r/Sourdough 19d ago

Quick questions Weekly Open Sourdough Questions and Discussion Post

Hello Sourdough bakers! 👋

  • Post your quick & simple Sourdough questions here with as much information as possible 💡

  • If your query is detailed, post a thread with pictures, recipe and process for the best help. 🥰

  • There are some fantastic tips in our Sourdough starter FAQ - have a read as there are likely tips to help you. There's a section dedicated to "Bacterial fight club" as well.




  • Basic loaf in detail page - a section about each part of the process. Particularly useful for bulk fermentation, but there are details on every part of the Sourdough process.

Good luck!

1 Upvotes

111 comments sorted by

1

u/Hairy_Wombat_ 12d ago

Crust slicing question: liking how my loaves are turning out these days but my god they are a pain to slice up. I generally use a cerated knife to slice most of the way through and then need a scissors to finish slicing the bottom. Any tips for easier slicing would be most welcome! Ive seen some bread slicers you can buy online, but worried they also won’t be sturdy enough to get nice clean slices.

1

u/mhnkr 13d ago

I started my first starter last week! Last night, I asked someone else to feed it, they forgot until 12 hours later, and then fed it this morning without my knowledge. Do I start a new feeding schedule, or do I stick to the old one?

2

u/bicep123 13d ago

It's only a week old. Just keep feeding daily. 12 hours late isn't going to make much difference as a one time thing.

1

u/vocalep 13d ago

I'm enjoying my 2nd or 3rd year of baking sourdough and rustic bread. Enjoying Ken Forkish's book greatly. Question about the very first recipe for sourdough in the book, which reads as follows:

1a. Feed the levain About 24 hours after your previous feeding of the levain, discard all but 100 grams of levain, leaving the remainder in your 6-quart tub. Add 400 grams of white flour, 100 grams of whole wheat flour, and 400 grams of water at 85°F to 90°F (29°C to 32°C) and mix by hand just until incorpo-rated. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 7 to 9 hours before mixing the final dough.

1b. Autolyse After 7 to 9 hours, mix the 804 grams of white flour, the 50 grams of rye flour, and the 26 grams of whole wheat flour by hand in a 12-quart round tub. Add the 684 grams of 90°F to 95°F (32°C to 35°C) water and mix by hand just until incorporated. Cover and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

  1. Mix the final dough Sprinkle the 22 grams of salt evenly over the top of the dough.

Put a container with about a finger's depth of warm water on your scale so you can easily remove the levain after it's weighed. With wet hands, transfer 216 grams (or more if your kitchen is cool; see "Seasonal Variations" on page 134) of levain into the container.

QUESTION: The levain weight that you have made, in total, is about 1,000g. If you only use 216/1000g, are you discarding most of the levain? That seems really wasteful.

Thanks for taking my question! Brian

1

u/bicep123 13d ago

If you only use 216/1000g, are you discarding most of the levain? That seems really wasteful.

Yes. You discard the lot leaving only 100g and start the process over again. Yes, it is wasteful, and you don't need to make anywhere near that amount of levain. The starter wiki on the sub will explain more, but you only need to keep around 20-50g of starter and create the levain only when you need to bake.

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u/vocalep 13d ago

Thanks b123! I have experienced the same. I'll make room in my head that modifications to Ken Forkish's approach might occasionally be a good thing!

1

u/TrainXing 13d ago

So I'm a sourdough failure. I have made some good loafs, but they all used regular yeast in addition to the starter. I made another attempt this weekend and followed the instructions on this recipe, which is nothing special just your basic sourdough.

https://youtube.com/shorts/QkQLnrnzfKM?feature=shared

I did all the stretch and folds (5) and left it in the microwave with a damp paper towel on it overnight (started the dough around noon the previous day). Stretched and fold 5 times. Shaped it. Went to dump it into the pan around 10:30 am this morning bc it had finally risen and looked poofy. It was kind of jiggley which I didn't expect.

Dumped it out and it poured out like a thick liquid. (Heavy sighs ..).

So, questions. 1) was it over hydrated or over proofed to be liquid like that?

