[Sca-cooks] German Breads
Dragon
dragon at crimson-dragon.com
Wed Apr 2 10:13:30 PDT 2008
aldyth at aol.com wrote:
>As far as the starter goes, I have had great success with warm whole
>milk, or cream, and expecially goats milk.? The more fat there is in
>the milk, even the milk in the bread recipe itself, the smoother the
>bread is. Sourdoughs get their unique flavors from the lactobacilli
>interacting with the wild yeasts in the area they "start" in.? I
>think the type of milk used, and in modern times just how much it is
>processed have a great impact on the flavor too.
---------------- End original message. ---------------------
Just a matter of opinion here based on both empirical experience and
extensive reading on the subject a few years ago when I was deeply
into baking (Daniel Wing, Peter Reinhart and a few others in the
"artisanal baking movement" being among the people who have shaped my
opinions)...
I really do not think milk is EVER necessary in a sourdough starter.
Nor is commercial yeast.
Flour that has not been sterilized contains all the microorganisms
and the necessary nutrients for them. Add water to the flour, put it
in a warm place and let it do its thing. It will take a while to get
going but that is normal, this is not something you can rush and it
requires a lot of effort to keep a healthy starter going.
The yeast that naturally grows on the grain kernels is very capable
of breaking down the complex starch in the grain to produce sugars it
can metabolize. Among the sugars produced by the yeast enzyme are
lactose and maltose. Both of these sugars are then metabolized by the
lactobacillus to produce the lactic acid.
Care and feeding of a starter is something that is worthy of a book
on its own, I won't even attempt to go into it here as I have not the
time to do it justice. All I can really say is that much of the
"conventional wisdom" on the subject published in many books is
wrong. If you really want to get into the vagaries of sourdough and
starters, I highly recommend starting with the rec.food.sourdough FAQ
at http://www.faqs.org/faqs/food/sourdough/faq/preamble.html
Now I am not arguing against the use of milk products in the dough.
They do produce a softer, more tender dough (professional bakers
classify milk and oils as tenderizers). They can also add to the
flavor of the dough depending on exactly how much is used. All I am
saying is that milk is NOT necessary for the lactobacillus strains to
propagate, the flour contains all the nutrients that the yeasts and
the bacteria need. Proper feeding, storage etc. are what is important.
Dragon
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Venimus, Saltavimus, Bibimus (et naribus canium capti sumus)
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