[Closed] Middleclasstrackworld +1: starting a sourdough mixture

It's only worth it if you're going to keep the dough going in my opinion, if it's for a one off I wouldn't bother.
However, a good alternative is to make a mixture, add additional flour in until it begins to crumb then dry the mix out in the air or at very low oven heat. You can then store this starter for weeks, ideally using it to start a new batch of sourdough or adding it into the mix for flavour if you're in a rush.

Get Richard Bertinet's Book - Dough, best book on bread making in my opinion.

It's only worth it if you're going to keep the dough going in my opinion

Yes and no. If you want to make the best bread you've ever tasted then getting a starter going, feeding it for a week and then making the bread next weekend is worth doing.

Whether you have the inclination to carry on keeping the thing going is another matter, if you do don't seal the lid on too tightly (or use a glass kilner jar) and forget about it, you might just open you fridge door to find the interior a bit of a mess and very smelly.....

I keep one and it lives happily in the fridge, fed every other week or so depending on how often I plan to bake. It's also great for sourdough pancakes. I didn't bother with apple or grape, just rye flour and water fed/discarded every 12hrs for the first few days then every 24 hours for another 3-4 days. Check out tartine breads blogspot for an easy to follow confidence inspiring guide -

://tartine-bread.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/9-days.html?m=1
And
http://tartine-bread.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/sourdough-starter-demystified.html?m=1

[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/ciabatta_85453 ]do this[/url], but then use some of the over night dough as your mother.

Oh and get the live yeast from your nearest bakery (if you've no independent the supermarket ones will let you have yeast for 0.1p if you ask nice)

Now is a good time to start one when the heating is on, ours has been going for 3 years now.

We just used strong white flour.

Recipe
Day 1
40g flour + 40g water
Put in warm place

Day 2
add same again
keep in warm place

Day 3
40g flour + 20g water
Keep warm

Day 4
120g flour 100g water

Should start to smell acidic and have risen a bit

From then on use what you need and top up with some flour & water to maintain consistency. No need to feed each week. Keep in fridge.

You can freeze some in case it dies.

Cheese & chilli, nom nom nom!

Andrew Whitely has made a living from sourdoughs. He's Mr 'Village Bakery'. His receipe worked for me. Richard Bertinet's is very wasteful.

I thought the idea was specifically NOT to use added yeast, MrNutt...

flap_jack - Member

Andrew Whitely has made a living from sourdoughs. He's Mr 'Village Bakery'. His receipe worked for me. Richard Bertinet's is very wasteful.

That is the one I have quoted although it works with white strong flour also as noted

Thanks all. I'm going to go for it. Plan is to keep it in fridge once it's going and then use it maybe once-twice per month. Will reconsider which recipe I go with to start the starter.

Sourdough pancakes?

I use the one below and the recipes from the same site. It lives quite happily for ages in the fridge or on the kitchen unit if I'm baking every week or so.

[url= http://www.weekendbakery.com/posts/rye-sourdough-starter-in-easy-steps/ ]http://www.weekendbakery.com/posts/rye-sourdough-starter-in-easy-steps/[/url]

The night before you want pancakes take your starter from the fridge.

Take out 1 cup of starter and put it into a bowl. Add 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of plain flour. Whisk until frothy then cover loosely and leave out at room temp overnight.

Next morning add:
1 beaten egg
2tbs olive oil
1tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs caster sugar

Mix and rest for a bit. Then make pancakes as usual. These make American style (fluffy) pancakes and my kids love them. As do I and mrs I. TBH I don't really measure the ingredients anymore and just add by eye but the recipe above is the initial one I learned from.

Good bread books -
Tartine bread is effectively an essay on sourdough. This also teaches no knead bread making which has been a revelation and really works.
Brilliant bread by James Morton (he was in GBBO and I think his book is better than Paul hollywoods)
Short and sweet - Dan Lepard also had cakes etc - great book

Kit - bakerybits.co.uk - certainly a scraper and a proving basket . Their baking cloche is also fantastic as it really keeps moisture in when baking.

I made sourdough flat breads a while back, very nice, intact I'm now convinced that all flat breads SHOULD be made with sourdough.

Last loaf with cloche in the background

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I bake bread 3 x a week. Tried sourdough and to be honest it's just a bloody pain in the arse. Odds on you give up after 2 weeks.

Sorry to be a miserable old git. It just my experience.

I would give it a go....making delicious bread from just flour, water, salt and a starter you've made yourself is really satisfying!

Some rye, wholemeal, plain flour mix.

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