[Arnold Layne]

And about time too.

Been a damned age since my last sourdough went down the drain. So I've started a new'un. One cup of Flour, another of water, placed in a Kilner jar and left on the side in our kitchen. After the first Refreshing at 24 hours, I have both Hooch and bubbles on the surface. Game on!

I'm calling her Nell, coz of the smell, ya see. Sweet and beery, with a voluptuous upper half, just like a fine barmaid.

Looking forward to mi first batch of bread using her, its just in another league of tastiness is sourdough bread. It takes a fucking age to make, is all. I'll need 48 hours to bake me a loaf of this; as opposed to 2 hours, using a dried commercial yeast. But the taste..... well, what can I say? Sex in a loafy format is what it is, and the best sex you ever had, too!! Kid you, not!

Come on Nell, lets see you come to full speed. I'm going to photo her later on, and will add a picture or two to this story.

Sourdough, yay!!

Anyone else got a sour starter on the go? Lake? Right up your street I would have thought?

I'm going to have to hide my bread now, every fucker can smell a sourdough loaf, they fucking vanish afore they're baked, usually!

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

I tried starting one off just after we moved into this house, but I suspect my jar was not clean enough, because it went rank, which ain't good. Fingers crossed this time round, for Nell. G'wan, young Nell! That's ma girl....

If you want to start one off, make sure you sterilise your jar 100% before starting Or you'll get a nasty olfactory shock

This post has been edited by Arnold Layne: 03 April 2012 - 07:50 AM

[lolz]

Sounds good, will be watching and taking notes

[Biokid]

Just water and flour Arnold?

My missus is into the latest craze of the 'Herman' or Friendship Cake. This is essentially a sourdough culture that is kept on the go for 10 days (with feeds and stirring at various intervals) then on day 10 it is split in 4. keep one for the next run, use one to make a cake (loads of different ingredients, we have tried Ginger and walnut, spiced apple and nuts, carrot and blueberry) then give the remainning 2 away with a set of instructions and so the 'Herman' peretuates. Great fun for kids and introduces them to baking with a yummy result.

Bio

[Arnold Layne]

Biokid, on 03 April 2012 - 12:53 PM, said:

Just water and flour Arnold?

Yup, just one cup each of warm water and organic wholemeal flour.
After just two days, this one is going rather well. I shall try for a snap later on today.

Should be ready to use in baking by Thursday. Its only designed for breads really, this sourdough. Same principle though, when baking. I use the whole starter to form a proofing "sponge"; when the sponge is ready (usually an overnight job), I remove a cupful which is set aside, and later refreshed to become the next Sourdough starter.

[podgy]

"And about time too."

Amen!

"If you want to start one off, make sure you sterilise your jar 100% before starting Or you'll get a nasty olfactory shock "

And I suspect this is why it smells like a drunk bigfoot farted in my kitchen when I've tried this in the past.

[ramblingmadman]

good on you arnold , nothing like a sourdough .
My better half always has one on the go . My favourite sourdough products are pizzas and crumpets (of course in addition to lovely tasty , almost 'jelly-ish' bread.) - I know this sounds weird , but its good.

For both the pizzabases and the crumpets use much more starter than for bread (we often make crumpets when the starter is growing very fast , to save wasting it just drop blobs onto a hot flat pan and they make themselves) . Pizza bases work best on a very very hot stone in the oven , and as with loaves some water splashed in just before closing the door makes a much better crust.

We use "canadian" flour - apparently it has less chems which /can/ slow the process.

[FAI]

Sour dough is great
I used to have a starter, but I don't have anything on the go at the moment.

The starter will smell pretty rank for the first few days and then start to mellow and smell bready/yeasty.....once the rankness has gone you know you are good to go.
You can keep the starter in a kind of suspended animation in the fridge for a few weeks.....bring it out a few days before you want to bake so you can give it a feed and get it going again.
I think you can freeze them too for even longer storage.

[ramblingmadman]

I have been led to believe that the best way to store a starter long term is to dessicate it.
It will then 'reanimate' with the simple addition of water. (apparently there are some places that have old old old starters , some are more than 100years old!!!)

[FAI]

Yeah, I think I remember reading that too rambling.....you can add loads of flour so that it becomes really dry and then put it in the fridge/freezer until needed.

[Arnold Layne]

Yup, I have never had any problems keeping one in the fridge for a fortnight when away on my jollies!
This one is really getting going most speedily, which is nice. And so far the smell is altogether pleasant and floral, with a hint of beer. Like a beer garden planted with sweet smelling flowers!

Can't wait.

Canadian bread has a much higher protein (gluten) count, which makes it rise so much better. But I'm using home grown (UK) organic wholemeal, and am not so concerned with rise. I'm after taste, first and foremost.

I find that slowing the whole process down gives the best taste. Which is why I sometimes prove my dough overnight in the fridge. Otherwise its in the warm-room.

[Arnold Layne]

Last night I put this a starter to rest and ferment in a glass jar (Kilner), it was just short of half full with the flour/water mix that had begun to show signs of fermentation taking place.

This morning, this is what I found:



Lively then, our Nell!!

The brown liquid at the bottom (Its usually at the top, I don't know quite why its at the bottom here, maybe the shape of the jar?) is called "Hooch". It is indeed alcohol, but do NOT drink it! You can either stir it back in (my preference), or chuck it away. Its up to you

So I poured her (hooch and all) into a bowl and gave her a good old mixing up. Then I added in a cup of flour and a cup of warm water, and mixed it all together good and vigorous like.


Note the wooden stirring spoon, glass jar and pot bowl I am using. It is a bad move to use metal or steel in any way - it has a negative impact on your yeasts, I don't know the science though. Also note the yumptious slice of finished product, toasted and half eaten

Then I covered her with a warm kitchen towel, and put her aside to ferment. I have no idea how long this will take. Anything from one to twenty four hours



Tick-tock, bring it on!

[Lake Palmer]

I killed my last two sourdoughs, like two neglected and unloved Tamagotchi's (But made of sourdough, not cheap plastic and LCD screens).

I need to be in the right frame of mind to handle a sourdough, otherwise its destined to turn to shit.

Good luck with it Arnie. It might inspire me to get one going.

[sensistarlover]

I almost missed this one So all I need is and sterile jar, 1 cup of water and 1 cup of flour, will this make just 1 loaf? Do I have to use wholemeal flour or can I use a strong white?

Looking forward to this

sensio

[charas]

Made mine from some homemade flour, I have had it a while now ,I make bread, but my favorite is sour dough pancakes.. love em !

C

[FAI]

sensistarlover, on 04 April 2012 - 06:13 PM, said:

I almost missed this one So all I need is and sterile jar, 1 cup of water and 1 cup of flour, will this make just 1 loaf? Do I have to use wholemeal flour or can I use a strong white?

Looking forward to this

sensio

The starter culture needs the first 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of water.
This will then start fermenting due to the wild yeasts that are present.....you then need to keep 'feeding' the starter culture with more flour and water.
You then add some of the starter culture to the rest of the ingredients to make the bread in place of the yeast that you would use in a 'traditional loaf'.

Making sourdough is a long process....not overly time consuming, but you need to prepare in advance....the starter culture takes about a week to get going properly and then making the bread itself is a 2 day job.
Once you have a starter culture going, you can in theory keep it forever.....I've just put one on over the weekend, so I hope to start my loaf on Friday