[Sca-cooks] Sourdough

[Ciorstan]

Hrosvitha writes:

> Ok- in process of making my first loaf of sourdough from a flour/water
> starter.  I used 2/3 cup of starter to about 4 cups to make the dough
> (looked and felt enough like bread dough) Let it to rise all day (8am-8apm)
> and it rose a little, but not nearly like I expected.  Could it be the area
> wasn't warm enough for it to rise?  Or was my start not ready yet? (I let it
> ferment on the counter 4 days, feeding it twice a day).
>
> Humm....
> Just afraid that when I try to bake it, I'll have a lovely dense hunk of
> something resembling a hockey puck.. (will let you know tomorrow..)

It's been my experience when starting afresh with new sourdough starter
that you need to 'chug' it for about a week before trying for bread.
Chugging is defined as starting off with viable starter, adding flour
and water, sit over night bubbling, throw away all but about a cup and
adding another dose of flour and water. Repeat for a week.

Secondly, sourdough loves a warm environment. 83 to 85 is ideal-- and
yes, go for two risings.

ciorstan
(you can check the Flori-thingie sourdough file for my bread recipe,
btw)