BBH, is this sd recipe good?

[Blackbird]

WHY is your kitchen so cold??? Well, I think my apt. is just a bit warmer - it's warmer in the bathroom (laundry room is next door over) so that was where I had been keeping it.

What I was doing was taking about 1/2 cup of water and 1 cup of flour, mixing it with the sponge, starter, whatever the heck you are all calling it, and then letting it sit 12 hours... Give or take a couple hours. Then about 12 hours later I would take half out, add the same amount of water and flour..

After I while I never measured, I would just throw enough in to get the right consistency. Anyway, I kept doing this, per the instructions you had on that other thread. It would get nice and bubbly every time, and smelled good and yeasty, but it never 'doubled' or rose. I just figured it needed to be warmer. When I came back home with it, I kept it going like above, but it never rose here either, and then I molded. I was hoping to make a fancy herb bread for everyone and T-Day but that didn't happen.

My loafs were HARD and about an inch or two thick... They didn't taste THAT dense though. Sure I would nibble of them with a bit of jelly. I did try toasting it, but a hunk got stuck in my toaster and caught fire.

 

[Blackbird]

Maybe I cussed at my starter too much and it decided it didn't like me and killed itself?

 

[big brown horse]

WHY is your kitchen so cold??? Well, I think my apt. is just a bit warmer - it's warmer in the bathroom (laundry room is next door over) so that was where I had been keeping it.

What I was doing was taking about 1/2 cup of water and 1 cup of flour, mixing it with the sponge, starter, whatever the heck you are all calling it, and then letting it sit 12 hours... Give or take a couple hours. Then about 12 hours later I would take half out, add the same amount of water and flour..

After I while I never measured, I would just throw enough in to get the right consistency. Anyway, I kept doing this, per the instructions you had on that other thread. It would get nice and bubbly every time, and smelled good and yeasty, but it never 'doubled' or rose. I just figured it needed to be warmer.

Before it doubles (rises) you have to add the rest of the ingredients. I think you are confusing making a sourdough starter with making sourdough bread.

 

[Blackbird]

Oh? I added the other ingredients a few different times, I admit I experimented quite a bit - and no go. I did have one loaf rise a tiny bit in the oven when baking it, but only a couple centimeters.

 

[big brown horse]

:/

Did you do this?
To the sponge add the sugar, salt and oil. Mix well, then knead in the flour a 1/2 cup at a time. Knead in enough flour to make a good, flexible bread dough. You can do this with an electric mixer, a bread machine on "dough cycle" or a food processor. You can also do it on the counter (like me) or in a big bowl by hand.

Let the dough rise in a warm place, in a bowl covered loosley with a towel until it is doubled in bulk. When a finger poked into the top of the dough creates a pit that doesn't heal (spring back), you've got a risen dough.

Punch the dough down and knead it a little more. Make a loaf and place it on a baking sheet (slightly greased or sprinkled with cornmeal). Slit the top and cover the loaf with a towel and place in a warm place to rise again until doubled in bulk.

By sponge I mean foamy (freshly fed at room temp) starter.
Turn the oven to 350 and bake the bread for 30-35 minutes. DO NOT PREHEAT the oven.

 

[Blackbird]

Yes. I did that each time I went to bake. (I have that recipe on my fridge)

When I initially 'restarted' the starter after having it in the fridge, I added those ingredients too, but those three-four times were the only times I did it.

By foamy to you mean frothy? If frothy, then no. It was bubbly, but it never rose, at all.. I'm sorry..

 

[miss_thenorth]

K BBh, I just kneaded your dough. I did it for about 10 minutes to get it to pass the windowpane test. Now it is rising and I will punch it down in the morning. and follow the rest of the recipe.

BB, when I started my starter, I used 1/2 cup WW flour, 1/4 cup rye flour, and 1/2 cup water. 12 hours later, remove half, then add in the same measurements of flour and water as posted above. Rinse repeat until you get a starter that is bubbling and doubling and smelling like a nice sour, but slightly sweet (hard to describe) smell.

What BBH calls sponge, I call starter. I figure that when you add the rest of the ingredients, and let it rise overnight--that is the sponge (at leaast according to ORchick.)

One thing I did discover.
and this might be important. when making my bread in the early days, would mix my sponge, and it would not rise. After searching and searching for a reason for this, I discovered that if youadd salt directly to the starter (what BBH calls the spnge) it will kill it and it will not rise. so now I always mix my salt in witht he flour so it is somewhat diluted when it touches the starter.

This really does turn into an obsession. so if you have questions, just ask.

 

[big brown horse]

*pants like a dog b/c she just scrounged youtube for good sourdough videos*


Here is a pretty good series on step by step sourdough making. I have to admit I didn't watch them all...

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=follow+the+sourdough+series&aq=f

Eta: just the "follow the sourdough" series. Ignore the rest. They are out of order but you can figure it out.

 

[Blackbird]

I HATE sourdough bread!

I'm going to go cry now.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Oh, and BB, my kitchen is so cold, b/c I'm dutch so therefore cheap and figure long johns are a one time expense that assist me in keeping warm so I don;t have to have the heat on as high. Also, I am usually so busy during the day, that I don't really get cold unless I sit at the computer ON THIS SITE for more than 20 minutes, so I try not to do that--it doesn't always work.