Post by learlaw on Aug 8, 2003 0:12:31 GMT -6
Source: Joe Jaworski Purchase San Francisco yeast starters at gourmet cook shops, health food stores. or on the internet. Once you have your sourdough starter thriving, you never need to buy it again.The starter will take at least 24 hours before it is ready to be used, so plan ahead. To culture any dried yeast, add it to a 50 - 50 mixture of flour and water. Start with one-quarter cup of water and one-quarter cup of bread flour. Adding a small amount of rye flour during the first feeding (1 - 2 tablespoons) develops a stronger more flavorful bread. Stir vigorously to get some air into the mixture. Place the mixture in warm place (an oven with a pilot light or its light bulb turned on works well). Cover the yeast loosely and let it sit for 8 - 12 hours. The mixture should become very bubbly. If you see no activity, the yeast is dead and you should discard the mixture. For the next and subsequent feedings, it is a good idea to double the amount of flour and water each time. For example, for the next 8 - 12 hour feeding, add one-half cup of flour and one-half cup of water. After that, use one cup of flour and one cup of water, etc., doubling each time. After removing the quantity needed for the recipe, discard any additional starter, saving about one-quarter cup. Next, stir in one tablespoon of flour and water, and seal the jar tightly and place in the refrigerator. Remove the jar every few weeks or so and add another tablespoon of flour and water to the mixture. Caution: NEVER keep your starter tightly closed while it is out of the refrigerator. The gases will build up pressure and may cause the jar to burst. Every few months or so your starter jars will acquire caked-on flour near the top of the jar and could get moldy. So wash the jars every few months to prevent this.
Preserving your Starter
During the normal course of preparing your starter for bread baking and when it is active and bubbly, add flour and yeast as normal for its next feeding. But before returning it to the oven, pour a few ounces of the starter onto some wax paper and spread it out it with the back of a spoon so that the starter forms a thin layer on the wax paper. Let it completely dry out overnight. The next day, bend the wax paper and the starter will break apart like potato chips. Place the starter chips in a plastic zip lock bag and then in the refrigerator. Keep starter this way for up to six months. To reactivate it, place the starter chips in equal amounts of flour and water and put it in a warm place for 12 hours. As an alternative to purchasing yeast cultures, you can capture a wild yeast in your backyard. Put one cup of bread flour and one cup of water in a glass jar. Cover the jar with a fine mesh (a "knee-hi" stocking) to let air in but keep bugs out. Place the jar outside. Let it set for three or four days. If it is cool outside ( 35F(2C) to 60F (16C) ) you will see very little or very low activity in your starter until you bring it indoors and warm it up. If it is less than 35 deg F, wait until warmer weather before trying to capture yeast. If the starter turns pink or dark grey in color, it has become moldy. Discard it. If after warming for a few hours you see no activity, discard the mixture and start over. If there are some bubbles but they do not appear very active, discard the mixture because the yeast will not be strong enough. If you see lots of bubbles in the surface of the mixture, feed the yeast with another cup of flour & water mixture and let it ferment indoors for another 12 hours. After that, try an experimental loaf. About 24 hours before bake time, combine the following in a glass jar or stoneware bowl.
1/4 cup of sourdough starter
1/2 cup of bread flour
1/2 cup of water
Optionally, you can add 1 tablespoon of rye flour which will promote a stronger sour flavor. Stir the mixture for a few minutes using a wooden spoon to get lots of air into the mixture to help the yeast develop. The starter should have the consistency of thick gravy or runny pancake batter. Do not be overly concerned if there are a few lumps in the mixture. Place the starter in a dark warm place. In a gas oven, the pilot light will create enough heat to warm the mixture. For an electric oven, turning on the light will supply warmth. Do not turn on the oven, because even the lowest setting will be too hot for the starter. If it is near 80 degrees F (27C) or above, keep the starter on the kitchen counter covered with a small hand towel. The starter needs to ferment for about 8 hours. Sourdough starters have a "peak" in their bubbly activity, then tend to go flat or dormant after that. For best results, you want to ferment your starter right up to its peak. Depending upon how strong or weak your initial starter was, the peak might take anywhere from 4 to 12 hours. With a new starter, check it every few hours or so to get an idea of when your starter reaches its peak. Don't worry if you are too early or too late in the peak. The only drawback is that the loaf will be less sour or may not rise to its full potential. Both of these problems can be overcome during the baking cycle. After 8 hours or when the starter has peaked, add the following to the starter:
1 cup of bread flour
1 cup of water
Mix this additional flour and water into the starter just as you did before, trying to whip some air into the mixture. Return the starter to the oven and let it sit for another 8 hours or so.
