The Sourdough Starter Experiment is a success

[montanaWineGuy]

I created a sourdough starter over a month ago and have been experimenting with it for a couple of weeks. First method is to let it mostly cook in the crock pot and then brown it in the oven. Nice thick crunchy crust, but not quite what I wanted. So I bought a Lodge cast iron Dutch oven. Dough needs to rise 7+ hours but wow! with the results.

Come on, admit it. Warm fresh sourdough bread is better then cake or brownies.

I just started to read this today, so there is improvements coming; From the library is the best Bread reference book –> The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Yeah, and that's a lot meat, and the dog is getting the good stuff, closest to the bone.

 

[pjd]

You are killing me! I went on a low carb diet at the first of the year and have dropped over 50 pounds but that bread is just begging me to eat it!

 

[JohnT]

OMG!

So can you provide a detailed step by step? I have been following your experiment, but would like what you now consider as your recipe...

 

[montanaWineGuy]

This latest attempt is my best so far. I would give the credit to the Dutch Oven. The DO keeps the bread humid that gives the crust it's thick crunchy texture and keeps the center from drying out.

Recipe is very simple and about as basic as one can find. The sourdough starter needs to be created and worked on first though.

Here is the starter recipe and the bread recipe
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Bread/SourdoughStarter.htm
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Bread/FrenchSourDough.htm

Anecdotally, I find I have to follow directions. Prior to this, I got a little confused and only let the bread rise for 2 hours. I created two heavy bricks that I had to toss. Now if you try this same recipe in a crock pot, the dough rises while baking, and made a very good loaf, but it didn't have the airy pockets, but it did make for good toasted garlic bread.

 

[richmke]

Come on, admit it. Warm fresh sourdough bread is better then cake or brownies.

Sourdough bread with ice cream???

 

[montanaWineGuy]

Sourdough bread with ice cream???

LOL, yeah, let us know.

 

[BernardSmith]

Sourdough bread with ice cream???

There are limits to even the best sourdough bread... but mine does go down really well with home made raspberry jam made from home grown raspberries...

 

[fabrictodyefor]

So did you put a piece of parchment paper in the DO? And did you leave the lid on while baking? Just taking it off toward the end to get brown. Or did you use the lid at all?

 

[montanaWineGuy]

So did you put a piece of parchment paper in the DO? And did you leave the lid on while baking? Just taking it off toward the end to get brown. Or did you use the lid at all?

Parchment paper, and 22 minutes with lid, 8+ minutes uncovered. Seems to have been perfect. Only thing I will do different next time is to make the dough the night before, and let it sit for 12 hours or more.

 

[fabrictodyefor]

I've tried sourdough before and have never been too pleased with the results, you have convinced me to try again! You say you would let the loaf rise for 12 hours....in the recipe, it calls to let the dough rise for 2-3 hours in a bowl, punch down and knead again, then put into a loaf and let rise again. Would you do the double steps? or just shape into a loaf and let rise for the 12 hours. I wonder if I have never let it rise long enough, thus not getting good results.

 

[montanaWineGuy]

I don't understand the punching it down, and don't do it. I do palm knead it after the 1st 30 or so minutes. Palm Knead, fold, palm knead, fold for about 5 minutes seems to do the job.

 

[montanaWineGuy]

Different every time. I let the dough rise overnight in the Dutch Oven and it had become very soft. I had to scrape it off the parchment paper, flour it and reshape it. I thought it was going to be a disaster. Its good. Next time I'll mix the dough to be a bit drier, before letting it rise overnight.

 

[BernardSmith]

I don't understand the punching it down, and don't do it. I do palm knead it after the 1st 30 or so minutes. Palm Knead, fold, palm knead, fold for about 5 minutes seems to do the job.

Punching down forces out the CO2 and so deflates the bread. The fact that the gluten strings (protein threads) have stretched and have formed a net to trap the CO2 simply means (I think) that if you allow the bread to rise a second time (allowing the yeast to eat more of the sugars and produce more CO2 to replace the CO2 you removed by punching down) the bread will have a better texture because the gluten strings were stretched and then relaxed and then stretched again... over-stretching those protein chains can make them snap (much like an elastic band) and it is those threads and strings that give the bread its chewiness. At least that is what I was taught when I learned to make bread.

 

[montanaWineGuy]

Punching down forces out the CO2 and so deflates the bread. The fact that the gluten strings (protein threads) have stretched and have formed a net to trap the CO2 simply means (I think) that if you allow the bread to rise a second time (allowing the yeast to eat more of the sugars and produce more CO2 to replace the CO2 you removed by punching down) the bread will have a better texture because the gluten strings were stretched and then relaxed and then stretched again... over-stretching those protein chains can make them snap (much like an elastic band) and it is those threads and strings that give the bread its chewiness. At least that is what I was taught when I learned to make bread.

Good info. This latest loaf, I did some kneading in reforming it, and afterwards, slicing down the middle of the bread the air pockets are quite large. Maybe it was the long rise time or the last minute kneading that produced those best yet results. I'm doing something correct.