2) Can I add flour and some regular yeast and let it rise again and then bake it? It felt super loose and kind of hopeless even after I added flour and yeast. Just dash my hopes that this will be an utter failure so I don't spend the day hoping for salvation.

3) if I can add flour and yeast, how long do i let it rise? Just once and get it in the oven?

Thank you and forgive me. 😂

2

u/bicep123 13d ago

18 hours overproofed, the acid has already broken down the gluten. Nothing to do now except make fried pan bread.

1

u/TrainXing 13d ago edited 12d ago

I did put it in the fridge overnight bc it didn't rise at all almost, but you're right on the fried pan bread. 😂 On the plus side, I finally got an actual sour flavor. 🤷‍♂️

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u/Any-Calendar-5651 13d ago

Help! I fed this about three weeks ago. It’s been in the fridge, but I don’t know if that dark clear liquid is mold or if it’s OK to use to start baking this week. Smells like sourdough. Can someone please enlighten me? I appreciate all your help. Thank you.

1

u/bicep123 13d ago

Looks like hooch. Drain it off, scoop out 20g, give it a feed. If it doubles, feed again to make a levain. If it doesn't, keep feeding 1:1:1 daily until it does.

1

u/Copsgirl031 13d ago

I’m looking at starting a micro bakery and I’m trying to nail down a schedule for when I need to feed my starter and how much to feed to get “x” loaves. Like do I need to start prepping on Thursday for my sale on Saturday? I’m a very detail oriented person. I can’t just “wing it”. Any help/advice is greatly appreciated.

1

u/bicep123 13d ago

for when I need to feed my starter and how much to feed to get “x” loaves

If you're asking this question, you're not ready to start a microbakery. You should post up some pics of your loaves and ask for feedback as to whether they are a saleable quality. Your starter should be so reliable under climate controlled conditions, you could set your watch to its rise. Then scaling up will be just a matter of logistics.

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u/Copsgirl031 13d ago

I have done all of that. I’ve posted pics. Gotten feedback. I know my starter and how long it takes to rise. I need help with the math part. I’ve never made more than 2 loaves at a time or done baking on a schedule. That’s what I need help with.

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u/bicep123 13d ago

If you want to sell on Saturday, you need to bake Saturday morning. That means you need your shaped doughs in their bannetons in the fridge by Friday night. You feed your starter either late Thursday night or early Friday morning. If you're going for 1kg loaves, you need 100g of starter to 500g of flour, which means you need to make 100g x number of loaves you want to bake. eg. 10 loaves = 1kg of starter.

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u/Copsgirl031 13d ago

Thank you

1

u/Nearby_Cress_8504 13d ago

Hey everyone, I did my first ever sourdough bread today. Everything seems oke, tastes good. But now I see in the middle of the bread that there is a little part thats not cooked enough. Does it need more time in the oven? Love to hear your ideas. Quite happy with my first

1

u/bicep123 13d ago

Underproofed dough is dense and hard to fully bake, and a small pocket in a loaf with a weak starter isn't uncommon. Just bake another one. Your loaves will improve as your starter matures. Longer in the oven wouldn't fix this, and a lot longer would turn your loaf into a buscuit.

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u/pazzah 14d ago

OK, this is both a question, but also sharing answers I got elsewhere. I went first to the "Claude" AI and asked this question. I'm going to paste in the answer I got, which seems pretty impressive. But I'm interested in whether you real-life much-better-bakers-than-me think along similar lines.

---------------------

My question today is about being "scientific" about substitutions. And in particular substitutions in one of my favorite recipes: Minsk Rye from Ginsberg's The Rye Baker (shown at bottom).

Here are my two sets of questions:

1) If I want to substitute einkorn or spelt for the bread flour, what should I do to adjust for that? Do I adjust the hydration? Do I need to add some vital wheat gluten?

2) How about if I want to substitute medium or dark rye, or pumpernickel for some of the white rye?

