After much research, I learned that a good amount of sourdough starter is about 10 to 20% of the flour weight in fermented flour. … I like easy math. 🙂 Let’s say you use this recipe to make bread: 1000 grams flour (about 10 cups, depending on how you measure flour) 650 grams water (2 3/4 cups) 20 grams salt (4 teaspoons) 2 packages dry yeast And let’s say your sourdough starter is 100% hydration (that is, a 1:1 ratio of flour to water by weight), then, with a 20% fermented flour target in mind, I would use this: 800 grams flour (1000-200, since I want 20% or 200 grams of the flour to be fermented in the sourdough starter) 450 grams water (650-200 because the starter is equal amounts of water and flour) 400 grams sourdough starter (200 grams flour + 200 grams water) 20 grams salt You can use less sourdough starter than 10% fermented flour for sure. … As well, fermented flour has gluten that’s been overdeveloped (gluten develops naturally when flour becomes wet), which isn’t a problem when the fermented flour is used at low amounts, but when a lot of fermented flour is used, it can’t support the dough properly, hence the ugly dimples and inability to rise.

I think “life is an experiment” is a phrase I take way too seriously. 😀 I needed a recipe for buns – I’d been craving a Subway meatball sub, and since the nearest Subway is in India, I figured the only way I was going to get a meatball sub would be to make my …

Continue reading “Kaiser Soze Rolls”

This week’s bread for the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge is Peter Reinhart’s Casatiello. Which I consistently and unashamedly misspelled and mispronounced. It’s the Italian answer to brioche, but with meat and cheese inside. Or, at least, mostly inside… I halved the recipe and converted it to grams. I replaced the yeast with sourdough starter and …

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I’ve never been a bagel person, but given that the only bagels I’ve ever had were from supermarkets or the like in Western Canada, I doubt that I’ve had the best. Perhaps really good bagels will change my mind? No idea, but since bagels were next in the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge, I was willing …

Continue reading “Sourdough Bagels 1 – Me 0”

Anadama Bread is the first recipe in Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice and therefore the first recipe being tackled by those participating in the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge. Quite a few of those participating are already onto their second recipe, some on to their third, so I’m behind already, and I just got started. …

Continue reading “Anadama Bread, sourdough version”

During my travels through Teh Interwebs, I ran across this article on shaping boules. It’s got useful information and big pictures showing the process, so if you have any questions, it’s well worth looking at. Meanwhile, it led me to a few questions and possible Aha! moments. Let me run this past you. It’s only …

Continue reading “A sourdough bread question”