[Sca-cooks] Sourdough

[Mark S. Harris]

Gytha asked:
> I have been trying several different tacks to try to make sourdough, working
> from _Beard on Bread_, _Joy of Cooking_, and, of all things _The Tightwad
> Gazette_.  So far, I haven't been successful.  I've tried store bought yeast
> and the Goldrush sourdough starter, but either I got a bread that had a
> wonderful sour taste and the density of lead, or a light fluffy bread that
> was indistinguishable from any white bread out there.

For the first, it sounds like the yeast needed more time or something
else was slowing it down or killing it. For the latter, sourdough tends
to get more sour as time and the number of batches made progresses. The
process may have been fine, just a little young.

I suspect Bear can give you better suggestions or details.
> I grew the starter both in the fridge and out, letting it ferment for
> periods up to one week, worked with it straight and tried making a batter,
> with no luck whatsoever.
>
> Can anyone give me some pointers, or recipes that have worked well for them?

Try this file in the FOOD-BREADS section of the Florilegium, which
includes a number of tidbits of knowledge from Bear and others:

brd-mk-sour-msg   (58K) 11/13/00    Breadmaking -Period sourdough bread recipes.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-BREADS/bread-stamps-msg.html


Your heavy loaf may also have been caused in part by the type of
flour that you used:
flour-msg         (60K)  5/25/02    Types of flour. Sources. Period flour.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-BREADS/flour-msg.html

There are also other files in this section such as the more general one
on breadmaking that might help.
--
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris            Austin, Texas          stefan at texas.net
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****