Sourdough Starter

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I hear ya - there are days in which my one hip and knee are so bad that things are the same here.

technically I am bedbound and have been since the beginning of November when a disc ruptured and left me partially paralysed. Life changed somewhat to say the least from cycling +150 miles a week (I had a 3 times a week 44 mile round commute which I didn't bat an eyelid over) and then all of a sudden can't sit at all, limited standing and emergency op to save the use of my right leg. I now need a recumbent trike and it take me 2 hours to cycle 15 miles. Can't walk without crutches and can't stand for more than 10-15 minutes and that is standing as in moving around standing. Can't stand still at all - sitting is the big problem. Can't sit full stop which means I am bedbound because we have nowhere else for me to be when not standing! I also live off morphine now. 12hrs release capsules as well as liquid morphine and codeine as a top up when I have had too much morphine! Great fun! I have done from a seriously active life to nothing to having to fight to get my life back. Right now, no use of my right leg and being wheelchair bound would actually be an improvement because I can't leave my house other than on a stretcher (or temporarily on the trike) and haven't left my home in over 5 months with the exception of an operation and seeing my consultant. It's getting to me, hence why I decided I had time to learn how to do sourdough!

I have the time to feed it, I have the time to read up and learn how to make it and the mixer is going to have the time to knead it and I can come back to it at intervals as needed when I have had a rest. It sounds like the perfect thing for me to be doing! Asuuming I have remembered to ask my OH to get the mixer out of the cabinet for me because I can't!

 

[Michelle]

That's rough; your a strong lady! Are you in physical therepy? Have you tried accupuncure? I can't immagine how stir crazy you probably feel. Mind-numbing and maddening after such an active way of life . Talk about going from one end of the spectrum to the other. At least you've found a new form of adventure for your mind, though more tame for sure. Otherwise you might be like this -> Keep me posted on how things are going with this. No one should stay stuck in thier heads! Oh and, I used bread kneeding as emotional therepy once. I put all my frustration into that dough! The house smelled good and I felt better. I also did it at night, to aid in exaustion for better sleep (I battle depression and anxiety). I don't know if the same would help you, but there it is anyway

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Well I have another round of culture brewing reading for another attempt at some dough.... Should probably go and do it now before I sit and read through all the new posts and reports etc... but hey it can wait.

My back is err interesting.... I can ride my recumbent trike, I get out twice a day for physio/exercise.... now matter what the weather, once is always walking in the evening and the morning is either walking or a recumbent trike ride. that is actually easier than walking with the crutches for me. I am finally having physio which started 2 weeks ago and am having meridian wave acupuncture.... the trike was bought specifically because of my back and paralysis back in February and has a number of mobility aids including a DIY ability to take my crutches with me.

Depression set in a long time ago, but I have an aim to get back touring again one way or another! It's really hard, especially as I am also suffering from chronic pain, but the dr's have been really good in relation to that and have insisted that I go onto 12hr time release morphine capsules which has helped considerably. I was resistant to it for a long time, but my GP came out to see me and persuaded me to try them - they were right, I am a lot better with them and a lot more comfortable than I was.

Right time for some more bread making - I'll with for wholemeal flour this time rather than dark rye, we might get something a little less errm, like a rye bread!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I'll upload the photos tomorrow after a taste test, but I may just have my first successful loaf of bread from the starter! I have had to nurture it during the day, both yesterday and today by standing it on the dehydrator whilst it was on its lowest setting and then standing the stuff I is used for the bread (supplemented by some date syrup and honey plus flour and water) then used the dehydrator to prove the loaf for around 4 hours, but I have just taken a loaf of wholemeal bread out of the oven that appears cooked and had doubled or more in size from the original dough size!

I'll get round to reading what I actually should have done, and working out ingredients etc at some point over the weekend. This was actually just another test load to see if the culture was viable!

Breakfast tomorrow morning will tell me!

.

Watch this space

 

[Michelle]

I'll check in 2marrow

 

[JoanMcWench]

lol I came back too soon for an update! I don't know if anyone is familiar with Amish friendship bread but this seems lie the digital equivalent of that for me. I'll be back later...

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

OK - the pictures... remember this was a test loaf, no measurements, just by 'feel' so to speak. I haven't weighed anything out at all for this loaf and it didn't get the length of time I wanted for proving either.

I'm not too sure on the white balance on the camera either.

This is the loaf when it came out of the oven after 40 minutes at Gas Mark 4 (roughly 165C according to the oven thermometer my husband bought).
It had doubled in size just going into the oven and the 10" springform tin lid that it was on was almost not big enough.

Cutting into it this morning, I was pleased to see that there was none of that 'sodden' unrisen extra dense layer you sometimes get at the bottom of a loaf or cake.
It was taken that way around because the other side had marg and jam on it for breakfast this morning and it was also lunch today as well.

Plus my husband is eating it and not the shop bought sourdough instead!

I used 100% wholemeal strong flour for the "recipe", mixed in the sourdough starter which had had some more flour and water added, plus some honey and date syrup (IIRC). I added some salt and that was pretty much it. Just enough flour was added to use all of the culture.

I'm repeating the exercise today, but as a slight variation (rather than pulling a loaf out of the oven as I am going to bed ) I have put the extra sourdough culture aside in a bowl and am feeding it as per the actual culture only with 1 tbsp. of honey in it in addition. I intend to make a light rye (that's what the flour is marked as) honey and sunflower seed loaf tomorrow morning, putting it to prove for 4-5 hours before cooking it tomorrow afternoon. Fingers crossed.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

So an update

This is the actual starter or the mother. Since I have been keeping it a touch warmer during the day (by sitting it on top of the dehydrator whilst it is on ) it has been a lot more active and doing what it should do.