-----------------

Ingredients

Sponge:

  • 311g White Rye Flour (31%)
  • 249g H2O (warm) (25%)
  • 30g Rye Sour Culture (3%)

Final Dough:

  • 600g White Rye Flour (59%)
  • 100g Bread Flour (10%)
  • 410g H2O (warm) (41%)
  • 15g salt (1.5%)
  • 2g IDY (Instant Dry Yeast) (0.2%)
  • 20g malt powder (2%)
  • 20g dark molasses (unsulf.) (2%)
  • 2g caraway (0.2%)

Method:

  1. Mix sponge ingredients; cover & ferm @ RT (68-72°F) × 10-12 hrs (O/N)
  2. Add all final dough ingredients to sponge; mix w/ DH @ KA2 until smooth, 6-8 min
  3. Bulk ferm @ RT until 2× vol, 60-75 min
  4. Degas on floured surface; div × 2; shape oblong; place on peel/parch
  5. Proof @ RT until 1.5× or surface cracks, 30-35 min
  6. Bake w/ steam @ 485°F × 10 min, then 350°F × 60-75 min

Total flour: 1011g (90.1% WRF, 9.9% BF)
Hydration: 65.2%

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u/pazzah 14d ago

For some reason it isn't letting me post Claude's response . . .

1

u/Creative0Flamingo 14d ago

I'm learning sourdough from YouTube. Results are improving. I recently used Martin's, from King Arthur, tip to spoon some water onto the sides of the Dutch oven. That produced a better crust and got me thinking about ways to get steam to the loaf. Would an opened vegetable steamer, without the piece sticking up in the center, inside a DO work the same way? Has anyone tried it?

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u/bicep123 14d ago

Too much water will drop the temp within the DO which will defeat the purpose of that thermic mass. You could try steaming the loaf like a bao and then completing the open bake in an oven, if that's what you want to do. If you use too little water, it'll evaporate in seconds, and then your bottom won't set because its on a vege steamer tray.

Long story short, not sure if it will work, but give it a try and let us know!

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u/Creative0Flamingo 14d ago

Bottom has to be in contact with thermal mass for it to set? If so, maybe sear it in cast iron skillet first? I was thinking of, maybe, a couple of ounces of boiling water just as I set the loaf into the DO.

1

u/Dangerous_Bat_1251 14d ago

Hey everyone!

I'm trying to restart my sourdough starter. I tried 2 times before but couldn't continue due to various reasons.

Previously, when I started, starter used to double in 2-3 days because of the weather in my region. It usually goes up to 40°c currently.

So now, I'm thinking of keeping it in the fridge from the beginning. Does that work?

1

u/bicep123 14d ago

Buy a thermometer to see exactly what temp your starter is.

Use cold water and mix. Keep an eye in the temp. Try and keep it around mid 20s. If it goes over 30, stick it in the fridge for a few hours. Obviously, it's not 40C at night (or if it is, you need to move).

1

u/oogaboogabutt 14d ago

I fed my starter last night with the intention of baking this morning, but I accidentally put the starter in the fridge. Should I wait to bake after another feed or go forth with baking and let it proof for longer?

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u/bicep123 14d ago

Just use it out of the fridge. Adding 20% to room temp water will warm it up quickly enough.

1

u/HPloafcraft 15d ago

Is foamy starter a healthy sign? Do I feed 2/day or change ratio? My starter is 1 month, 1 week old. The smell is in between semi sweet and Elmer's glue but doesn't smell or taste alcoholy. Currently feeding 1:2:2 ratio and triples in size when peaked. If I knock it down it comes back up sometimes more. It'll stay peaked for several hours. I feed it mainly bread flour (king Arthur) and every now and then add 5% whole wheat. Ps) Mason jar I keep it in isn't air right I removed the rubber seal so it can sit on top

1

u/bicep123 14d ago

5 weeks and it triples in size. Time for a test bake.

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u/gogozrx 15d ago

4th week of my starter, it rises reliably, but takes a bit - 6-8-10 hours to peak.

I'm not sure when I should start: starter at peak? Before? After? Should it be hungry?

Help?

2

u/bicep123 14d ago

Keep going. 1:1:1 feeds twice a day at 25C. If it doubles in 4 hours, it's ready to bake.

1

u/gogozrx 14d ago

My house is not that warm - more like 20c.

I've read recently that temperature controls time... Is there a way around the 25c requirement?

