|
US Foreign Policy posted:So I've decided to step up my cooking skills by learning how to do a really good loaf of bread. I am a devout lover of all things sourdough and have decided to start there - my question is what is the best route to go for yeast? King Arthur sells a live sourdough starter that they talk a big game about, but there's also a lot of other brands I know nothing about, nor do I particularly know the in's and out's of sourdough yeast enough to know what to look for. Can anyone point me in the right direction, or recommend a good starter yeast for sourdough? apologies if this likely common question has already been addressed and I missed it. If you haven't baked bread at all, you'll probably want to get your feet wet with some regular plain ol' white bread first! As others posted, it's pretty simple to make your own starter! The basics are just flour and water. Rye flour or whole wheat; I've only tried rye and haven't had any problems with the two starters I've started so far. You mix them together, cover, and let them stand at room temp. Feed (discard good chuck of starter, add more flour and water) twice a day. Put it in the fridge once it's established (1-2 weeks, judge by how it smells) and feed less often, unless you want to feed twice a day. Check out detailed instructions because that's a very rough guide. The resource linked a few posts above is a good guide, and the Fresh Loaf subforum on sourdoughs is really helpful too: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/forums/general-discussion-and-recipe-exchange/sourdough-and-starters It's really easy to get one started but there's a little bit of nuance to caring for one and getting it to how you like it. The bacteria hanging out with the yeast are what give it it's sour flavor (Yeast is just yeast.), and those thrive better in certain conditions. Apparently a lower hydration starter will be more sour than a higher one; I haven't tried that and/or researched it more. Things like rising time for the bread you make with it also make a difference in how sour your bread is (longer = more sour). If kept in the fridge, how long before baking with it it's out on the counter also matters. What sort of flour you use (rye to get started but you can switch flours). How warm your house is. Etc. It's pretty much an edible science project. 
|
#
¿
Oct 31, 2013 01:01
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 09:01 |
|