Knead Some Dough
Plan on doing this step this about 4 - 5 hours before you actually want to serve the bread. After the second peak, remove the starter from the oven. In a stand mixer or bread machine, combine the following:
1-1/2 cups of prepared starter
2 cups of bread flour
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of ascorbic acid
The ascorbic acid is optional, but will make the bread rise faster and higher. Buy ascorbic acid in health food stores sold under the name of "Vitamin C Crystals" or bulk/powdered vitamin C. This recipe will yield a loaf approximately 1-1/2 pounds in size. If you are using a stand mixer, use the kneading attachment and knead the dough until it no longer sticks to the sides or the bottom of the mixing bowl. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes on a low (2 to 3) speed setting. The dough should be very dry, almost approaching the point where two dough balls are trying to form in the mixer. If it looks too dry, add up to an additional 1/4 cup of starter. You may also knead the dough in a bread machine, although this dough is fairly stiff and will require a powerful machine. You may also knead the dough by hand. After kneading, spray or wipe the inside of a bowl with a little cooking oil. Place the dough into the bowl, forming a ball. Now flip it over and roll it around to coat the dough ball with the oil. Next, place a piece of plastic wrap over the dough. Place the bowl and dough back in the oven and let it rise for 45 to 60 minutes. During this time, the dough should rise about 1-1/2 to 2 times its size. If your starter was very active, the dough may be rising too quickly. In this case, you can reduce the rise time to 30 minutes. If your starter does not seem very active, this is okay. It might take several hours for the rise, just go for the doubling in size no matter how long it takes.
Form the Loaf
After the rise time, the dough ball should be twice the size, full of air, and somewhat wet. Remove the dough from the oven and turn onto a floured surface. Sprinkle the dough with some flour and knead the dough gently. The idea is to remove all of the larger air bubbles, while keeping some of the smaller air bubbles intact. The whole process shouldn't take more than a few minutes. As you finish, knead the dough into a small round circle.
Now lift the dough from its sides and fold it back to form a ball. Stretch the dough slightly across the front, while tucking it towards the back. Finally, pinch the back of the dough ball to seal the seams. The best way to bake this bread is on a baking stone available at most cooking supply stores. Sprinkle some corn meal on a baking stone and place the loaf on the stone. Now spray the loaf lightly with some cooking oil spray. Also spray one side of a piece of plastic wrap. As before, place the greased plastic wrap over the dough. With the plastic wrap in place, you can now easily reform the dough ball if necessary through the wrap. Place the baking stone in the oven. Let the bread rise for 3 to 4
hours. Unlike commercial yeast, San Francisco yeast rises much more slowly. The dough should rise to 2 to 2-1/2 times its original size. After the 3-4 hour rise, remove the dough from the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) degrees. Remove the plastic wrap from the top of the loaf. Using a sharp serrated knife, make 3 or 4 slashes about 1/2 inches deep across the top of the loaf about an inch apart. Make the same 3 or 4 slashes at right angles, forming several squares on the top of the loaf. If the loaf has dried out slightly on top, wet the knife with water before making your cut. Place a small glass bowl with water in the bottom of the oven. You should also use a hand sprayer to spray down the sides of the oven during baking. Place the baking stone and loaf in the oven. If the loaf looks as if it is already close to its final size (i.e., it has risen very well already), turn up the oven temperature to 400F degrees (205C). If the loaf seems a little flat bake for 15 minutes at 350F, then raise the oven temperature to 400F for 45 additional minutes. During the first 20 minutes of baking time, spray the sides of the oven with water every 5 to 10 minutes. The total baking time should be approximately 60 minutes. Move the loaf to a cooling rack and let it cool at least 30 minutes.
Preserving your Starter
During the normal course of preparing your starter for bread baking and when it is active and bubbly, add flour and yeast as normal for its next feeding. But before returning it to the oven, pour a few ounces of the starter onto some wax paper and spread it out it with the back of a spoon so that the starter forms a thin layer on the wax paper. Let it completely dry out overnight. The next day, bend the wax paper and the starter will break apart like potato chips. Place the starter chips in a plastic zip lock bag and then in the refrigerator. Keep starter this way for up to six months. To reactivate it, place the starter chips in equal amounts of flour and water and put it in a warm place for 12 hours. As an alternative to purchasing yeast cultures, you can capture a wild yeast in your backyard. Put one cup of bread flour and one cup of water in a glass jar. Cover the jar with a fine mesh (a "knee-hi" stocking) to let air in but keep bugs out. Place the jar outside. Let it set for three or four days. If it is cool outside ( 35F(2C) to 60F (16C) ) you will see very little or very low activity in your starter until you bring it indoors and warm it up. If it is less than 35 deg F, wait until warmer weather before trying to capture yeast. If the starter turns pink or dark grey in color, it has become moldy. Discard it. If after warming for a few hours you see no activity, discard the mixture and start over. If there are some bubbles but they do not appear very active, discard the mixture because the yeast will not be strong enough. If you see lots of bubbles in the surface of the mixture, feed the yeast with another cup of flour & water mixture and let it ferment indoors for another 12 hours. After that, try an experimental loaf. About 24 hours before bake time, combine the following in a glass jar or stoneware bowl.
