Sweet and Sour- Trista's Misadventures with Sourdough Bread

A few days ago I decided to make a sourdough starter. I had used one a few years ago that produced delightful , artisan bread, but it was not sour. So, I decided to try again with a different starter and bread recipe. The bread pictured above is the result of my labors and was baked yesterday. However lovely it was not sour as I had hoped it would be.

I found the recipe for a milk and yogurt based the sourdough starter in "The Best of Sunset" recipe book that my mom Serena gave to me a few weeks ago. Before I had tried a simple water and flour starter. I had high hopes that this sourdough starter recipe would make- as promised- a real sourdough bread.


Possible Reasons My Starter Was Not Sour:

There may be some reasons as to which this did not occur but I cannot be sure as to exactly why. The recipe stated that the starter needed to remain at around 80 degrees Fahrenheit for 2-5 days after the initial 24 hour period in which the starter began. At first, I put the starter on top of the hot water heater because the article suggested that this was an area that was warm enough. However, when I went to check on the jars they were not very warm. So, I decided to put the jars in my slow cooker on the high setting for the remainder of the 24 hour period. In retrospect I probably should have kept it on the low setting- perhaps it got too warm. For the next 2-3 days after I added the flour to the starter I kept the slow cooker on the low setting. Maybe I should have put water in the cooker as well because the bottom of the starter mixture actually "baked". Finally, I might have waited another day or two to let the flavor develop further. I will never know for sure, but I can ponder the possible problems with the starter.

The Sweeter Side Of The Slice:

Although there were issues with the sourness of the final product, the starter did work quite well as a bread "sponge". As pictured above it bubbled quite nicely in the bowl for around 8 hours before I started making the dough for the second and third rises. Because of this bubbling and because I tasted some of the dough and it was sour I had high expectations that the bread was going to be real sourdough bread!

I have replenished my starter by adding equal amounts of flour and milk in case I want to make any more breads that call for a sourdough starter. Although they may not be sour- their texture will be quite nice.

I am including the sourdough starter recipe as well as the bread recipe as I adapted them from the book. You might want to try your luck at this starter and see what results.

Milk and Yogurt Sourdough Starter- Adapted from "The Best of Sunset"

Ingredients:

1 cup skim milk (non fat milk gives the most sour flavor)
2 tablespoons low fat yogurt
1 cup all purpose flour (add later)

Heat the milk to 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from heat and mix in the yogurt. Pour milk into the warm container ( I used a large canning jar with a metal lid), cover tightly, and let stand in a warm place where the temperature is between 80F and 100F. If the temperature is above 110F the bacteria may be killed and the starter will not get bubbly.

After 18-24 hours, the starter should look like yogurt and a curd will form. If any clear liquid appears, stir it back in. If the liquid is a pink color you will need to throw the starter out and begin again.

Once the curd has formed, slowly stir in 1 cup of all purpose flour into the starter until it is smoothly blended. Cover tightly and let stand in a warm place until the mixture is very bubbly and has a good sour smell; it should take 2-5 days.

Each time you use your starter replenish your supply by adding equal parts of warm skim milk and all purpose flour to replace the amount of starter you used. For example if you use 1 cup of starter add 1 cup of warm milk (90 to 100F) and 1 cup of all purpose flour. Cover and let stand several hours after mixing or until the next day. Then, refrigerate it until you use it again.

Make sure to warm your starter overnight or for 4-6 hours before starting your bread baking process.

Sourdough French Bread- Adapted from "The Best of Sunset"

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water (about 110F)
1 cup sourdough starter
Around 8 cups all purpose flour- I use unbleached all purpose flour
2 teaspoons each salt and sugar
6 tablespoons cornmeal
1 teaspoon cornstarch and 1/2 cup water, stirred together

Sponge:

In a large bowl, combine the warm water, starter and 4 cups of the flour; stir until the mixture is smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at about 85F until very thick and bubbly- 6 to 8 hours or until the next day. I kept my sponge warm by putting the bowl in the sink and adding the hottest tap water I could to the sink. I periodically changed the water to make sure it remained warm.

Make the Dough:

When your sponge is ready mix in the salt, sugar, ,and about 3 more cups of flour or enough to form a very stiff dough. Then, mix the dough either with a stand mixer equipped with a dough hook or by hand. If you are using a dough hook mix in 1/2 cup to 1 cup of flour until the dough pulls cleanly from the sides of the bowl. If you are mixing the dough by hand spread part of a cup of flour onto a board or the clean counter. Scrape the dough out onto the board or counter and knead it until it is smooth and elastic- about 10 to 12 minutes.

First Rising:

Place dough into a greased bowl and turn over to grease the top. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled- 1 1 /2 to 2 hours. I like to either put the bowl back into the sink with warm water or use the "warm" setting on my oven for this rising.

Form the Loaves:

After this first rising- punch down the dough and knead it a bit on a lightly floured board. Divide the dough into 2 pieces. I formed my loaves into rounds which I prefer but you can also make a long log loaf if you wish. Sprinkle 2 baking sheets each with 3 tablespoons of cornmeal. Place the formed loaves onto the baking sheets.

Second Rising:

Cover loaves with plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. I let these rise in the oven on the "warm" setting- or you can heat your oven to around 200F, turn it off- and then use the ambient heat to let the loaves rise. When the loaves are done rising- take the plastic wrap off.

Bread Preparation & Baking:

Adjust the oven racks so that there is one at the lowest position & two evenly spaced above it. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack Just before you bake the bread pour hot water- (about 1/4 inch up) into the baking sheet to create steam while the bread is baking.

In the meantime- in a 2 to 4 cup saucepan, bring the cornstarch and water mixture to a boil while stirring and let cool. Cut slashes on the top of your bread with a very sharp knife before baking. Then, brush the loaves with the cornstarch mixture.

Bake at 400F for 10 minutes. Then, brush each loaf again with the cornstarch mixture. After this, rotate the bread loaves from bottom rack to top rack so that they will bake evenly. Bake for 20- 25 minutes more until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when you tap them.

Enjoy your amazing bread!!

Coming soon....recipes for using fresh chives and rhubarb from the garden this spring!