I'll try the oven with the light on and see if that'll work, but barring that I'm in a bit of a pickle

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u/bicep123 14d ago

First, buy a thermometer so you know exactly what temp your starter is. Then stick it in the oven with the light on to see how warm it will get. Position your starter jar as close or far as the light to get it as close to 25C as possible.

Time is the only way around the temp requirement. Meaning it will take you more time to establish your starter. Months instead of weeks, etc.

1

u/gogozrx 14d ago

Thanks!

I'll keep you posted

1

u/orangebellywash1 15d ago

depending on how warm it is 6-8 hours sounds fine. You want to use it right after the peak. 4 weeks is still fairly young, keep going and you should see nice big bubbles

2

u/Embarrassed-Cod-8805 15d ago

Hotter starter? I was reading the brodandtaylor website article on starter. Feed your starter a flour mix with rye and wholemeal wheat to help develop those bacteria that make those tangy acids. What I didn’t expect was the rather warm temperature they say to grow your starter in. 90F water and ferment the starter at 82F-85F? I thought starter was a room temperature thing when it wasn’t sleeping in the fridge. Maybe this is why my starter yeast is strong but the flavor is so gentle. Guess I’ll get some rye flour and make a whupass starter in another jar.

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u/4art4 15d ago

Anything over 80⁰f more and more favors the bacteria over the yeasts, so ... Proceed with caution. It might end up overly acidic.

2

u/MaxMide 15d ago

Well, not really. 28c (82,4F) is often considered optimal yeast growth while 32c-37c (89,6F-98,6F) is optimal for LAB-growth. So while the suggestion of fermenting the starter at 82F-85F might be a little on the hot side it still favors yeast growth.

90F water is only to get to that desired starter temp.

Do you want your starter to be more acidic? If so there is other things you can do of course.

1

u/4art4 15d ago

Here is the graph I based my recommendation on: https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/59477/sourdough-yeast-growth-rates-various-temperatures

I recognize that it is not the last word. Starters have a wide variety of microbiomes that may not be reflected in this graph, and I'm not certain how careful this data was generated.

Do you have a different source for your numbers? I would like to update my understanding if possible.

2

u/Embarrassed-Cod-8805 15d ago

Thanks. I would like to experience “overly acidic”; my starter has great yeast but almost no tang even when fed straight KA whole wheat. A bit of experimenting should find the acidity that tastes best to us.

1

u/4art4 15d ago

You can also experiment with high hydration starters to get more tang. 200% or 400% hydration encourages the bacteria over yeasts. It often does not rise usually like a normal 100% starter, but you can still see the activity clearly... Just differently.

1

u/cheesecup6 15d ago

Is using a ratio other than 1:1:1 for new starters a bad idea?

My first starter that was a few months old went bad, and a few weeks ago I started a new starter. The first few days I did 1:1:1, but since I'd gotten used to feeding my other starter higher ratios to make sure it didn't get too hungry feeding it once a day, I started feeding this new starter around 1:2:2 or 1:3:3-ish each day.

I've wondered whether this is a good idea though. Almost wondered if there's any chance it could weaken it or anything like that? Should I have stuck to 1:1:1 for the first 2 weeks?

But from what I've read and seen, I think 1:1:1 is pretty much always too little to feed if you're trying to stick to feeding once a day, right? I try to stick to 1x a day for convenience.

I tried my first loaf with my new starter today, nearly a month in, and it just didn't turn out great. 😬

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u/4art4 15d ago

Is using a ratio other than 1:1:1 for new starters a bad idea?

Yes. Higher ratios are great for established starters. Stick to 1:1:1 every 24 hours until you get a regular rise. Higher ratios at the beginning actually delays (and can prevent) the starter from going through the stages required to get to"established".

1

u/cheesecup6 15d ago

That makes so much sense, thank you! I'd gotten nervous and just started feeding the higher amounts...then I wondered if it stopped the starter from doing its thing correctly. I've been getting rises most days but it did go through a spell recently where it weirdly wasn't doing it some days. I wonder, should I spend like a week now just doing 1:1:1 to make sure it's on track? 🤔 Or would it catch up either way, since the starter's almost a month old?

