CheeseForum.org » Forum

I see there are a few sour dough fans here so I am hoping someone can help me.

I have a GREAT starter which produces a really good tasting bread and I always get a light airy loaf but I also get a crack through the side and into the middle which makes cutting the bread really difficult (and pointless).

I have slashed it to help but didn't get much of a change.

Any ideas?

It could be the way you shape the loaf before the final proofing. Here's a good tutorial on shaping: http://sourdough.com/blog/sourdom/beginners-blog-shaping

Also when I bake in a loaf pan, I slash once through the middle and then from each end of the slash to the corners of the pan  like this: >---<. Then if I get a lot of oven spring the whole top opens neatly like a box.

I would love to make my own starter again, but need some advice.

I had trouble with my raw milk getting bubbly in my fridge and thought that it might be my starter contaminating it. The starter died after some neglect and I never made another.

My starter I kept in a glass bowl with a lid, not air tight. I've alway heard not to put starters in air tight containers, Maybe this is false? And my cheese making milk I keep in rubbermaid gallon plastic containers with snap on lids, they're not air tight either. The obvious solution would be to keep my milk air tight in glass. I usually have a least 3-5 gallons at a time and hate the inconvenience of putting it all in glass.

So I'm looking for ideas. Those of you that milk and keep a starter in the fridge, how do you keep cross contamination from occurring?

Thanks!

I have been thinking about trying my hand at a sourdough. I may even do it this weekend while making cheese. But which should I try, another fetta or someething new like a parmesan. Anyway sourdough here we go.

Quote from: DeejayDebi on March 23, 2009, 01:57:36 AM
I probably don't have to say this to a bunch of cheese makers but just incase ...


Use whey instead of water in your breads and other baked goods you will be amazed at how much lighter things get. It's really good in sour dough!

Whow! Can't wait to try this!!!! I'm a big sourdough baker. I actually bought my starter a while back from King Arthur Flour (they had free shipping on it! ) I make my bread at least once a week (it is so easy.. on Mondays I "feed" my starter and either bake that day or let my bread rise over night in the fridge for some really sourdough taste and bake on Tuesdays) Can you use the waste water from making ricotta from the left-over whey??? It is still whey, isn't it?

Quote from: ancksunamun on July 30, 2010, 03:21:49 AM
I see there are a few sour dough fans here so I am hoping someone can help me.

I have a GREAT starter which produces a really good tasting bread and I always get a light airy loaf but I also get a crack through the side and into the middle which makes cutting the bread really difficult (and pointless).

I have slashed it to help but didn't get much of a change.

Any ideas?

If your bread cracks in the oven and you are scoring it (i.e. slashing it) that means it is underproofed. Meaning the final proofing was not long enough, therefore oven spring is too great. Try a slightly longer final proofing.