CheeseForum.org » Forum

Sounds good. I make my own bread too. I'm working on a new sourdough starter.

Saycheese that looks good, and sounds like it was a hearty meal.

Carter how are you doing your starter?

Very easy, just take equal parts flour and water, 2 cups each at first, mix well, then let sit out with a piece of cheesecloth on top to keep crud out. I assume you have some cheese cloth? Leave it out for 7-10 days. Stir it daily. It should start to bubble within a few days. It can separate, but it won't matter just stir it up. Every starter will be different from area to area, so you'll get a starte unique to your area. This means if I sent you a San Francisco Starter after a month it would no longer be SF it would take on the yeast from your area.

After it starts to bubble and smells sour, keep it out longer if you want it even more sour. Then put it in your frig looselycovered. To keep it going every week, after the inital period, feed it by throwing away (or using) half of it, then feed it with equal parts water and flour, that's it.

I know long post but it's really simple. To proof your starter take out half what a recipe calls for mix it with the remianing amount of new flour and water. Let it sit out in the open, with cheese cloth cover, for at least 14 hours. Then your good to go. Here is a great site with a ton of stickies on sourdough.

http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewforum.zsp?f=26

That how I did my original starter.  Now I cheat and use a yeast starter.

Tea, I cheat and use yeast starter too.

I'm appauled! You can cheat but eventually the natural yeast in your area will take over and it'll be whats in the air anyway.

I used raw milk in my starter, rather than water, and was able to make bread after only 5 days.

I cheated, though, and used yeast in the bread batch to get a better rise, as I've had problems with small dense loaves.

This made a sourdough bread that pleased my hubby, yet wasn't too sour for my daughter and I.  I also made hamburger buns and pecan cinnamon rolls.  Time for breakfast!

Karen,
They sound delicious-- especially the breakfast rolls. Does your recipe allow you to shape them the night before, rest in fridge and then bake in the morning?

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!

My wife has taken over reminding me of this fact Debe, thanks!   lol..... My goodness why did I take this on!!!

ROLF! Apparently your wife knows that it is supposed to be the key to longevity occording to the Chinese. Modern science also claims the extraantioxidants are good for fighting cancer and other health issues.


I guess that means we are supposed to save the whey and dump the cheese?

I'll try that this week. I've got to make a new sourdough starter too. Thank god I'm in SF already....mmmmm warm sourdough.

mmm this sound interesting.  I am going to have to gve this a try.

Carter, great to see you.

Thanks.

Quote from: saycheese on February 20, 2009, 08:00:26 PM
Karen,
They sound delicious-- especially the breakfast rolls. Does your recipe allow you to shape them the night before, rest in fridge and then bake in the morning?

I'm sorry!  I didn't see your question before today. 

I don't have a recipe.  I'm a notorious trial-and-error in the kitchen type of cook.  I don't see any reason why you couldn't do it that way, though, as long as you take them out an hour or so before baking them.  Bread dough should always be at least room temp before putting it into the oven, otherwise it will go through a really quick rise when it hits the higher temps which can either crack the crust or make it fall.