1/4 cup of sourdough starter
1/2 cup of bread flour
1/2 cup of water
Optionally, you can add 1 tablespoon of rye flour which will promote a stronger sour flavor. Stir the mixture for a few minutes using a wooden spoon to get lots of air into the mixture to help the yeast develop. The starter should have the consistency of thick gravy or runny pancake batter. Do not be overly concerned if there are a few lumps in the mixture. Place the starter in a dark warm place. In a gas oven, the pilot light will create enough heat to warm the mixture. For an electric oven, turning on the light will supply warmth. Do not turn on the oven, because even the lowest setting will be too hot for the starter. If it is near 80 degrees F (27C) or above, keep the starter on the kitchen counter covered with a small hand towel. The starter needs to ferment for about 8 hours. Sourdough starters have a "peak" in their bubbly activity, then tend to go flat or dormant after that. For best results, you want to ferment your starter right up to its peak. Depending upon how strong or weak your initial starter was, the peak might take anywhere from 4 to 12 hours. With a new starter, check it every few hours or so to get an idea of when your starter reaches its peak. Don't worry if you are too early or too late in the peak. The only drawback is that the loaf will be less sour or may not rise to its full potential. Both of these problems can be overcome during the baking cycle. After 8 hours or when the starter has peaked, add the following to the starter:
1 cup of bread flour
1 cup of water
Mix this additional flour and water into the starter just as you did before, trying to whip some air into the mixture. Return the starter to the oven and let it sit for another 8 hours or so.
Knead Some Dough
Plan on doing this step this about 4 - 5 hours before you actually want to serve the bread. After the second peak, remove the starter from the oven. In a stand mixer or bread machine, combine the following:
1-1/2 cups of prepared starter
2 cups of bread flour
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of ascorbic acid
The ascorbic acid is optional, but will make the bread rise faster and higher. Buy ascorbic acid in health food stores sold under the name of "Vitamin C Crystals" or bulk/powdered vitamin C. This recipe will yield a loaf approximately 1-1/2 pounds in size. If you are using a stand mixer, use the kneading attachment and knead the dough until it no longer sticks to the sides or the bottom of the mixing bowl. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes on a low (2 to 3) speed setting. The dough should be very dry, almost approaching the point where two dough balls are trying to form in the mixer. If it looks too dry, add up to an additional 1/4 cup of starter. You may also knead the dough in a bread machine, although this dough is fairly stiff and will require a powerful machine. You may also knead the dough by hand. After kneading, spray or wipe the inside of a bowl with a little cooking oil. Place the dough into the bowl, forming a ball. Now flip it over and roll it around to coat the dough ball with the oil. Next, place a piece of plastic wrap over the dough. Place the bowl and dough back in the oven and let it rise for 45 to 60 minutes. During this time, the dough should rise about 1-1/2 to 2 times its size. If your starter was very active, the dough may be rising too quickly. In this case, you can reduce the rise time to 30 minutes. If your starter does not seem very active, this is okay. It might take several hours for the rise, just go for the doubling in size no matter how long it takes.
Form the Loaf
After the rise time, the dough ball should be twice the size, full of air, and somewhat wet. Remove the dough from the oven and turn onto a floured surface. Sprinkle the dough with some flour and knead the dough gently. The idea is to remove all of the larger air bubbles, while keeping some of the smaller air bubbles intact. The whole process shouldn't take more than a few minutes. As you finish, knead the dough into a small round circle.
Now lift the dough from its sides and fold it back to form a ball. Stretch the dough slightly across the front, while tucking it towards the back. Finally, pinch the back of the dough ball to seal the seams. The best way to bake this bread is on a baking stone available at most cooking supply stores. Sprinkle some corn meal on a baking stone and place the loaf on the stone. Now spray the loaf lightly with some cooking oil spray. Also spray one side of a piece of plastic wrap. As before, place the greased plastic wrap over the dough. With the plastic wrap in place, you can now easily reform the dough ball if necessary through the wrap. Place the baking stone in the oven. Let the bread rise for 3 to 4
hours. Unlike commercial yeast, San Francisco yeast rises much more slowly. The dough should rise to 2 to 2-1/2 times its original size. After the 3-4 hour rise, remove the dough from the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) degrees. Remove the plastic wrap from the top of the loaf. Using a sharp serrated knife, make 3 or 4 slashes about 1/2 inches deep across the top of the loaf about an inch apart. Make the same 3 or 4 slashes at right angles, forming several squares on the top of the loaf. If the loaf has dried out slightly on top, wet the knife with water before making your cut. Place a small glass bowl with water in the bottom of the oven. You should also use a hand sprayer to spray down the sides of the oven during baking. Place the baking stone and loaf in the oven. If the loaf looks as if it is already close to its final size (i.e., it has risen very well already), turn up the oven temperature to 400F degrees (205C). If the loaf seems a little flat bake for 15 minutes at 350F, then raise the oven temperature to 400F for 45 additional minutes. During the first 20 minutes of baking time, spray the sides of the oven with water every 5 to 10 minutes. The total baking time should be approximately 60 minutes. Move the loaf to a cooling rack and let it cool at least 30 minutes.