The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

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carltonb's picture
carltonb

Outline of the Sourdough process

The feeding chart

    History of sourdough

  • Chronology
    1. First bread in Egypt 3 or 4 thousand years BC
    2. Process developed by the Roman and brought all over Europe
    3. USA and the "49 ers"
    4. Process widely used until the mid 1800s when commercial starts to become available to bakers
    5. But even then, the sourdough process was still used by bakers that couldn't get commercial yeast
  • First sourdough studies remained very basic, until the discovery of the microscope
  • Dr. Kline and Dr. Sugihara did some extensive researches on sourdough in 1971
  • Nowadays, scientists are able to isolate the micro-organism contained in the culture
  • Because of the very complex environment, some reactions happening in sourdough remains still difficult to explain
  • Different perceptions of the word "sour" in different country (souertaig, levain)
  • There are still a lot of myths surrounding sourdough bread process
  • Flour and water are the main ingredients
  • The way we work with them will affect the characteristics of the final product
  • Need to perpetuate the culture day after day
  • Very demanding process
  • Consistency is very important
  • Understanding sourdough process

      General concept

  • Start with natural ingredients
  • Develop a culture of micro-organism able to generate fermentation
  • Perpetuate the culture
    • How to start a sourdough culture

  • Different methods
    1. Different ingredients
    2. Different consistency of the culture
  • One natural process
  • Provide vital conditions to the micro-organism
    1. Nutrients
    2. Water
    3. Oxygen
  • Demystifying the myth
    • Factors affecting the elaboration

  • Type of flour
  • Hydration
  • Amount of nutrients
  • Temperature
  • Location
    • Bacteriological changes happening during the culture elaboration

  • Natural selection of the microorganism
    1. Yeast
    2. Bacteria
  • Made by the ability of the microorganism to live in this new and specific environment
    1. Acidity
    2. Lack of oxygen
    3. Type of nutrients
  • Reproduction of the microorganism
    1. Population of microorganism starts to grow
  • Natural balance in the flora
    1. Between yeast and bacteria
  • Beginning of the fermentation process
    1. Production of gas
    2. Production of acidity
    3. Lactic acidity
    4. Acetic acidity
      • Main types of micro-organism

    5. Wild yeast
      1. Different than commercial yeast
    6. Bacteria
      1. Homofermentative
      2. Heterofermentative
    7. Origin
      1. Principally coming from the flour
      2. Other places as well

        Role of the micro-organism

    8. Wild yeast
      1. Gas production
      2. Alcohol production
    9. Homofermentative bacteria
      1. Lactic acidity production
    10. Heterofermentative bacteria
      1. Lactic acidity production
      2. Acetic acidity production
      3. Gas production

        Determining when the culture is ready to be used

    11. After the all elaboration process, the culture should be active enough to generate fermentation
      1. Should rise about 3 times its initial volume after 8 hours
    12. The surface gives also some indication
      1. Should dome with a slight collapsing in the center
    13. At this time the culture becomes a starter
      • Feeding the starter

    14. To maintain the good activity of the yeast and bacteria
      1. Feeding supplies nutrients, water and oxygen
    15. To increase the quantity of starter
      1. Have enough levain to ferment the final dough
    16. To perpetuate the culture
      • Perpetuating the starter

    17. Three possibilities
      1. Taking the starter from the levain a safe technique
      2. Taking the starter from a "Mother" a very safe technique and the possibility to work with different flour
      3. Taking the starter from the final dough a more risky technique

        Different feeding processes

    18. One feeding a day
    19. Two feeding a day
    20. Three feeding a day
      • One feeding a day

    21. Difficult to troubleshoot
      1. One opportunity per day
    22. Difficult to accommodate last minute order
    23. Risk of having acidity build up in the levain
      1. Change in the final product characteristics
      2. Not so good for flavor profile
    24. Convenient feeding schedule
      • Two feeding a day

    25. Convenient schedule
    26. Good for consistency of the culture
    27. Good for troubleshooting if necessary
    28. Possibility to accommodate last minute order
    29. More chances to increase or decrease quantity if necessary
      • Three feeding a day
    30. Very good schedule for consistency
    31. Easy to troubleshoot if necessary also easy to accommodate last minute order
    32. Allow the baker to have levain ready to bake at least 3 times a day
    33. Demanding feeding schedule
      • Maintening the culture

    34. General considerations
      1. Hygiene
      2. "Contamination"
    35. Feeding consistency
      1. Water temperature
      2. Proportion of the ingredients
      3. Fermentation temperature
      4. Type of flour
      5. Timing

