I posted a "Thank you" to my heart-givers in GD

[housewolf]

I'm very touched by the hearts, some of which (if not all) I imagine came from C&B folks, since I don't post much anywere else these days.

If you'd like to view my post, it's here
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7709821

[Lefta Dissenter]

1. could be that people appreciated

the Crack Pie recipe and conversation...


... just sayin'...

:D

[EFerrari]

2. My star timed out today and couldn't respond until now.

Thanks so much, housewolf, for nudging my little sourdough adventure along. :)

[housewolf]

3. I'm so curious... have you baked with the new one yet?

How's it coming along?

[EFerrari]

4. Yes, I did. And this is what happened.

The rise was much better but still not enough! But, it's all good because now I know there was more than one thing going on. It's not the starter. Zool is bubbling away and now has a younger sister, Chupi (from Chupacabras), who is also doing just fine.

It's something else that is just about the rise. The loaves look beautiful, have a nice crust to them, smell and even taste mostly right. But the rise is not a go. I'm shopping for some malt powder but before that, maybe for a different recipe.

[housewolf]

5. Does the dough double before you shape the loaves?

If so, the problem is probably in your shaping.

Was the starter fully active when you mixed your dough?

Were the loaves over-proofed?

What recipe are you using?

You're making progress, though! Kudos to you for your continuing to try!

[EFerrari]

6. No, they didn't double. They did much better than last time, though.

They're not going out sideways so I know it's not the kneading.

The starter is active and intent on taking over the world, lol.

So, I'm thinking there's a different problem here messing with the rise.

This is the recipe I was using:


Ingredients

* 4 3/4 cups bread flour
* 3 tablespoons white sugar
* 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
* 1 cup warm milk
* 2 tablespoons margarine, softened
* 1 1/2 cups sourdough starter
* 1 extra large egg
* 1 tablespoon water
* 1/4 cup chopped onion

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, salt, and dry yeast. Add milk and softened butter or margarine. Stir in starter. Mix in up to 3 3/4 cups flour gradually, you may need more depending on your climate.
2. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead for 8 to 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turn once to oil surface, and cover. Allow to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in volume.
3. Punch down, and let rest 15 minutes. Shape into loaves. Place on a greased baking pan. Allow to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled.
4. Brush egg wash over tops of loaves, and sprinkle with chopped onion.
5. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes, or till done.



http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/San-Francisco-Sourdough-Bread/Detail.aspx

[housewolf]

8. Bread recipe

So, it looks like that recipe has a pretty goodly number of people recommending it, so most must have had good results from it. I don't see anything inherently wrong with the recipe. My one question would be about the temperature of your milk - if it's too hot it could be killing off some yeast cells.

Have you thought about trying your starter with a different recipe?

What sort of bread is it that you want to make that inspired you to begin working with a sourdough starter? Are you an experienced bread baker? Have you had success with other bread recipes?

[EFerrari]

9. I used to bake honey wheat bread for us all the time.

Now I usually only make French Bread because it's like five ingredients that I always have on hand.

As to this recipe, I was thinking maybe the yeast needs a few more minutes to get started and checking the milk temp is also a good idea. My suspicion is that the starter is doing its share of work but the yeast called for in the recipe may not be.

[housewolf]

11. Yeah, with that much yeast and that much starter

the bread reallly ought to be rising quite a bit.

I've worked with yeast-leavned bread and starter-leavened bread, but never mixed them, but many of the pictures of breads made from this recipe show well-risen loaves. I'm nor what's going on with it.

[EFerrari]

13. It's bizarre. Maybe I should find a recipe that only uses starter.

That would cut down on the variables, anyway. Or, I could smudge the kitchen. :)

[housewolf]

14. Smudging is always a good idea...

nothing like clearing those old, stale energies to make room for something new :-)


If you want to try some sourdough-only leavened breads (aka "purist" sourdough lol!) check out this sourdough primer and recipe - it's a simple flour-water-salt-starter (with a little oil and sugar) recipe that would be a great place to start. It will teach you a lot about your starter, how it works in a bread dough and what flavor it can add to a bread. Then there are ways to work to develop more flavor later if you're not happy with what you're getting. I think your idea of cutting down the variables is a very good idea.
click on the link "Sourdough Bread: How To Begin (easy sourdough for the beginner or novice)" at this page of the FreshLoaf site (a teriffic bread-baking site)
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/thebreadfeed

Main site home page
http://www.thefreshloaf.com

Let me know... I'm happy to help.

Here's a pic of one of my favorite (although somewhat over-browned and with an untoward bubble right there in the front!) sourdough loaves

[EFerrari]

15. Very pretty!

You know something, S. John Ross sounds so familiar to me. Hmmm.

Anyway, I'll set Zool out tonight and see how he does. Thanks!. :)

[Phentex]

7. I thank my anonymous donors...

whoever you are!

I buy stickies for C&B when they have that fundraiser. :)

[pengillian101]

12. Someone gave me a heart too, and I am so grateful

Me too!

[wildflower]

10. Someone gave me a heart too, and I am so grateful

If it was someone here, thank you :loveya: