This uses a liquid starter that often comes to you from a friend, and
it's known as friendship bread by many. But many I've talked with who
make sourdough bread never heard of a liquid starter, so I'll share
this in case you want to experiment with it. You can still keep your
current "wet dough" type starter in case you don't like this, but you
might prefer this way od making sourdough bread. You can call it
Donald's liquid sourdough culture process if you like. :-)
First, to make a liquid starter, you can use dried starter you
purchased and add it to the feeding solution, let it ferment a few
days on the countertop at room temperature (70 degrees F / 25 degrees
C, possibly warmer but it will slow down if it's cooler than that) and
feed again. Once it's going strong, you can neglect it for a month or
so in the refrigerator, but it will need a feeding to revive it, and
perhaps another feeding to get it back to full activity again. When
I've left it for more than a month, I've used yeast nutrient and yeast >energizer from a homebrewing (beer) supply store to kick it in the
butt to get it moving again. I've had ot go as many as mnine months
without feeding in th erefrigerator, but at one point I went longer
than that and lost my first starter. Right now I'm looking to revive
two different starters or start over with the same dried flake
starters.
If you have a dough type starter, or a wet messy one, take some of it
and dissolve it in the feeding solution. It will get acclimated to the
liquid environment. Ferment and feed as above until it's predictable
in its behavior.
The advantage of a liquid starter is it's free of mold. The small
layer on top of alcohol produced by the yeast preserves what's under
it from contamination, too. It does need covered to keep out fruit
flies. You can use a Rubbermaid type container that has a hole in the
cap or a Mason jar with a lid and an airlock like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mason-Jar-Lid-FERMENTATION-KIT-Cap-w-Exclusive-Better-than-Weights-RETAINER-CUP-/161400749283
(which can be used for food fermentation also since it has a device to
keep the food submerged below the liquid line)
or this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Mason-Jar-FERMENTATION-LIDS-with-3-piece-airlock-and-grommets-/291808036195
or drill a hole in a Mason jar lid and use a rubber stopper and an
airlock like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fermentor-Airlock-Air-Lock-w-Grommet-for-Homebrew-Beer-Wine-Making-/182377770460
or some variation of the above, or your own method of keeping air and
fruit flies out. You add water to the air lock and that allows CO2 gas
to escape but no air into the container. The above type of airlock is
easy to clean. There are others that let you see the bubbling activity
better but are not easy to clean:
Enough about that. Now for the recipe/procedure to use this liquid
starter . . .
Sour Dough Bread
Makes 3 loaves
Bake at 350 deg. F 30-45 mm.
Keep initial starter in refrigerator for 3-5 days. Take out and feed:
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup warm water (from tap)
3 Tablespoons instant potatoes
Mix well and add to starter.
Let stand out of refrigerator all day (8-10 hours.) This does not
rise, only bubbles. Take out one cup to use in making bread and return >remaining starter to refrigerator. Keep in refrigerator 3-5 days and
feed again. If not making bread after feeding. give or throw away 1
cup. It must be fed after 3-5 days regardless. This is to increase
bulk.
To make bread: Mix together:
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup starter (stir first before taking starter)
1-1/2 cups warm water (from tap)
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups bread flour (do not sift). You must use bread flour only!
[if the starter doesn't seem as active as it should be, switch the
amounts of the water and the starter so you use more of the starter
and less water]
Grease a large bowl and put dough in and turn over to put oil on all
sides and top. Cover lightly with foil and let stand 8-10 hours- do
not refrigerate. Punch down dough and knead a little. Divide into 2 or
3 parts and knead on floured board 8-10 times. Put into greased and
floured loaf pans and brush with oil. Cover with waxed paper. Let rise
4-5 hours (all day is fine.) Dough rises veryslowly.
Bake on bottom rack at 350 deg. F for 30-45 mm. Remove and brush with
butter. Cool on rack and wrap well to store.
For easier slicing, lay loaf on its side and slice.
For rolls: Roll out, turn over, cut with biscuit cutter and drop into
greased muffin pans. Bake as above
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