Hello Bread Masters,
I have been lurking around Fresh Load for years and years. I have learnt a lot from here and made fairly decent pizzas, middle eastern flat breads, bagels, but, not so decent loaves . I am an excellent arm-chair baker though :)
I have an overwhelming desire to make my own starter and bake a sourdough here in Chennai India where the average temperature in any given day crosses 90.
Years of reading suggests 100 is too hot for sourdough.
I have access to chapati flour - soft wheat with 6 - 8% gluten and finely milled maida - no bran at all.
First of all, is it possible to do Sourdough here?
If Yes, Can I start a culture with just wheat flour n water? How do I handle hot temperatures?
Looking forward to your guidance,
... would be the simple answer. Make the starter with your flour then stick it in the fridge. Keep it in the fridge, take some out, add more flour + water to make a production levian and use that to make bread. (top up the jar and put it back in the fridge)
The issue is the rather low protein flour - that's not going to make good bread for you, at least not a bread that might be recognisable as a loaf, sourdough or otherwise.
You might be able to make a flatbread like Aish Baladi or similar, else see if you can get some wheat gluten to boost the gluten content of the atta flour you're using...
-Gordon
hi there, i live in Chennai too and tried the starter in summer. The result was a very active but very sour starter. The best way to do the sour dough here is to start with a water bath with ice and place the starter vessel in the water bath. Chk the sourdough temperature with a thermoeter and adjust.
As for the low prptein content the best way out is adding gluten. 1 tsp to 1tbsp off gluten flour for every 100 grams of atta flour. Atta has 12% protein but the bran and the type of milling does not let it develop the gluten structure well. It's impossible to bake good bread here without gluten. U can get gluten in Waltax Road in Parrys corner.
let me know how it works out.