Rav's Sourdough: formula, methods, baking with charcoal, free bread

[Ravella and X]

Reading your cautions about water, Ravella, I wonder if my water is why my last starter never really got a good rise going.

I used unbleached white flour, where usually I just use white all purpose flour, and it would bubble and look active but never threaten to go over the sides of my jar like it has in the past.

I started it last spring, and just blamed the pandemic and 2020.

It’s in a quart mason jar in my freezer, waiting until I get an urge again to bake with it.

It could be the water, yes. If it stays sluggish after getting better water, try adding some whole wheat or rye flour to feedings.

 

[Ravella and X]

Neighbors have a trampoline and we’re jumping on it nekkid today. We aren’t in the magic circle but perhaps they think they are.
Ahahahahahaha! I was all set to reply to all you posted, until that last bit. Now I just can't be serious. I'll reply tomorrow lol

 

[Ravella and X]

Formula
Traditional sourdough is just flour, water, salt. The starter is made from just flour and water and develops its own yummy bacteria and yeast beasts.

My formula for a basic white sourdough - a dough on the firm side that's easy to handle for a beginner:

500g king arthur AP flour (or any other brand of unbleached bread flour)
355g water (chlorine free)
50g ripe starter (6-12 hours after last feeding)
11g salt

This is just a jumping off point. With a little experience, you can increase the hydration and vary the amount of starter for different results.

 

[WanderingRose]

Many if not most of us won’t use a scale, so standard US measurements of cups and ounces would be helpful.

Please.

 

[Freelander]

Neighbors have a trampoline and we’re jumping on it nekkid today. We aren’t in the magic circle but perhaps they think they are.
Ahahahahahaha! I was all set to reply to all you posted, until that last bit. Now I just can't be serious. I'll reply tomorrow lol

:huh: :huh: :huh: :huh: :huh: :huh: :huh: :huh:

 

[Ravella and X]

Ha! Go back a few more posts- that was Cammalu and her neighbors. I just lost the formatting somehow.

 

[LERCA]

500g=17.63 ounces or 4 cups
355g=12.52 ounces or 1 1/2 cups
50g=1.76 ounces or 1/4 cup
11g=2 1/4 teaspoons

All approximate. I’m cr*p at math.
It’s really hard and inexact to convert liquids and solids in a recipe that’s why it’s kind of worth it to invest in a scale if you’re going to make a lot of sourdough or attempt European recipes. For example 500g of flour=4 cups but 500g of water is 2 1/8 cups, 500g of cocoa powder=5 cups.

 I’m a bad cook but I learned to cook in Denmark at 17 and had to switch to grams after using ounces, lbs, cups and tea/tablespoons. My host mother was rightfully confused by my system (I had brought a bunch of cooking stuff with me) when she had this handy dandy scale.

 

[Ravella and X]

Many if not most of us won’t use a scale, so standard US measurements of cups and ounces would be helpful.

Please. 

I thought that I'd pointed to the "Extra Tangy Sourdough Bread" recipe on the King Arthur website, but can't find that post now. It's a good and clear beginner recipe that has measurements in cups and spoons.
I also thought I wouldn't weigh, but now as a boondocker on a sacred mission to save water and time and mess in the kitchen, I am advocating strongly for scales. Sourdough can be as hard/labor intensive as you want to make it. My choice is to make it as compatible with boondocking as I can.

For those not using a scale, check out the King Arthur recipe.

 

[Ravella and X]

500g=17.63 ounces or 4 cups
355g=12.52 ounces or 1 1/2 cups
50g=1.76 ounces or 1/4 cup
11g=2 1/4 teaspoons

All approximate. I’m cr*p at math.
It’s really hard and inexact to convert liquids and solids in a recipe that’s why it’s kind of worth it to invest in a scale if you’re going to make a lot of sourdough or attempt European recipes. For example 500g of flour=4 cups but 500g of water is 2 1/8 cups, 500g of cocoa powder=5 cups.

 I’m a bad cook but I learned to cook in Denmark at 17 and had to switch to grams after using ounces, lbs, cups and tea/tablespoons. My host mother was rightfully confused by my system (I had brought a bunch of cooking stuff with me) when she had this handy dandy scale.

Thanks for the conversions, Lerca.

I will add that no two people measure flour the same in cups. I love my scale. It has come in handy for loads of stuff other than baking, too.

 

[WanderingRose]

Thanks for the conversions, LERCA.

I could have looked these up, and would for a recipe so compelling I felt I absolutely must have it.

My experience with bread making is that the flour is always a somewhat one exact measurement, a little more or less depending on humidity and other factors.

 

[highdesertranger]

confusing mass(weight) and volume. so how much do you all weigh in cups. LOL highdesertranger

 

[jacqueg]

For most cooking, it really doesn't matter much whether you use weight or volume. 

But for bread baking, it does matter, especially for those of us who didn't grow up baking bread, and thus never learned to judge what kind of bread a dough will produce by how it feels and behaves. My loaves were a lot more consistent - and predictable -  when I finally took the advice of the experts and used a scale that weighed in grams. It's simply more accurate.

