Sounds to me like it’s the actual baking that’s the problem?Originally Posted by guy
Well I did try making sour dough rye bread a while back. The "mother"/starter (built up with rye flour additions over a couple of weeks) was lively, but every loaf I made was heavy - damp inside and rock hard outside. It did taste very good though
Recent experience with the potato bread, using bought yeast, was so easy and much better texture (making rolls rather than a loaf would account for the better texture inside I suppose).
So, for starters (bit of a pun there) any thoughts on sour dough/do you use your own "wild" culture, or do you use dried/fast acting yeast?
Thanks in advance.
I use the same technique with different ingredients generally. My starter was originally just strong white bread flour but now I tend to feed it with wholemeal.
I’m pretty rubbish at looking after the starter to be honest, and keep it for weeks at a time in the fridge unused. So far, the only time I have needed to stsrt from scratch again was when I dropped the entire starter container on the floor! Luckily, I had kept some of my ‘throw away’ starter from that one in another container in the fridge with the intentions of giving it to a friend. This now became my new starter and saved me about a week, as I just took it out the fridge, fed it for about three days snd it was good to go!. I guess I must have a very ‘yeasty’ flat, as that seems to work every time so far.
I generally use the ‘no knead’ method..
Put 100g of starter in mixing bowl
Add 450g of flour (whatever mix)
Add 7g of salt
Add 310ml of (at least skin temperature) water
With a wet hand (I only use one), mix the ingredients together with your fingers. Give it s good old swirl at first, then make sure everything is incorporated together. Doesn’t have to be a smooth dough at this point, just a reasonably uniform mess.
Cover with cloth and leave for at least half an hour.
Fold 12: with a wet hand, working your way around the messy dough lump, dig your fingers around the circumference, kind of freeing the dough a little bit from the bowl before you start...then slide your fingers underneath a good clump of the outside of the dough, pinching it with your thumb, lifting and stretching it up and over to the centre. Don’t be precious about it, just grab a big clump, pull it up and over to the centre. Repeat this motion around the circumference of the dough 12 times (moving the bowl around with your other hand).
Spray the dough with a bit of water*, cover and leave for about 2 hours.
Fold 6: Repeat what you did the first time. You should find that about 6 good folds should cover the entire ball of dough.
Spray with water, cover and leave for another 2 hours.
Fold 6: Same as last time, 6 folds should do it. You should notice that dough is looking (and feeling) a lot more like a proper bread dough now too.
Spray with water, cover and leave for at least 1 hour.
Pre-shape: flour the surface of your worktop (in my case, chopping board). Tip out the dough onto worktop and basically repeat another 6 folds as before. When folded, dust with a bit of flour then turn over onto it’s ‘messy’ side (so it’s lying on it’s folded seams). Leave it uncovered on the board for about 30mins to an hour.
Shape: This is the bit people love to get precious and arty about but to be honest, the work has already been done, this is just about stretching and shaping the dough to get a good shaped loaf.
Dust an area of your worktop and flip the rested dough onto it, exposing it’s formerly messy side. The side that was exposed to the air should be quite dry by now but just move the dough around s bit and make sure it’s not sticking to the worktop.
Work your way around the outside of the dough, gently pulling and stretching the circle of dough outwards, until you’ve given it a good old stretch.
Left side of the circle of dough - lift and fold it into the middle.
Right side - lift and fold it into the middle.
Top side - lift and fold to middle THEN....kind of tuck/push it back a little with your hands, tucking and rolling it over the remaining exposed dough to form a nice ‘loafish’ shape. Tuck/pat around the edges with your hands to shape it a little.
That’s it, your loaf is ready to prove overnight.
Put the loaf, belly side up into a floured banneton or bowl (tucking any loose folds into the centre) and leave it in the fridge overnight.
Baking it: This is MY routine (standard disclaimer applies)
Stick the flat lid of the Dutch Oven on the top shelf, pot of the DO on the bottom shelf.
Oven on 230C (mine is a fan oven, so 20 hotter if not)
While oven is getting up to temperature. Turn out loaf onto Baking Parchment. (This may take some teasing if you using a Banneton). I generally have the Baking Parchment on a Pizza Peel as it makes moving/transferring the loaf easier.
When oven is hot, take out the flat lid and pot - CAREFULLY, and put on top of oven for access.
Slide loaf (and paper) onto the lid, so seated well.
Carefully put a pronounced slit along the the length of the loaf with the sharpest blade you have (a bought grinette is generally best but a razor or very sharp knife will do in a pinch).
Give the loaf a final good spray with water and carefully place the pot on top, sealing your little ‘bakers oven’.
Put the whole thing in the oven and let it cook for 15 mins. This is when the magic happens, that water turns to steam, the loaf rises and the slit allows a glorious, unimpeded expansion.
Turn the oven down to 190C
Open the oven door and remove the pot of the DO, exposing your risen loaf to the world.
Close the oven door and leave for 20 mins.
Turn off oven snd take out your unique sourdough loaf.
Enjoy!
*a little water sprayer is a must have really.
** if you don’t have a Dutch Oven or lidded pot, see my previous post about using a roasting dish filled with boiling water.
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