Sourdough Fig-Walnut Mini-loaves

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loydb on 21 Oct 2011 at 17:39

Mini-loaf madness continues! This is Reinhart's basic sourdough, made from sourdo.com San Francisco culture that's been fed only with KA bread flour. With the addition of 5 oz of chopped dried figs and 4 oz of walnuts, the bread is excellent, but has no real sour. I'm not sure I'm continuing with this particular starter...

 

Hi Lloyd, Are you using PR's master recipe for this loaf and using a sd starter instead of a biga? Reinhart's starter formula, as printed up in Whole Grain Breads, is a more mild flavored starter. You can always sour it up by fiddling with the hydration levels and feeding schedule. Try using less seed to more flour so it has to ferment longer. His sd formula usually ripens within 4 hours and is the basic 1:2:3 ratio - or close to it. Try to get the feeding schedule on a 12 hour schedule and that should increase the sour. Your loaf does look very nice despite the fact that you aren't pleased with the flavor. The crust looks very nice and rustic. Very healthy looking :-) Take Care, Janet

I extended the fermentation time on this batch over the last one I made with this starter. It went something like this:

Remove starter from fridge, let it warm for a couple of hours.

5 oz 100% hydration starter + 5 oz flour + 3 oz water to make preferment. This spent the night on the counter (~13 hours)

Made the bread and let it sit on the counter for ~6 hours, then into the fridge for a 48-hour slow proof.

Remove from the fridge, warm up 2 hours, shape and pan, proof for ~3.5 hours.

The flavor is fine, it's just not sour...

Lloyd, That certainly is a long time for any dough to develop 'sour'….especially when using whole grains, which I assume you are? Only other thing I can think is asking if you added enrichments to this dough - honey, butter - milk? I know when I add enrichments they tend to lessen the sourness…. I am a novice at this art of bread baking so I really can only guess based on what I have done in my own kitchen…..maybe someone else with more knowledge will chime in….or else you will eventually stumble upon the solution yourself :-) Good Luck! Janet

This one was with KA bread flour, not WW. The only additions to the dough beyond water, flour and salt were the dried figs and walnuts. I've pretty much decided this particular batch of starter is simply not very sour. I'm going to make one more try with the version of it that I've fed nothing but home-milled whole grains, but I'm writing off the white-flour-only one. It will free up some space in the fridge for another one :)

 

Loydb,

Hummm...always a mystery.  I have never used a BF starter - mine are made with ww, Kamut, spelt and rye....all freshly ground so there is spunk in them.  I would imagine adding a bit of rye to it would liven it up a bit but think you are right about moving on to a whole grain one....you can convert it simply by feeding it ww.  I too have limited the starters in my refrig.  One ww and one rye.

Good Luck,

Janet