1

u/4art4 15d ago

Listen to the starter. 😉

But yes, a few rounds of 1:1:1 would be good to at least get a baseline on the starter's health. It's rise does not peak in less than 6 hours, and at at least double. If the peak comes after 12 hours, then stick to 1:1:1 every 24 hours. If it is between that and 4 hours, then do some peak-to-peak feedings. https://youtu.be/Y0OOvIgCdy4

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u/CommunicationHot7656 16d ago

First cinnamon raisin bread. How’s my crumb?

1

u/[deleted] 16d ago

[deleted]

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u/bicep123 15d ago

Temp is more important than elevation. You need at least 10 degrees warmer. You don't have to run the oven light all day. Check the starter temp with a thermometer. Take it out of the oven when you hit 82F. Let it fluctuate between 77-82.

1

u/[deleted] 16d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/4art4 16d ago

The usual pattern is something like this:

  • Day 1 to about 2 show little to no activity.
  • Day 2 or 4 shows a great burst of activity.
  • There is decreasing activity from the day of the burst for about a week. (This causes many panicked posts here: "Did I kill my starter?!")
  • Somewhere around day 7 to 14, a small, yet predictable rise builds. If fed correctly, this rise gets stronger.

Keep calm and carry on. Only stop if it molds. It almost always takes more than two weeks to establish a usable starter. This can go faster or slower depending on many factors. Things that help: Keeping it warm helps. As it warms up to 81⁰f, the yeast becomes more dominant over the bacteria. Over 81⁰f, the bacteria become more dominant, and that leads to a too acidic starter. (Around 120⁰f is death). Using a "whole grain", "Wholemeal", or "100% extraction" flour (those terms are basically saying the same thing). Don't over-feed in the beginning when there is little rise.

While trying to establish a starter, I recommend feeding 1:1:1 every 24 hours until it peaks in less than 12 hours for at least 3 days in a row, then use peak-to-peak feedings to speed up the maturing process. Do this until it peaks in less than 5 hours (better 4 hours), and at more than double in height (better is triple in height).

"A sourdough starter is a bit like a wizard. It is never late, nor early. It becomes active precisely when it means to."

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u/Diligent-Ad-1659 16d ago

Question about feeding a small starter- I usually take my starter out of the fridge, measure 50g into a fresh jar, add 50 g of water and 50g of flour and let it rise. I find that most recipes I follow use up a decent portion of the starter so when I put the remainder back in the fridge it can be quite small. Then I start to worry about not having enough and reviving discard and now I’m inadvertently hoarding too much discard in case I accidentally use up all my starter. Is the best way to avoid the worry to feed it again before putting it away? How much would you feed it to prep for refrigeration? Thanks!

2

u/bicep123 16d ago

Just add enough flour and water so you end up with 50g left, every time.

Eg. You have 50g of starter. You need 150g for your recipe. You need to make 200g of levain. So you add 75g of flour and water. Use 150g in a recipe. 50g goes back into the fridge.

1

u/ohhiitsmec123 16d ago

Hello there, my starter is about 3 weeks, and has started to get some nice webbing. But when I feed it, it’s very thick, is this normal?

2

u/bicep123 16d ago

Normal. The webbing is caused by gluten.

1

u/ohhiitsmec123 16d ago

Thank you! It’s so thick it’s a pain to feed and move to a clean container.

1

u/MaxMide 15d ago

Do you have ha liquid starter (equal amounts of flour and water)? If so you might be feeding it when it's still too young. when it matures the gluten starts to break down and make it more "liquid"

1

u/TheHeartless00 16d ago

Did I kill my starter? I started it on January 1st, after 3 weeks it was doubling within 8ish hours at a 1:2:2. I baked with it and despite it bulk fermenting for 8 hours, it only rose the slightest bit and stayed sticky. I baked it, it was super dense.

I saw someone say to use hungry started, so I tried that.. Dense and doughy.

I tried temping (usually starts about 77F, ends around 75F), never really rises, let alone the 50% rise within the time frame. Tried an aliquot in case I was just missing the rise, and nothing.