Explanation of why - https://truesourdough.com/sourdough-hydration-explained-what-why-how-when/

 

[Ravella and X]

I was converted from using cups to a scale kicking and screaming. When I finally, finally used a scale, the benefits were immediately apparent. Not only faster to weigh than measure, but less messy, no added dishes to wash, wayyy more accurate, and easier by far to intelligently alter formulas. I can't imagine trying to figure bakers percentages with measures rather than weights. So for any boondocker, or lazy baker, I'm telling you the secret to easy is a scale. They're so cheap and easy to carry, too!

 

[nature lover]

All this talk about sourdough reminds me of a movie by the same name. You can find it free on YouTube. I have thoroughly enjoyed most of it but it’s probably got the saddest ending of any movie I ever watched. If you’re a nature lover an outdoors person like me you won’t like the ending either. But I think I’ll go watch it again.

 

[Ravella and X]

Quick overview of mix day and bake day
I will follow this post eventually with discussion and excruciating detail of each step, whether anyone wants it or not. Heh.

Feed the starter at breakfast time.
Wait until early/mid-afternoon, until starter has at least doubled in size.
Weigh or measure water into mixing bowl (355g). Add the "ripe" starter (50g) to water and mix.
Weigh or measure flour (500g) and salt (11g) and add to mixing bowl.
Wearing a glove or gloves, mix all ingredients into a shaggy dough, just enough to incorporate all of the flour. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and rest for 15-30 minutes. Wet clean hand or glove and mix the dough thourougly. Re-wet hand or glove to minimize sticking. Mix until the dough is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap.
Wait about an hour.
While waiting go watch a youtube video or read an illustrated blog post about stretching and folding dough.
Stretch and fold dough in the bowl. Wait 1/2 to 1 hour and repeat. Repeat the wait and stretch and fold 3 more times, for a total of 5 times.
Bulk ferment until bedtime. That just means leave it alone in a warmish spot. At bedtime, place bowl either in fridge or a spot that will stay 50 degrees f or below overnight. 
Shape dough. In the morning, gently move dough from bowl to clean work surface. Pre-shape dough, rest 15 minutes, final shape dough and place in parchment lined dutch oven for final proof.
Final proof for sourdough is not a timed thing -- there are too many variables for that. However, 2 1/2 hours is about the median time in my experience. You know its ready when you gently poke it and the indentation slowly recovers, but not all the way.
Prepare 36 charcoal briquettes. If you have a chimney, the coals will be ready about 10-12 minutes after lighting. You may and may not need all of the briquettes, depending on your dutch oven size, the weather and wind, and the mood of the sourdough goddess, I think. So just start with 36 and adjust as you learn.
Score the boule. This means making a cut or cuts to control where the oven spring happens and prevent cracking and expanding in awkward places.
Place 12 bricquettes in a ring under and just at the edge of the oven. If you place them all the way under, your bottom crust will burn.
Place bricquettes in a ring on top at the far edge of the lid. Lean 4-6 more bricquettes on the first ring, as close as possible to the ring of coals. Set the few remaining coals aside.
Set a timer for 22 minutes. You can lift the lid and peek now, but make it quick! You're looking for "oven spring" - did it puff up taller? did your score open and does it now look bulgy and have bubble spots? If so, do a happy dance. Is the bread still pale, but beginning to color? That's perfect.
Set a timer for 22 more minutes. Place remaining coals near edge of lid. If your boule was ghostly pale when you looked, remove the coals about 3 at a time, knock off ash and replace. Ash is the enemy of heat, and if your bread isn't browning yet, give it all the heat you have. Tap the ash off of the coals underneath, and tuck them a smidge further under the edge.
Your bread is done when it is 195-210 degrees f internally. Test that when the timer goes off if you have a thermometer. If not, go by the crust. It should be a lovely caramalized color if your world is perfect. But anywhere from pale golden to nearly burnt is just fine. This is camp cookery, not a pro bakery with $100k baking ovens!
Place on rack to cool for at least 1 hour. 12 hours is best for fully developed flavor. Alternatively, rip it open while piping hot and slather with butter and share with people you like

 

[abnorm]

OMG........That amount of Work is worth like $20 a loaf ! 



Photo of Ravella's Thanksgiving loaves................Thank-You

 

[WanderingRose]

Those are indeed gorgeous.

 

[Ravella and X]

Thanks Doug & Rose.
Doug, it's more words than actual work. And there are more words of detail to come! I do recall it being a lot of work at first, but after getting rid of some sourdough mumbo-jumbo that didn't really improve the product much, it's not rmuch work at all. Actual hands-on time is about 40 minutes, 50 if you cound dealing with coals. Then a 45-55 minute bake time.
I wrote the mix and bake post in almost absolutes because beginners need a place to start. But every step is flexible, once you understand enough of the science and art and have an idea of how you can adjust for simplicity/time/better crust/crumb/ even sourness.

 

[nature lover]

RAVELIA - I am in love. Those pictures of your bread, are the sexiest things I’ve ever seen. I’ll bet it’s even better love at first bite. My host here sent her a little boy out with a big mug of buttered noodles with some type of meatballs. Your sourdough would’ve been wonderful with it. It was wonderful without it but the sourdough would’ve made it better. Anyone get the courage to watch that sourdough movie I recommended? I watched it again it’s not the most smooth production in the world but it’s a neat story of prospectors living out in the wilds of Alaska and as I said the ending is a tearjerker. I recommend it. Just Google sourdough the movie free on YouTube.

 

[Gypsyjoe#1]

I watched it last night, kind of different no talking parts just narrated by the old man, but you were right it was worth the watch!!!!