        Factors affecting sourdough characteristics

    36. Hydration
      1. Affect type of acidity developed in the culture
      2. Liquid
      3. Stiff
    37. Storage temperature
      1. Ambient
      2. Lower temperature
      3. Retarding
    38. Flour
      1. Type of flour
      2. Ash content
    39. Proportion of starter
    40. Feeding process
      1. Number of feeding per day
    41. Acidity level
      • In the final dough

    42. Proportion of levain
      1. Related to dough and bread characteristics, Strength and Flavor (acidity level)
    43. Use for different types of product
      1. Possibility to develop different cultures with different characteristics, Whole Wheat, Rye, Sweet dough

        General consideration

    44. Culture process can be designed to fit production and facility requirement
    45. Consistency very important
    46. One little change could affect the culture characteristics
    47. Minor everyday changes could affect the final product characteristics
      • Sourdough baking process

    48. Mixing
      1. Short or improved mix
    49. First fermentation
      1. Longer
    50. Dough handling
      1. More gentle
    51. Final proof
      1. Longer
      2. Easy to retard
    52. Scoring
      1. Very tolerant dough
    53. Baking
      1. Lower temperature when possible

      Here are some images that graphically show how much of the process takes place.

      The transformation made by the micro-organisms in the sourdough process

      The Sourdough feeding process when the starter is taken from the final dough

      The Sourdough feeding process when the starter is taken from the levain

      Diagram of the sourdough process

    Floydm's picture
    Floydm

    Popovers

    popovers

    I dig popovers. No leavening at all, just steam.

    Popovers Make 1 dozen popovers 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon melted butter or vegetable oil 1 cup milk 2 eggs
    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients and mix well. Combine the wet ingredients and mix into the dry ingredients until you have a very smooth batter. You can use an electric mixer or eggbeater to do this, do it by hand, or even mix it in a blender.

    Pour the batter into greased muffin tins. The tins should only be about half full.
    popovers

    For a light-colored, drier popover, bake at 375 for 50 to 55 minutes. For a darker, crustier but moister in the inside popover, bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes (as I did in this batch).
    popovers

    Remove from the oven and eat while hot with jam or butter.

    popovers

    Floydm's picture
    Floydm

    Con Pane Rustic Breads & Cafe

    Con Pane Rustic Breads & Cafe 2750 Dewey Road, Suite 105, San Diego, California 92106

    Hours:
    Closed Wednesdays
    M-F: 7:00am - 6:00pm
    Sat: 8:00am - 6:00pm
    Sun: 8:00am - 4:00pm

    24 varieties of Artisan breads including Traditional French Baguettes, Pain au Levain, Artisan Multi-Grain, Raisin and Hazelnut Batard, Gruyere & Chive Boule, and Pane Cioccolata.

    Also, brioche cinnamon rolls and chocolate twists, scones and cookies as well as hugh innovative sandwiches and coffee and espresso drinks.

    Find it on the bakery finder.

    Floydm's picture
    Floydm

    Apple Butter

    apple butter

    Spiced Apple Butter 6 lbs. Golden Delicious or other variety apples (about 2 doz. medium-sized apples) 1 and 1/4 cups water 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/2 tsp salt 1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground cloves 3 and 1/2 cups brown sugar 1/2 cup orange-flavored liqueur or orange juice
    Core apples and cut in quarters; not necessary to peel them. Cook until soft, with the water and lemon juice. Remove from heat and put contents through sieve or food mill (i.e., make applesauce). Return to kettle and add all other ingredients except liqueur. Simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently to avoid burning on bottom. Be sure to stir more frequently as mixture thickens. It takes about 1-1/2 hrs. to thicken enough. Remove from heat and add liqueur. Seal in sterilized jars. Makes approximately 4 pints.
    Floydm's picture
    Floydm

    Beware...

    !!! BREAD IS DANGEROUS !!!

    !!! BREAD IS DANGEROUS !!!

    Research on bread indicates that:
    1. More than 98 percent of convicted felons are bread users.
    2. Fully HALF of all children who grow up in bread-consuming households score below average on standardized tests.
    3. In the 18th century, when virtually all bread was baked in the home, the average life expectancy was less than 50 years; infant mortality rates were unacceptably high; many women died in childbirth; and diseases such as typhoid, yellow fever, and influenza ravaged whole nations.
    4. More than 90 percent of violent crimes are committed within 24 hours of eating bread.
    5. Bread is made from a substance called "dough." It has been proven that as little as one pound of dough can be used to suffocate a mouse. The average American eats more bread than that in one month!
    6. Primitive tribal societies that have no bread exhibit a low incidence of cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, and osteoporosis.
    7. Bread has been proven to be addictive. Subjects deprived of bread and given only water to eat begged for bread after as little as two days.
    8. Bread is often a "gateway" food item, leading the user to "harder" items such as butter, jelly, peanut butter, and even cold cuts.
    9. Bread has been proven to absorb water. Since the human body is more than 90 percent water, it follows that eating bread could lead to your body being taken over by this absorptive food product, turning you into a soggy, gooey bread-pudding person.
    10. Newborn babies can choke on bread.
    11. Bread is baked at temperatures as high as 400 degrees Fahrenheit! That kind of heat can kill an adult in less than one minute.
    12. Most American bread eaters are utterly unable to distinguish between significant scientific fact and meaningless statistical babbling.

