I don’t know what I am doing to be honest. I bought a starter, put it in the fridge and decided to try it. We don’t even eat sourdough on the regular but I wanted to give this a go! Please give me feedback.
by Beauberry213
4 Comments
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chkntendis
That looks absolutely fantastic. Great crumb, good oven spring. Congrats
Phases: • Mixing dough: The start of bulk fermentation.
This is basic method only put dry ingredients in bowl and combine. Add water and levain stir with stiff spoon or hand until all dry flour is combined. At this stage you have a chance to adjust your hydration to suit the flour but, over the next hour or two the flour will absorb more of the free fluids. So, aim for stickier than drier. I work the dough at this stage to a ensure that the dough is binding as a cohesive ‘ball’. Now the dough needs to rest.
Fermentation is a continuous process. Usually split in two. Bulk fermenttion is when multiple loaves are fermented together im one batch. Then proofing after the ‘ bulk ‘ has been reduced to individual loaves and shaped. Often times the proofing is done in refridgerated conditions to refine baking process. Especially with sourdough.
It is important to adjust the point at which the one finishes and the other starts. There needs tp be just enough ‘food’ to sustain the yeast through to baking. This is usually guaged by the % rise in vplume of the raw dough. The longer the intended proofing the lower the % age rise. There are several other ways to guage the curtailment point tho.
My preferred rise is about 75%. I measure the volume of the just mixed dough and then finish the ferment in a bowl marked to double that.
FLOURS • AP flours: generally lower in the protien scale and softer. As a result lower gluten formation, less shapability and loer hydration factor. However tebds to make fluffier texture
• strong white bread flour: high protien 12 to 15 % with high gluten formation also high hydration factors. High gluten formation leads to good shaping
• whole grain flours: whole wheat and Rye particularly. High hydration factor and adds additional nutrion factors and yeast strains. Tends envigorate levain but bran flakes are sharp and lacerate the forming gluten creating holes and loss of gas.
• ancient whole grain: add taste and nutrition but tend to have lower protein and therefore reduced gluten formstion and hydration.
Forming gluten:
Several sets of folding and stretching and folding. Starts after a minimum rest of 1 hour autolyse(water absorbtion). • simple bowl or counter stretch: The dough will tend to stick to the surface. With wetted fingers tease up the far edge of the dough and lift up as far as it will without tearing, gently. Pull across to other side and lower down to seal on top. Twist 90° and repeat two or three times. When the dough resists, won’t lift, it is time to rest minimum 1/2hr to allow dough to relax. Repeat 3 to four times at 1/2 hour intervals
• Coil fold: bowl or counter. Tease wetted fingers in under edges of dough both sides, lift gently and allow self weight to draw down dough. Drop the near edge down ‘coiling’ the remaining bulk over to the other side. Repeat until the dough will not stretch under own weight. Time to rest dough . Three to four sets in all.
• Lift slap fold: on the counter , strectch dough to about 1″ thick. Reach over with wetted fingers and tease under corners. Lift up ajd across whole swinging the dough away so the dropping free edge slaps down then fold over the held corners and tap down. Repeat 3 to 4 times. Until no more stretch. Repeat sets at 1/2 hour intervals.
These folds are mix and match 3 to 4 sets combined total.
• Letter fold: like laminating; part of shaping process. Stretch dough out to roughly 1/2 ” thick rectangle. Lift far edge over to third point then fold other edge over. Tightly roll dough and pul tuck corners under bulk of dough to tension the boule. Lift and place in prepared banetton ready to proof after a rest of a minimum of 1/2 hour.
Recipe:
Terms.
• Bakers pecentage; the total weight of flour(levain and bulk flour) is 100%
• Starter; a cultivation of the natural wild yeasts and bacteria in flour and water
• Levain; the weight of active and vigorous stsrter to activate a the dough in your
The general proportions of a recipe
• Starter, 20 %
• Salt, 2%
• Water, depends on flour and desired outcome but a good starting point is 65%
My go to recipe.
Starter: 125 grams ( stong white bread flour 80: Whole wheat or Rye 20%; 600g of SWBF or a mixture of flours (necessitating different hydration) 13g salt and 400g water.
Starter:
You don’t need much starter. I keep 45 g in the fridge. When I want to bake I pull it out let it warm up before feeding it 1:1:1 this gives me my levain and 15g surplus to feed 1:1:1 to become my new starter. It lives ii the fridge till needed
4 Comments
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That looks absolutely fantastic. Great crumb, good oven spring. Congrats
Hi. Extraordinary. Terrific lovely looking loaf. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I hope the following mat help your understanding.