Looking at it from the side, you can now see a nice frothy layer as well! I should be able to take it over to 'standby' mode for the rest of the week (once I have done the replenishing thing again today which I haven't yet done.

This is the stuff I took out yesterday and added flour, water and honey to to make the 'whatever it is called' for using with today's loaf of bread. It was meant to be a honey, sunflower seed rye bread, but my husband decided that he wanted another wholemeal bread so whilst the sourdough starter was fed with light rye and honey, it has now gone into wholemeal flour!

It has really been enjoying itself!

Once stirred together, it looked like this

It was a rich velvety composition, so totally different from yesterday when I made it - so at least with it having changed composition completely, I know something has happened. It also smells great and tastes good with a sour taste that catches up with you afterwards, but it is not an unpleasant sour and there wasn't much evidence that there had ever been 1 tablespoon of honey in it!

The bread looked like this when it went into the dehydrator at 9am this morning. I use the dehydrator as an incubator or airing cupboard replacement (not having an airing cupboard!)

I'm expecting it to rise . I think I may have cut into it too much, but we don't mind long thin pieces of bread if they are cooked through (this is something that I learnt from making Irish Soda bread and may have to unlearn for sourdough! ) The cling film is simply there to stop it drying out in the dehydrator! Again, this has not been weighed and has all been done by feel, but the loaf feels much nicer and better than the first loaf (I did sift the wholemeal flour this time and then the bran that was too large to go through the sieve was re-ground with a touch of extra flour in my coffee grinder (only used for herbs and spices) and made much smaller, then put through the sieve again,). Otherwise it has all been done by feel and I can't tell you what weight of flour I used, just that it was enough to bind the sourdough liquid together. Oh and there was 1/2tsp of salt added.

I'll take a peep at it at around 1pm and see if it is ready for the oven then.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

From the latest batch of bread. Whilst the loaf is rather too wide and narrow, (probably due to me slicing it to wide or close to the edge) the sourdough complexion is really starting to happen and so is the taste. There is a very definite sourdough taste and feel to this loaf which inclines me to leave the dough proving for much longer in future. I just need to sort out the height issue (the dough was much more moist this time and sliced too close to the edge as well). I think it would have been one for a loaf tin to be honest, but here we go.

This is 100% wholemeal with a rye fed starter (well fed rye on the last day, until that it was 1/3 rye, 1/3 wholemeal & 1/3 white). It's about 2 inches high maximum oops and about 12 inches wide all round (oops) but hey ho, it is part of the learning curve. I understand from some reading that it could also mean that the temperature I am proving the sourdough at is too high, so I will try a room temperature rise overnight one day during the week when we next need some bread.

It is however tasty and clearly a sourdough unlike the last loaf which would have been anything tbh.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

The next stage of the sourdough experiment has started. I have 2 loaves of sourdough in the fridge proving overnight. I think I have officially gone mad. Proving bread in a fridge overnight is not normal!

The first loaf is a round loaf made with strong wholemeal and rye flour.
The second is a wetter sourdough made of strong white bread in a loaf tin.

Pictures of the disaster will follow in the morning!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Well the latest loaf has done really well.
I had to change various timings because of a change in the weather (it went from being really warm for this time of year (so 20C) back to the usual weather 10C).
But the loaf looks really good. It was made with 100% medium chapatti flour.

As you can see the loaf looks a little anaemic and had me worried. They don't seem to brown in the right areas, but it sounded hollow so I called it done at 40 mins at Gas 3.

Looks good 3 slices in and the end of the loaf looks excellent as well.

It tastes great and even my husband is eating it!
I think we have a winner!

 

[pattyk]

I had thought about sacrificing a date! (these are very nice dates, named variety that I pay a lot for so it is a sacrifice!

today... still bubbling away.

View attachment 735

I have made it a touch thicker this time, so I guess the bubbles may take longer. The weather has warmed up a touch, but was near freezing overnight (the fridge could have actually been warmer than my bedroom!) I tried making a batch of throw away rolls, but I think the temp in the dehydrator which I am using an airing cupboard may have been too high and killed everything! The knob turned when I put the trays on the top I'm giving it a while longer (the throw away stuff, then I'll either cook it on the griddle as an unleaven bread or bung it in the oven... probably the griddle tbh. I can always try again tomorrow. I think it could be a touch soon for it, but we will see. thanks for the help - much appreciated.

Your starter is looking really good! When I first started making sourdough, I used to stick to the instructions rigidly about throwing some away, adding an exact amount and feeding everyday. Now, I've learned to look after it by eye, and that seems to have done away with much of the angst I had about looking after it 'properly'.

After a few months of feeding and discarding every day, I deliberately missed one day's feed and discard just to see what would happen - nothing happened at all! It hadn't even fully run out of food. If you see a thin layer of liquid on the top, all that means is that it's run out of food and once you feed it, it will be up and running for you again. Now, I only feed it every other day; I let mine sit out on the counter because I don't keep my house overly warm either, but you could put it in the fridge if you know you're not going to use it for a while. It only needs to be fed once a week or so in the fridge.

I use my discarded and unfreshed starter in pancakes, waffles, scones, muffins, and even in my Christmas cakes and stollens. I hate waste too, so I can't bear to see it go unused.

Happy baking!