Cooking
I do believe that's a bubble! (dark spot on the edge)
I started a starter – or I’m hoping I have. Today is Day 4, which is a make or break day for the starter. I’ve been following the directions given in Nick Malgieri’s book, “How to Bake”, and on Day 4 he tells you that if the starter has not begun bubbling, you should start over.
When I started, I was a little worried about what might take up residence in that blob of dough. I hunted around on eGullet a little and am now reasonably reassured that the good bugs (i.e. wild yeast and “friendly” bacteria) will win out over the bad. Apparently the acidic environment that is formed is inhospitable to the things you don’t want, including commercial yeast.
What is interesting but confusing is that there are so many conflicting instructions for starting sourdough out there. The only things they all seem to have in common are: flour, water, and periodic feedings. The proportions vary - mine is one part water to two parts flour but many are equal parts. The timing varies with some calling for feedings as frequent as eight hours apart. Even advice on temperature varies – Nick Malgieri calls for room temperatures between 60 and 75F, but many others call for warmer temperatures. I turned down my thermostat for that little blob!
So today I had to decide – feed it or trash it? I’ve seen a few bubbles on the surface, but I’d be hard-pressed to call it “bubbly”. However, while my starter is not all bubbly on the outside, I would say it is on the inside (sort of like me), so I am granting it a reprieve for now.
- It’s A Loaf!
I had thought I would be writing this post last night, but I was up until one in the morning waiting for my first sourdough loaf to come out of the oven. When it did, I put it on a rack and fell into bed. I cut into it this morning with low expectations....
- The Biography Of A Starter: The Proof Is In The Pudding
With my starter now alive and well, I've gone ahead and made two loaves of bread with it on two different days. It is clearly sourdough bread, though the characteristic flavor is more subtle in mine than I'm used to. If memory serves, however,...
- Biography Of A Starter (day 10)
Today began my starter's regular feeding. Nancy Silverton's "recipe" in Breads from the La Brea Bakery really wants you to be feeding the thing thrice daily. While not a problem for me to do at the moment, I've adjusted things and put...
- Biography Of A Starter (day 7)
Well, some mold turned up in my starter. Nancy Silverton says it's no big deal; scoop it out and feed the starter with flour and water to strengthen the yeast. I'm getting surprisingly good at getting my tap water to 78 without a thermometer....
- Biography Of A Starter (day 4)
I replenished my starter on Day 4, as per Nancy Silverton's instructions. Basically I just added some more flour and water, and stirred it all in. My starter has a definite aroma, one that smells a little funky. But Silverton implies that this is...
Cooking
It’s Alive?
I do believe that's a bubble! (dark spot on the edge)
I started a starter – or I’m hoping I have. Today is Day 4, which is a make or break day for the starter. I’ve been following the directions given in Nick Malgieri’s book, “How to Bake”, and on Day 4 he tells you that if the starter has not begun bubbling, you should start over.
When I started, I was a little worried about what might take up residence in that blob of dough. I hunted around on eGullet a little and am now reasonably reassured that the good bugs (i.e. wild yeast and “friendly” bacteria) will win out over the bad. Apparently the acidic environment that is formed is inhospitable to the things you don’t want, including commercial yeast.
What is interesting but confusing is that there are so many conflicting instructions for starting sourdough out there. The only things they all seem to have in common are: flour, water, and periodic feedings. The proportions vary - mine is one part water to two parts flour but many are equal parts. The timing varies with some calling for feedings as frequent as eight hours apart. Even advice on temperature varies – Nick Malgieri calls for room temperatures between 60 and 75F, but many others call for warmer temperatures. I turned down my thermostat for that little blob!
So today I had to decide – feed it or trash it? I’ve seen a few bubbles on the surface, but I’d be hard-pressed to call it “bubbly”. However, while my starter is not all bubbly on the outside, I would say it is on the inside (sort of like me), so I am granting it a reprieve for now.
- It’s A Loaf!
I had thought I would be writing this post last night, but I was up until one in the morning waiting for my first sourdough loaf to come out of the oven. When it did, I put it on a rack and fell into bed. I cut into it this morning with low expectations....
- The Biography Of A Starter: The Proof Is In The Pudding
With my starter now alive and well, I've gone ahead and made two loaves of bread with it on two different days. It is clearly sourdough bread, though the characteristic flavor is more subtle in mine than I'm used to. If memory serves, however,...
- Biography Of A Starter (day 10)
Today began my starter's regular feeding. Nancy Silverton's "recipe" in Breads from the La Brea Bakery really wants you to be feeding the thing thrice daily. While not a problem for me to do at the moment, I've adjusted things and put...
- Biography Of A Starter (day 7)
Well, some mold turned up in my starter. Nancy Silverton says it's no big deal; scoop it out and feed the starter with flour and water to strengthen the yeast. I'm getting surprisingly good at getting my tap water to 78 without a thermometer....
- Biography Of A Starter (day 4)
I replenished my starter on Day 4, as per Nancy Silverton's instructions. Basically I just added some more flour and water, and stirred it all in. My starter has a definite aroma, one that smells a little funky. But Silverton implies that this is...