Phases:
• Mixing dough: The start of bulk fermentation.
This is basic method only put dry ingredients in bowl and combine. Add water and levain stir with stiff spoon or hand until all dry flour is combined. At this stage you have a chance to adjust your hydration to suit the flour but, over the next hour or two the flour will absorb more of the free fluids. So, aim for stickier than drier. I work the dough at this stage to a ensure that the dough is binding as a cohesive ‘ball’. Now the dough needs to rest.
Fermentation is a continuous process. Usually split in two. Bulk fermenttion is when multiple loaves are fermented together im one batch. Then proofing after the ‘ bulk ‘ has been reduced to individual loaves and shaped. Often times the proofing is done in refridgerated conditions to refine baking process. Especially with sourdough.
It is important to adjust the point at which the one finishes and the other starts. There needs tp be just enough ‘food’ to sustain the yeast through to baking. This is usually guaged by the % rise in vplume of the raw dough. The longer the intended proofing the lower the % age rise. There are several other ways to guage the curtailment point tho.
My preferred rise is about 75%. I measure the volume of the just mixed dough and then finish the ferment in a bowl marked to double that.
FLOURS
• AP flours: generally lower in the protien scale and softer. As a result lower gluten formation, less shapability and loer hydration factor. However tebds to make fluffier texture
• strong white bread flour: high protien 12 to 15 % with high gluten formation also high hydration factors. High gluten formation leads to good shaping
• whole grain flours: whole wheat and Rye particularly. High hydration factor and adds additional nutrion factors and yeast strains. Tends envigorate levain but bran flakes are sharp and lacerate the forming gluten creating holes and loss of gas.
• ancient whole grain: add taste and nutrition but tend to have lower protein and therefore reduced gluten formstion and hydration.
Forming gluten:
Several sets of folding and stretching and folding. Starts after a minimum rest of 1 hour autolyse(water absorbtion).
• simple bowl or counter stretch:
The dough will tend to stick to the surface. With wetted fingers tease up the far edge of the dough and lift up as far as it will without tearing, gently. Pull across to other side and lower down to seal on top. Twist 90° and repeat two or three times. When the dough resists, won’t lift, it is time to rest minimum 1/2hr to allow dough to relax. Repeat 3 to four times at 1/2 hour intervals
• Coil fold: bowl or counter. Tease wetted fingers in under edges of dough both sides, lift gently and allow self weight to draw down dough. Drop the near edge down ‘coiling’ the remaining bulk over to the other side. Repeat until the dough will not stretch under own weight. Time to rest dough . Three to four sets in all.
• Lift slap fold: on the counter , strectch dough to about 1″ thick. Reach over with wetted fingers and tease under corners. Lift up ajd across whole swinging the dough away so the dropping free edge slaps down then fold over the held corners and tap down. Repeat 3 to 4 times. Until no more stretch. Repeat sets at 1/2 hour intervals.
These folds are mix and match 3 to 4 sets combined total.
• Letter fold: like laminating; part of shaping process. Stretch dough out to roughly 1/2 ” thick rectangle. Lift far edge over to third point then fold other edge over. Tightly roll dough and pul tuck corners under bulk of dough to tension the boule. Lift and place in prepared banetton ready to proof after a rest of a minimum of 1/2 hour.
Recipe:
Terms.
• Bakers pecentage; the total weight of flour(levain and bulk flour) is 100%
• Starter; a cultivation of the natural wild yeasts and bacteria in flour and water
• Levain; the weight of active and vigorous stsrter to activate a the dough in your
The general proportions of a recipe
• Starter, 20 %
• Salt, 2%
• Water, depends on flour and desired outcome but a good starting point is 65%
My go to recipe.
Starter: 125 grams ( stong white bread flour 80: Whole wheat or Rye 20%; 600g of SWBF or a mixture of flours (necessitating different hydration) 13g salt and 400g water.
Starter:
You don’t need much starter. I keep 45 g in the fridge. When I want to bake I pull it out let it warm up before feeding it 1:1:1 this gives me my levain and 15g surplus to feed 1:1:1 to become my new starter. It lives ii the fridge till needed
Enjoy your journey in sourdough.
Hppy baking
Crazy good for a first loaf.