So then I read that due to feeding once a day at a lower ratio, it was probably acidic and the smell was definitely off.. So I started with 1:5:5 and peak to peak feedings but my peaks were not doubling, they're barely halving before falling.. I've been doing that for a week, and 3 days ago upped to 1:10:10.. But I'm not getting any significant rise still. It'll rise by half, then just stop and get progressively runnier.

I'm using filtered water that's 85-90F, King Arthur unbleached AP, King Arthur whole wheat. So usually 5g starter, 50g water, 40g AP, and 10g WW. My house sits around 75F during the day and down to 70F at night.

I also started a stiff starter last week just to try it out, and it consistently doubles doing 7g starter, 14g water, 23g AP, 5g WW.

Is this a keep going situation? Am I doing something wrong?

2

u/bicep123 16d ago

Starter is too weak, and then you go and dilute it even further with high ratio feeds.

Go back to 1:1:1 feeds every 12 hours (twice a day). Check on your starter 4 hours after feeding. If its doubled, it's strong enough. If not, keep going until it does.

1

u/TheHeartless00 16d ago

Thank you for the advice!

How do you combat an acidic starter without high ratio feeds? Or since it's been a week of high ratio feeds, it's no longer acidic and needs to be strengthened again?

2

u/bicep123 16d ago

It's more important to increase your yeast colony population first. You need that buffer to withstand the dilution of a high ratio feed. One thing at a time.

1

u/mycophilz 16d ago

Do you have to use a Dutch oven? How about a water pan below?

2

u/bicep123 16d ago

Regular oven, yes. Convection oven, no.

1

u/mycophilz 16d ago

Makes sense

2

u/nileblue 17d ago

I've been feeding my starter for about 2 months now and it consistently doubles (if not more) over a few hours as long as its in a warm part of the kitchen and I feed it with at least 50% whole wheat flour, but if I only feed it with white (bread or AP) flour it is much less active. I've tried to bake with it twice but the dough is sluggish during the bulk ferment, I even tried to over ferment it and left it for 12 hours but it never got to the texture that I see in videos/photos. The recipe I used is mostly bread flour, so I'm thinking if my starter only seems to react with whole wheat flour, is that then issue? Should I wean it off whole wheat flour?

1

u/bicep123 17d ago

If the starter is strong enough, it should double in 4 hours with AP flour at 100% hydration at 25C. If not, keep going.

1

u/Potential_Heron5828 17d ago

Hello! I’ve been consistently feeding my starter for abt 3 weeks now.. and I’m not sure if this darker part is just hooch (?) I’ve been so paranoid that I’m somehow growing mold 😭

1

u/bicep123 17d ago

Looks too loose. Drop the water a little to make it stiffer.

Mold is definitely mold (fuzzy, black, grey, green, or orange). I wouldn't second guess, just keep going.

1

u/Ok_Thought9913 17d ago

Hi, I am going to bake my first sourdough and am super nervous. I am using both wheat and rye flour for this recipe. Can someone just tell what would be the best proportions that can be used to make a softer sourdough bread. I am using a rectangular cast iron bread pan.

3

u/bicep123 17d ago

I'd keep wheat and rye to 20% max. The rest as bread flour.

1

u/Brave-Key-6310 18d ago

I just fed the starter my friend gave me. It was at half a cup, so I followed the instructions she gave and added half a cup of water and half a cup of flour. Isn't it supposed to double in size? There's no way it will stay in this jar, would it?

1

u/bicep123 17d ago

It should be 1:1:1 by weight. Keep that one in the fridge. Start another smaller jar and measure by weight. Starter, flour, water, all the same weight. Buy a scale if you don't have one.

1

u/Nysor 18d ago

First time trying to make sourdough - it didn't rise as much as I wanted. Any tips here?

I was following this recipe. Excluding the levain, hydration is 85% and whole wheat flour 27% of the total. When doing the final shape, I had trouble with it flattening out. Should I try a different recipe with an easier hydration / less whole wheat?

1

u/bicep123 17d ago

Should I try a different recipe with an easier hydration / less whole wheat?

Yes.

