Sourdough baking in a home kitchen....

I made my starter from four and water...nothing else. My first few loaves looked like Frisbees but they tasted great. Sourdough is sticky and I struggle with shaping a loaf and knowing when it is done with the various stages...bulk fermentation, final rise, etc. Here is my most recent effort straight from the oven. It's a sourdough rye. From the outside it looks like it has good oven spring because it has "ears" along the cuts on top.

There's an overwhelming number of cookbooks and YouTube sourdough tutorials. If anyone has suggestions for favorites that have helped them learn how to adjust recipes, shape their dough, and learn how to better judge the various stages I would appreciate your help!

It's not professional yet I'm happy with the crust. Anyone else here who bakes with sourdough starter?

This post has 2 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

7 months ago

Indigoprint

Veteran

youtuber and blogger Lisa at Farmhouse on Boone has many, many recipes, tutorials and shorts. I have not made bread myself, but this content provider uses it throughout her day to provide meals for her family. They all look really good.

rachylou

Looks fantastic! I used to make baguettes at home, but I found the starter a more demanding pet than my dog, lol I also learned I don’t know really how to make just one loaf of bread! Had way too to many to eat.

Something you can to do for a better rise to fake your own proof box: set one rack high, and one low. Put your rising loaf on the top rack and a pan that can hold water on the lower. Then boil a kettle of water, pour it in the pan, and close the door. You can also throw a few ice cubes in a little pan when it’s time to bake for steam… which helps develop a nice crust - although yours already looks yum!

Bread really rises a lot. When they say double, they mean double.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Impressive! I bet yummy too

salt-sea

Active Member

Nice bakes! I recommend the book ‘evolutions in bread’ by Ken forkish. Lots of recipes, detailed techniques and photos for artisan bread in a home kitchen. The recipes have detailed timing schedules, which I found really helpful for some of these long rise breads. A couple of levain recipes too.

Aquamarine

I have a sourdough starter purchased from King Arthur Flour. It’s survived my sporadic neglect for over 7 years now. (I go through baking jags and then stop for a while.) Check out the KAF website…there’s a lot of info on it about maintaining and using your starter.

So cool you made your own starter. It’s a fascinating hobby.

kellygirl

Looks beautiful! I haven't baked a lot of bread--mostly recipes to use up the discard. KAF has a bunch of discard recipes--the pretzels are amazing as is the pizza dough.

RobinF

Looks delicious! I made a starter during covid shut down. Took forever and then when it was finally ready to make bread, my bread turned out very bland. I tried a few times and ended up throwing it out. I do make bread with yeast occasionally. Using the Dutch oven has made a huge difference!

Staysfit

RobinF, I am surprised your bread tasted bland. Mine seems so flavorful when I bake it at home in comparison to the bread we can buy locally at our grocery store. I am experimenting with salt substitutes because I have a kidney disorder and need to avoid extra added salt and it seems to taste the same as when I use sea salt.

Kellygirl and Awuamarine, thanks for suggesting KAF, I have some pizza dough ready to go for later today!

salt-sea, thanks for the reference suggestion. I will check it out.

Angie, if you were local I would share some with you! I have been making discard breadsticks to work and they disappear quickly.

Rachy, thanks for your suggestions! I started to use my oven as a proof box this weekend and the bread did have a bit more oven spring.

Indigoprint, I have been watching Lisa at Farmhouse at Boone. I am learning…

6 months ago

Category