looks like you have a new baby: 
:
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do you pour off the hooch or stir it back in?
I love that alcoholic smell it gives off.
No hooch, actually. 
The odor is relatively faint, so I imagine the yeast aren’t burning through all the flour quite yet. I may try a test loaf tomorrow, although I don’t think I’ll put it in the fridge for at least another week or two.
I really do think the cold weather was part of the problem. I fed the starter this morning, and, while it’s bubbling, it def seems slower than it was over the last 1-2 days. I’ll post some pics of the starter pre-feeding when I’m back home tonight…
I think the pics I took of the starter on my camera (which is in my car right now, and I’m too lazy to get it… 
).
Since the starter is easily doubling in 6-8 hrs, I decided to try a test loaf. I’ve made Jacques Pepin gros pain a few times, and the NYT no-knead recipe several times. I also tried the ATK no-knead + beer recipe. Of them all, the NYT recipe was worked best for me, but I don’t get very good oven rise, and the crumb seems rather inconsistent from one loaf to the next.
I used Lionel Vatinet’s recipe for a French County Loaf. However, since I made so much starter, I simply dumped in a TON of it (like, 350 gm of it). I kneaded it by hand. Or, I should say, I attempted to knead by hand. It was SO sticky. It sort of came together after about 30 min, but remained tremendously sticky (although slightly less so). I gave up and just decided to move forward w/ the recipe. It was still pretty sticky even after the second rise, but the gluten structure seemed pretty good.
So here are some pics of my loaf from tonight.
Still poor oven spring. I’m wondering if I should refrigerate the loaf after the second rise so that it keeps its shape better.
The crumb structure is probably the best I’ve ever had! Not as open and airy as the professional stuff, but this a nice, crispy crust (that wasn’t unpleasantly chewy), good holes, and the crumb had a wispy texture (instead of the oddly spongy texture that I’ve gotten previously).
Oddly enough, not much of sourdough flavor. ::shrug::
I think the crumb could stand to be even airier, but, overall, I’m pretty satisfied.
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I’m likely acquiring some sourdough starter from The Playground this weekend when I go pick up the bagel and lox kit. I am a novice baker at best. From reading online it seems like the best practices are
- keep starter in the fridge
- feed 2 times per week about once every 3-4 days
Anything else I need to know before I jump into baking?
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You’re going to get a lot of it in your fingers. Stuff’s a mess. It wasn’t fun for me personally. A dough scraper and marble counter are your best friends here. Don’t get too anxious and try to rush it, let the dough rise.
I’m still far from expert, but I think feeding and refrigeration depends on how often you plan to use it and how much you’re feeding each time. How often do you think you’ll use it? Does the starter come w/ any instructions (genuine question)?
My impression is that @Emglow101 knows some stuff about dough, and @hppzz recently made a gorgeous loaf, so they may have some additional advice.
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This is what my wife is warning me about. I think we will probably make a loaf a couple times per week during the lockdown. Once we are set free I’m not sure if I’d even make a loaf once per month. Maybe not worth the time and investment unless I’m fully committed to feeding the starter and baking more regularly.
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You might want to attend the virtual bread camp by clemence of the gourmandise school on Instagram IGTV she posted last week. She goes over all your questions and more.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-X69xWnakV/?igshid=zrfjrprgd8ou
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Thank you. I think I listened to pieces of the podcast with Evan on Good Food but my head has been all over the place. Will listen more closely this time and take notes.
Good luck! Clark street bread is giving away starter for free via caviar. It’s not messy for me, I keep about 50 gm of starter only and scale up when needed—I bake once every 1-2 weeks and refrigerate. Discards are used for pancakes, crumpets, pasta, Anything really.
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So you can use the discarded pieces of the starter add some ingredients and make other things. I didn’t think about this and makes me feel better about the whole undertaking.
My favorite step of the dough rolling, is the part where you stretch, lift and slam the thing to the marble counter. Don’t really know how important this is, but made me feel like a professional.
If you’re making a loaf a couple of times per wk for the near future, I think no need to refrigerate, actually. Once you’re down to once a month then, yes, refrigerate. And give it a few days of feeding before using.
There are some articles (not on FTC) about what you can use the discarded starter in. One rec was sourdough pancakes (IIRC). I’ve been too lazy to try that.
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Adding to @paranoidgarliclover’s tips on starter and discarded pieces, this is an article that covers it all. I bought my flour and starter from them, and if it wasn’t for my mistake to refrigerate too much, and feed not enough, I think it would have risen better. The first few loaves of bread came out pretty nice though.
Here’s an excerpt:
“Maintaining a Sourdough Starter
In order to maintain a standard amount of sourdough starter, weigh out 100g of starter for the feeding and discard the rest. Feed with 100g Flourist Sifted Red Spring Wheat Flour and 100g water each time. Discarding the extra may seem like a lot of waste, but once your starter is ready to be used the discard can be used in so many different recipes such as waffles, crackers, and muffins. Perform the first feeding and let sit for 24 hours.
Repeat this step consistently, feeding your starter at the same time each day, for at least 5 days. Your starter is ideal to bake with when it has doubled in size after 24 hours, is bubbly, and has a nice sour smell. It is ideal to maintain your starter in this manner moving forward.”
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Side note…how much is the lox and bagel kit?
I have no idea but they go on sale every Saturday. Playground is selling yeast which I haven’t been able to find for weeks (currently sold out). I’ll try their burnt Basque cheesecake too since I can’t get to Pasjoli.
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Even my baker friend says that. Amazed the demand for bread supplies.
@attran99. FYI from Playground. Oh well. I’ll have to wait until next week. My guess is that the bagel and lox set for 4 is around $30.
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@attran99 I was way off on the cost of the Playground bagel and lox kit. The kits have been selling out each weekend.
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