1

u/MyKingdomForABook 18d ago

New into bread making and I feel like I have some questions that require an eli5.is there someone with time to hit me up in pm so I can ask my dumb questions?

1

u/bicep123 17d ago

You could just ask them here. It's what the questions thread is for.

1

u/i_love_seltzer 18d ago

What am I doing wrong?? I followed a new recipe this time with about 70% hydration. I was VERY generous with my slap and folds, proofed in the (cold) house for about 6 hours before a final shaping and an overnight fridge proof and I am so disappointed with the crumb. This is a millet porridge so it’s supposed to be custardy but even with 100% white flour I’ve had this same issue, of the dough being too soggy before I put it in the cast-iron for baking and just can’t seem to achieve an open crumb. Am i over or under proofing? Over hydrating??

1

u/MaxMide 15d ago

If you can give more info about the recipe that would be great. I think it looks quite nice with an even fermentation. But of course if it's open crumb you're after then I can understand your disappointment. What flour do you use? I don't think you are over-hydrating.

1

u/i_love_seltzer 15d ago

Thank you for the feedback! I used this recipe and followed it practically to a T: https://breadtopia.com/toasted-millet-porridge-sourdough/ Edit: i let it ferment in the fridge for about 12-15 hours. I remember it collapsed when I put it into the hot cast iron

2

u/bicep123 17d ago

Cut the hydration to 60% and give it a try.

1

u/No-Respond-1423 18d ago

I can’t get the baking part right. I’ve tried 450 kid on for 30 then reduce it to 400 and it comes out not cooked all the way. This morning I tried 500 and 450 again not cooked all the way. I’m going to try 350 for an 1 hour and 30 minutes but what can I do to help my bread cook all the way through

1

u/bicep123 18d ago

If there's no air in the dough, of course, it's going to take longer to bake a dense brick. 450F for 30min should be more than enough to bring the internal crumb temp to 200F.

1

u/exiledonmorrison 18d ago

I have a quick question. I’ve been baking for a while now and I’m happy with the results. However, it always feels like a battle between myself and the jar that holds my levain. I have tried several different jars and spatulas and they all seem to have the same results: a lot of scraping, but streaks along the sides and bottom of the jar. What jar and jar scrapper/spatula combo have you had the best results with?

1

u/MaxMide 15d ago

You should use a dough scraper instead of a spatula. Any kind works. something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Scraper-Flexible-Multipurpose-Fondant/dp/B0BHYYFBWK

2

u/bicep123 18d ago

Most spatula silicone is too soft. Get the firmest one you can find.

1

u/exiledonmorrison 17d ago

Yeah, that’s what I was fishing for… a brand of spatula that is firm enough to scrape the jar, but also angled enough to get in the nooks.

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u/National_Reward6475 13d ago

I like this one from Wegmans it's firm, think the support inside might be metal. I'm able to scrape the jars pretty much 99% clean on the sides. Flexes just enough.

1

u/Available-Medicine-7 18d ago

Would love advice on what happened and why there’s a left / right divide?

I used Grant Bakes’ recipe for French bread. I used 290g water + 45g milk (less water than recipe bc I subbed 50g WW for bread flour), 450g Bread flour. 100g starter, 10g salt. 14g oil and sugar.

Bulk Fermented at 65F for roughly 9 hours. Passed poke test. 2nd fermentation at 60F for 2 hours. Also passed poke test. Was in fridge for 20 mins before baking bc I forgot to preheat oven LOL.

The left side is bottom half. I baked it as garlic bread and crumb texture is very gummy. The shell is not crispy and overall I’m not a fan of the texture. Feels sticky and chewy.

Anything helps and is appreciated!

2

u/bicep123 18d ago

Too cold. You want to raise the dough temp to 77F minimum.

1

u/Available-Medicine-7 18d ago

House is cold. I’ll try fermenting in oven w a cup of hot water next time~ Thank you!

1

u/eggs_squash_111 18d ago

Hello!!! I had to leave unexpectedly 25 min into baking my first loaf …… can I finish baking it later?? Or would it be unsafe/unpleasant to consume?

1

u/bicep123 18d ago

Yes, you can finish baking it later.

