hooch is nothing to worry about!

Sourdough Baking Step One: Proofing the Sponge

Several hours before you plan to make your dough (recipe below), you need to make a sponge. A "sponge" is just another word for a bowl of warm, fermented batter. This is how you make your sponge.

* Take your starter out of the fridge. Pour it into a large glass or plastic bowl. Meanwhile, wash the jar and dry it. You may also wish to pour boiling water over it, since you don't want other things growing in there with your pet!
* Add a cup of warm water and a cup of flour to the bowl. Stir well, and set it in a warm place for several hours. This is called "proofing," another word for fermenting. Sourdough bakers have their own language; use it to impress your friends
* Watch for Froth and and Sniff. When your sponge is bubbly and has a white froth, and it smells a little sour, it is ready. The longer you let the sponge sit, the more sour flavor you will get.

The proofing-time varies. Some starters can proof up to frothiness in an hour or two. Some take 6-8 hours, or even longer. Just experiment and see how long yours takes. If you're going to bake in the morning, set your sponge out to proof overnight.

Sourdough Baking Step Two: The Actual Recipe

Of course, there are a lot of recipes for sourdough bread. There are also recipes for sourdough rolls, sourdough pancakes, sourdough pretzels, sourdough bagels, and probably sourdough saltines for all I know. This is the basic recipe I use, though, and it's simple and makes a fine bread. You'll need the following:

* 2 Cups of sponge (proofed starter)
* 3 Cups of unbleached flour
* 2 tablespoons of olive oil or softened margarine
* 4 teaspoons of sugar
* 2 teaspoons of salt

First, let's talk about leftover sponge. You should have some. The leftover sponge is your starter for next time: Put it into the jar, and give it a fresh feed of a half-cup each of flour and warm water. Keep it in the fridge as above; you'll have starter again next time.

Now, for the recipe: To the sponge, add the sugar, salt, and oil (the oil is optional - you can use softened butter instead, or no oil at all). Mix well, then knead in the flour a half-cup at a time. Knead in enough flour to make a good, flexible bread dough. You can do this with an electric mixer, a bread machine on "dough cycle," or a food processor. You can also do it with a big bowl and your bare hands.

Keep in mind that flour amounts are approximate; flour varies in absorbency, and your sponge can vary in wetness. Use your judgement; treat it like ordinary white or french bread dough.

Let the dough rise in a warm place, in a bowl covered loosely with a towel (if you're using a bread machine's dough cycle, let it rise in the machine). Note that sourdough rises more slowly than yeast bread; my starter takes about an hour or so, but some starters take much longer. Let the dough double in bulk, just like yeast-bread dough. When a finger poked into the top of the dough creates a pit that doesn't "heal" (spring back), you've got a risen dough.

Punch the dough down and knead it a little more. Make a loaf and place it on a baking sheet (lightly greased or sprinkled with cornmeal). Slit the top if you like, and cover the loaf with a paper towel and place it in a warm place to rise again, until doubled in bulk.

Place the pan with the loaf in your oven, and then turn your oven to 350o Farenheit and bake the bread for 30-45 minutes. Do not preheat the oven. The loaf is done when the crust is brown and the bottom sounds hollow when thumped with a wooden spoon. Turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack or a towel and let it cool for an hour before slicing.

And that's that. If you double the recipe for two big two-pound loaves of bread, the total price tag will be less than a dollar.

 

This is all great hippiebilly thanks, and I will note these recipes. It's just that I work a lot and share a kitchen so I was looking for something that can produce real bread for me for minimum effort.

 

that doesnt sound so hard. i love sourdough bread and all that.
thanks HHB.

 

sourdough is so easy once you get the starter going.. no fussing over yeast cultures etc..

dilli says its very forgiving as far as following recipes to a tee.. in other words,,if you forget a ingredient or two(as long as it aint the starter,,lol),dont worry about it,,it will more than likely be fine..

 

Woot woot.

 

I am sitting here thinking of nice sourdough bread just out of the oven with melted butter.......mmmmmmmmmmmmm....

 

we made loaves for the week today..
since i made the brick grill/oven we dont use the stove in the house anymore.. weaning off the propane addiction..

so we only bake one day a week.. yeah fresh warm sourdough bread with butter is loverly..

oh btw,you can dehydrate the starter,as a matter of fact,you being in california you should be able to buy dehydrated starter and just go from there..

once you rehydrate it you can keep it forever..which ever you prefer..

they say the older the starter the better it is,,like fine wine..

makes me wonder what the 2000 year old starter would be like..

 

If it's 200 years old it might have been made by Jesus.

 

it may have who knows..

its not uncommon at all for the family starter to be 200 to 500 years old..

these are documented,and just ordinary people like me and you have them.. handed down generation to generation..

actually pretty cool when you think about it.. a family heirloom made out of flour and water..

 

What? Here's a loaf of bread, you must keep it all of your life locked in a cold dark room and pass it down to your great great great great grand children so that they can eat it as the starter for a three course meal.

 

they have dehydrated sourdough starter here in Cali...now that would be the way to go. . will look for that.

I think though that Brynne (my ten year old) would totally get a kick out of making it herself with me.

or better yet, since you and dilli just made it for the week, i'll just fly out there and share yours.

 

I have 2 love them, they are great and taste far better than store board loaves (yes board, like cardboard)

 

oh you cant have my sandwich bread.. wont have nothin for lunch next week..

let us know an come on down we will make ya a loaf or two..

an maybe some pancakes as a bonus..lol

 

I actually have heard first hand that dilli makes the best mexican food around.

and for some reason i totally believe that if, well if anyone came for a visit you and dilli would be very hospitable. (killed the spelling on that )

 

I dont like bread machines because I dont like the size of the loaves. I bought a dutch oven for $35 and make all my bread by hand in that. It takes me about the same amount of time as clean up is easier in the dutch oven than the breadmaker.

 

But you likely can cook some of us are better at tossin stuff in a box and pushing a button.

 

I can cook chapati, but I'm prone to fucking it up sometimes. It's repeatability I'm after.