[Sca-cooks] German Breads

[Dragon]

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.
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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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