Sourdough

[DinaFine]

Does anybody else out there do sourdough?

I have a recipe, anyone is welcome to try it and tell me if they have sucess and like it.

Savory Seeded Sour

4 C Sourdough Starter -- previously prepared
1 C Water
1 3/4 C Hard Red Winter Wheat -- ground
1/4 C Barley -- ground
1 Tbsp Cumin -- Ground
4 Tsps Olive Oil
3/4 C Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Salt
3 C White Bread Flour
1 Tbsp Whole Cumin Seed

Combine Starter with water, 2 cups fresh ground grain and spice combination, olive oil, brown sugar.

Ferment 12 hours or overnight

Add salt, cumin seed, and enough flour to form a soft ball. (finish using rest of whole grain flour and begin to use white bread flour)

Knead in the bowl for a minute and turn out onto lightly floured board, knead 10 minutes. Use only enough flour to keep dough from being very sticky.

Oil a bowl large enough for dough to double in. Roll dough in oiled bowl and set to rise until doubled in bulk.

Punch down, knead briefly, divide into 2 loaves, shape and place in loaf pans which have been greased and lined with parchment paper.

Let rise until almost double in bulk. usually when dough reaches the top of the pan. Slash down middle, brush with egg plus one tablespoon water, sprinkle with cumin seed, bake at preheated 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Description:
"Bread"
Yield:
"2 Loaves"



something I made up. There are lots of ways and instructions on the internet for making a starter, but if anyone is interested, I can provide instructions.

let me know what you think

 

[DinaFine]

"know just what you're talking about! My husband learned from his Dr. that high fructose corn syrup is very bad for people with high cholestrol (sp!) and he should steer away from it, but to find commercial bread without it in a small, rural area is almost impossible. So I thought, how hard can bread baking be? !!! I've been at it six months now, with various recipes including sourdough and still my loaves are door-stoppers everytime. I think it may be in the kneading - it always says 'until smooth' or "until no longer sticky" or other such fuzzy nonsense. It never gets not sticky unless I put way lot more flour on the board which I've heard contributes to the heaviness....

I'll try the recipe from Shunka above today... although whether or not it will be smooth as a 'baby's bottom' and 'not sticky' remains to be seen."

THis was posted in another thread. I havnt had any responses to my recipe, but to answer a question here about fuzzy sounding directions, I knead for 10 minutes. I use just enough flour to keep the bread from sticking to the board and no more. The dough will not be totally non stickly, but will be slightly tacky. Recipe directions can be confusing so it helps to have success once and then try to duplicate it. I make sourdough bread now exclusively, and have been experimenting with different kinds of flours and ingredients. If anyone cares to respond to this thread, I would welcome some interaction. Happy thanksgiving to all.

 

[skilletlicker]

Dina Fine, I read your first post with great interest but didn't reply because I don't make sourdough. I've planned to for a long time but just haven't gotten around to it. While a lot of folks grind ther own cumin, I don't think that many are used to grinding their own wheat and barley. Out of curiosity, are you starting with hulled or pearl barley?

As for knead times, with a simple sandwich loaf, I knead by hand for 20 minutes. In my limited experience, the more whole whole wheat, the more kneading required.

When I get around to sourdough I hope you'll be willing to advise.

 

[Shunka]

As Skilletlicker says, whole wheat does take more work (kneading) so you can get the gluten to working. Your recipe looks interesting and I would love to know the outcome when you try making it, please. I've never made a sourdough like your recipe but I do have a tip for some that may not be familiar with sourdough; Do Not Use Any metal utensils and it is a very good idea to take off all (yes, even your wedding band) when working with sourdough. I learned this from long experience and I couldn't figure out why a TNT recipe wasn't turning out right until I remembered that I forgot to take off my wedding band.

 

[skilletlicker]

...it is a very good idea to take off all (yes, even your wedding band) when working with sourdough.

I usually only do this on very hot summer days.

 

[Shunka]

Ya got me on that one!! LOL!! I meant to say all rings or hand jewelry, lol!!! Thank you for saving me from embarrassing myself further, Dear!!!

 

[DinaFine]

THis is interesting. I had no idea that metal would affect the dough in any way, I just automatically used glass or wood, but glad you said something. I have found I never have to knead more than 10 minutes for whole grain bread. I think it is because the wheat has been fermented and maybe the gluten has had a chance to develop more, I really never have a problem. Although I do use fresh ground flour, I think that the bread would turn out just as well with the store bought flour, any bags of high gluten bread flour, and barley flour would do. I would grind up some cumin in a seed mill and add it to the dough during the first ferment. Sourdough isnt that hard, most of the time the fermenting or rising dough just sits in a bowl and does its own work, only requiring a few 10 or 15 minute passages of time. In answer to skillet licker, i started with whole unhulled barley that I found in whole foods.

 

[DinaFine]

Sourdough starter recipe:

1 Cup Rye Flour
1 Cup Red Grapes processed in a Blender.

After 24 hours, check to see if mixture smells like wine and is beginning to bubble. If not, let ferment another 12 hours. When fermentation is detected, add 2 cups water and 2 cups rye flour. Ferment another 24 until bubbly and aromatic. If it smells like anything but wine, you will have to start over, but the rye flour ferments so readily, and grapes will also, that this should only take about 3 days unless your kitchen is very cold.

When very bubbly, remove one cup to the refrigerator for later use, and use the 2 cups left to begin the bread.