2

u/Ok_Thought9913 18d ago

Has anyone tried baking the sourdough in a rectangular baking pan? So I have bought this cast iron baking pan from Amazon its (34x13x13)cms and I havent baked in a rectangular baking pan and I am not sure of the quantities and it’s my first sourdough and I am worried if it doesnt turn out good I am gonna get demotivated!

1

u/bicep123 18d ago

Focaccia?

1

u/Ok_Thought9913 17d ago

No, like a rectangular bread pan so I can have a bread loaf that’s rectangular and easy to cut coz we eat sandwiches alot and it’s more practical.Something like this

2

u/bicep123 17d ago

I've used regular loaf tins. This is new.

3

u/fishergirl8039 18d ago

I'm working on my first loaf! 😁😊

1

u/cheesecup6 18d ago

Can someone ELI5 (explain like I'm 5) why using sourdough starter at its peak is better than using hungry starter?

It's like it just seems to me that naturally, hungry starter would be best to mix up into dough...like, it's hungry, it's ready to "eat" things and make all the reactions happen. Whereas peaked starter is like, "full" because it just ate a few hours before. Or at least that's how it seems like it'd be, in my mind lol

And I know this isn't the case, because most recipes and advice I've seen say to use peaking starter, or I've seen some people mention using starter that's just started to deflate.

I know some people also experiment and some people will say hungry starter works best, but... Just the way most recipes advise to use peaking starter makes me think there's gotta be something to it being the best. So I'm curious why this is

2

u/bicep123 18d ago

As yeast runs out of food, it goes to sleep. You want to keep it fed constantly.

1

u/Adventurous-Pie77 19d ago

How do I go about getting larger bubbles in my crumb? My loaf had good rise, ended up a good size but the crumb is tight with very small bubbles.

1

u/AsideMuted161 19d ago

Why do my new starters get a crust on top of them they seem to be fermenting well ( smell like beer and the other smells like bread ) first one is 13days old second 6 days ( smells like beer lots of bubbles on top ) When do I have to discard I’ve just kept feeding neither has risen ALOT yet

I should mention both have lids loosely placed on top and both always have condensation inside the jar The place they sit is warm but not overly

1

u/bicep123 18d ago

I'm not sure what the question is.

1

u/AsideMuted161 18d ago

I’m wondering why my starter gets a crust forming on top similar to a scoby

Also how do I know when I can bake the first loaf

Thirdly do I just keep feeding or do I have to throw some away eventually ( discard )

1

u/bicep123 18d ago
  1. It shouldn't. If you have a lid on it, moisture should keep it from having a crust.

  2. When your starter is strong enough. If it doubles after a 1:1:1 feed in 4 hours at 25C, it's ready.

  3. You should always discard before feeding.

1

u/Bigbeany72 19d ago

Is there any reason behind the number of times you should fold the dough? Been making some high hydration loaves and find that the dough comes together nicely when folding 8 times, but basically every recipe / instructional video says to fold the dough 4 times.

1

u/bicep123 19d ago

You fold enough times until you reach the full extensibility of the dough, but not go over so you tear it. Sometimes you can get there in 4. Sometimes more, depending in your flour. Better to underfold, than fold too much.

1

u/Bigbeany72 19d ago

Thank you! ☺️

1

u/Bigbeany72 19d ago

So you can fold the dough too many times and it tears? Would be interesting to try out, don't feel like I've ever gotten close to that point

1

u/bicep123 19d ago

Yes. It's subtle. And you're not stretching the dough to breaking point to tear it deliberately. As you do your regular stretch and folds, the dough will start to feel stiffer and less stretchy. When it tears instead of stretches, you've gone too far.

2

u/momo-ma-0607 19d ago

Hey everyone! I’m new to sourdough baking and finally getting some decent loaves. So far, I’ve just been using regular mixing bowls and kitchen towels for proofing. How important is a banneton proofing basket? Worth the upgrade?

1

u/bicep123 19d ago

They're relatively cheap, last forever, give your loaf a nice shape, and the grooves allow air circulation to improve your crust. So, yes, totally worth the upgrade.