    In light of these frightening statistics, it has been proposed that the following bread restrictions be made:
    1. No sale of bread to minors.
    2. A nationwide "Just Say No To Toast" campaign, complete celebrity TV spots and bumper stickers.
    3. A 300 percent federal tax on all bread to pay for all the societal ills we might associate with bread.
    4. No animal or human images, nor any primary colors (which may appeal to children) may be used to promote bread usage.
    5. The establishment of "Bread-free" zones around schools.

    This article was written by B.S. Wheatberry in a desert after consuming mass quantities of yeast bread then realizing his canteen was empty. (seriously :P )

    qahtan's picture
    qahtan

    Microwave proofing

    Has any one put their bread/dough in the microwave
    to proof/rise.
    To me it doesn't have the time time to develop
    flavour and texture like a like long slow rise.

    I have on the odd occasion proofed in my convection
    on the "Raising bread" cycle at 90F, but never for a few minutes IE :- 6 in microwave. curious, qahtan

    Bakenstein's picture
    Bakenstein

    Baking In Covered Earthenware

    I would like to know if anyone has any experience baking bread in round "La Cloche" or Covered "Romertopf" type bakeware?
    I became intrigued by the idea of duplicating a brick oven result as mentioned in the King Arthur's Baking Catalog-(They carry the "La Cloche).

    Here is a link to a recipe and article explaining the health benefits of going back to the much longer ferments and rises of pre-WW11 baking.

    http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/ourdailybread.html

    crumbbum's picture
    crumbbum

    Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

    I was going to make the valentine's day pain rapide au chocolat tonight because my boy wanted me to buy him chocolate chocolate chip muffins at the grocery. Well, I just couldn't see myself making mashed potatoes just for that, so I went to google and dug up two C-C-C muffin recipes and between the three recipes I came up with this. And they're quite good, like the bread recipe, not too sweet, but in the middle they have some melty chocolate chip goo that makes them just right.

    1/2 cup sugar
    1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
    2 Tbsp. powdered milk
    6 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
    2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
    1/2 tsp. salt
    1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

    mix all the dry ingredients together, and if necessary, squish out any hard, rocky lumps in the baking powder.

    in a smaller bowl or 2-cup measure, mix together:

    3/4 cup water
    2 eggs, lightly beaten
    1/3 cup butter, melted
    1 tsp. vanilla extract
    I also splooshed in 2-3 Tbsp. Irish Cream, lacking rum or any other appropriate spirits

    Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the liquids, mixing just until blended--as usual for muffins, leave it slightly lumpy.
    Spoon into a 12-cup muffin tin, greased or lined with paper accordion cups. Bake at 400F about 18-20 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean unless you've struck a chocolate chip.

    and of course, you can use 3/4 cup dairy milk in place of the water/powdered milk ingredients.

    sonofYah's picture
    sonofYah

    Real Pumpernickel Bread

    I am looking for a recipe for the real Olde World style Pumpernickel Bread.

    The closest I have found so far is from Jeff Hamelman's book, BREAD, page 222.

    Gordon

    scarlett75's picture
    scarlett75

    Starter question.

    I started my starter on Tuesday and have been following the instructions found on the link in one of the lessons. This morning, I went out to find my jar of starter had an inch thick layer of "hooch". I poured some of it off before I fed my starter (whom I've named Earl).

    I used whole wheat flour and warm water as the basis of my starter. It's very bubbly and is starting to smell rather sour. When I observe Earl, he will bubble and foam before my very eyes.

    My questions are:
    1. Did I do the right thing by pouring off the layer of fluid?
    2. I've been keeping a very light lid on the jar, but I've noticed that (in pics I've seen here) there's no lid on the jar while it's "starting". Am I screwing up my starter with a lid?
    3. The link says that your starter is ready to use when it's bubbly and sour smelling, but just how bubbly and sour smelling should it be?
    4. I noticed that FloydM says that he just keeps some of his starter aside, but the article says to use it all to make your sponge... is that just a first time thing? HELP!! LOL

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