Sourdough Journey
 

I began my sourdough journey about a month ago and it certainly is a journey! There is so much information out there, some of it contradictory. People are passionate about their sourdough.
I have a good starter going and I have made everything from hour-by-hour recipes to no knead recipes. The first was way too much work...I don't want it to be a full-time job....and the latter was easier but the product not as good.
If anyone has a good recipe, I'd appreciate it.
Also, if I am leaving my starter in the fridge, how often do I have to feed it?
Thanks and here's pics of my first attempt.
Watson

What a beautiful loaf! Prior to my going Keto I always kept a sourdough starter, as my downfall is bread of any kind but specifically sourdough. Once established, I kept him in the fridge and fed him every 7-10 days and just a small amount. I highly recommend this site for all things bread, especially sourdough, everyone is so helpful and there is a wealth of information. Have fun!

https://www.thefreshloaf.com/

Your loaf looks fantastic! I love to eat sour dough bread. But I have to admit that I let my starter die after a couple of months last year. I felt guilty doing it. It was just too much work, keeping it going and using it regularly. King Arthur Flour has some good recipes for the stuff you pour off when feeding it, though. I think feeding once a week if you keep it in the fridge is fine.

That looks great Watson! I love Sourdough. My dad made it every morning when he retired. He then went around and delivered hot bread to mom and dad's friends in time for breakfast. It was a great social thing, invariably, someone would see him, invite him in for coffee and they would eat the bread. I never could keep it alive. I would forget about it, then toss the jar. Oh to wake up to the smell of that bread baking. Awesome.

Watson, your bread looks amazing. Look at those holes! That's a hallmark of a great sourdough loaf. I don't have a specific recipe. I just go by my instincts. Most of the time it comes out pretty good...not always...but most of the time. :)

That sure looks delicious! What a beautiful loaf. I could live on just bread :)

Marvelous Watson! Isn't it fun to learn something new? Enjoy your experimenting.

About feeding your sourdough starter:

I know that some people will disagree with me and that's ok. Here's the thing. I never take my sourdough starter out of the fridge just to feed it. Never. I make bread with it probably about twice a month, but I've gone as long 4-6 months without ever touching it. It just stays cold in the fridge, waiting for me to bake again. I use a pint container, which holds enough starter to keep itself happy in my fridge for quite a while.

Every time I use the starter, I'm really making a brand, new batch of starter along with making my bread dough. I pour all of my starter into a big bowl and set the starter jar to the side to be cleaned thoroughly. I add some lukewarm water to the starter in the bowl and enough white flour to make a "batter," similar in looks to thick, pancake batter. Once in awhile I might also add a teaspoon of white sugar to give it s jump start, but I don't do that very often. I stir it up, cover it with a dishcloth and set the bowl in a warm place for 1-2 days. It will start bubbling up...not a lot, but there should be some bubbles forming in it from the yeast activity. Then, I take my clean jar and fill it up with some of the "batter" from the bowl. The "batter" (aka starter,) that is left in the bowl is what I use for my loaf of bread.

When I'm done, the jar of starter goes back into the refrigerator to be used for the next loaf of bread. The yeast will go into hibernation and rest easy in the cool fridge, waiting patiently for you. Don't worry if your starter separates. That's just because the weight of the flour is heavier and settles to the bottom, leaving the watery liquid on top. It's still good. Just stir up, if you feel that you must.

Yeasts are everywhere around you. You really can't kill all of the yeast in your environment, so don't even try. However, molds are another story. You don't want mold in your starter. That's why you always restart it in a clean jar, before you put it back in the fridge. If you do have to start over, it's no biggy. Just mix some flour and water together and set it out in a warm place, in a covered bowl, for a few days. The yeast from the air will find its way to your mixture and start to grow. If you want to go the easy route, add a package of baking yeast to the mixture to guarantee that the commercial yeast will dominate and take over.

This is easy. Not complicated at all. :)

One other note...I always use plain, white, wheat flour for my starter. I don't add anything else other than a rare teaspoon of white sugar. (Yeast loves sugar.) No salt, no whole wheat flour, no other grains, nada. This keeps the starter pure. If there is bran, or other foreign things in there, they can start to disintegrate and possibly rot. You can add other things to your starter AFTER you've saved the pure starter and set it aside. Once it is in the bread bowl, add whatever you like.

Thanks, Tropit.
I have saved some starter in the freezer, just in case I ever kill mine.
Do you use AP or bread flour?

Watson

I use the cheapest AP flour that I can find. The yeast is not a gourmet.

I am enjoying this post..I love all things bread. I love sourdough, but have never made it... is a mystery to me. Our son and family live in San Francisco, and every time they come, they pack 2 loaves of sourdough, along with their 2 babies and all that encompasses, plus a dog.
I make most of our bread..whole wheat with various things added, and am expected to make cinnamon rolls for every family get together. https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/tongue.png

Someday, somehow I am going to try some sourdough starter. I just love the stuff. You can save some starter in your freezer or dehydrate it & store that in a zip bag or a food saver bag. That way if you ever want to stop for awhile or your starter dies, you will have some stored away for re-making. Your bread looks fabulous. I could live on bread! https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/smile.png
This dear, sweet lady has a wonderful you tube channel & here's one where she shows (step by step~~~day by day) how she makes hers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLCSRuop2jo

while I lived in Ak. I made up some starter and one Christmas eve party I had for family and friends I had made up a whole bunch of small 12" pizza crusts, which I froze, the night of the party I had a line of small bowls lined up on the counter, sauce, cheese, hamberger, sausage, olives, peppers, onions, whatever you like on your pizza. Then as each guest came in they made their own pizza and popped it in the oven and set a timer. Had a cutting board, and pizza cutter out ready for them and plates for them to plate their pizza, and best of all I just sat back and rested and enjoyed visiting with my family and friends not spending all my time in the kitchen.
I made a lot of sourdough bread while we lived up north.

I only keep 20-25 g starter on hand. When I want to bake, I take it out and feed 1:5:5 - giving me enough to put 20-25 back in the refrigerator after taking out what I need for my recipe. If I don't bake for a couple of weeks, I do a refresh feed to keep it from getting very sour - we prefer a milder flavor. My starter mix is 1:9 whole grain (so whole wheat or rye) to white unbleached AP.

Also - I took a class a couple of years ago at a bakery and they sent us home with starter and recipes at the end of the day, but didn't tell us that we can freeze or dehydrate starter! Easiest to dehydrate - spread thin on a sheet of parchment until completely dry, break into small pieces and put in a jar in the cupboard. Keeps indefinitely. Then, if you want to share or if something happens to your regular starter, you have a backup that will only take a couple of days to rejuvenate rather than starting a new one from scratch. Also travels well. If you get tired of baking, or don't want to bake when it's the middle of summer, don't. Just get it out when you are ready to get going again.

I began my starter, Genie-in-a-bottle, when Covid hit. I bake a loaf maybe every two weeks. Have you looked at Pantrymama’s website? I follow her basic loaf recipe, and during stretch and folds last time, I added some craisins and toasted pecans. Yum! The Clever Carrot also has some great recipes. I usually slice and freeze half the loaf because there are only the 2 of us here, and bread is my weakness!
I am now trying to lose the Covid pounds I acquired, so bread baking and pasta making are limited.