So, a colleague gave me some of his sourdough starter with the directions to feed in the weight ratio of 1:1:1 and it has been doing pretty well, so I decided to make bread. It had doubled easily in 4-5 hours after feeding and was very bubbly.
I followed a recipe which (after ~halving quantities) called for just over 1.5 Cups Flour, 1 Cup Starter and approx 1/2 cup water with a pinch of salt. Directions were to kneed for 20 mins (kneed for 5-10 mins, break for 10, repeat) then rest the loaf for 5-12 hours. (There was an option for a second rise, but it was optional). Bake at 200 degrees C for 30 mins (Remove when loaf was 93 degrees C).
It created a very sticky dough which required a fair bit of flour to avoid gluing my hand to the kitchen bench. I left mine resting for 2 hours, then kneeded, and left to rest again overnight, then baked the next morning. It did not rise much in the oven, and it did not split. I had a pan of hot water in the oven on the shelf below (a tip from my colleague) and baked it uncovered in a loaf tin.
It was actually pretty tasty!!!!!!
I made a second loaf in the same format, but kneeded longer without breaks and left to rest overnight. It deflated a bit when I made a slit in the top with a knife and did not rise again during baking. Very similar result to the previous loaf. So success but defintely room for a lot of improvement!
So.. both loaves had no air holes in the bread and were pretty dense. So now I'm looking to improve. After reading a few threads here there are sooooo many things to consider.. I thought I'd reach out directly for some tips to try.
I'm baking at home in Sydney where the temp has been ~10 to 18 degrees C and havent left the mixtures in the fridge, or anywhere warmer. Just on the bench covered with a tea towell.
Appreciate your help!
Congrats on your first loaf! Here are just a few things to consider:
First, experiment with letting your dough ferment in the fridge for periods of 8-24 hours. This is called retarding your dough. The resulting bread will have much more flavor!
Second, if your dough deflated when you scored it and didn't rise again during the bake, it means that you overproofed your dough (letting it rise at room temp overnight will definitely do this). This is something that proves to be a challenge for even experienced bakers. When you're proofing, there's a very tight window inside you have to get the dough into the oven (~10min). Too soon or too late, and you'll end up with bread that isn't as light and fluffly as you'd like. The most common way to tell if dough is proofed properly is to do the finger-dent test (look it up).
Third, look up the windowpane test. It's a great way to tell how far along in the kneading process you are, and a great way to experiment with levels of kneading and how it affects your final result.
All of these are great starting points to start improving your breads. Obviously there's much more, but you'll get there.
Happy baking!
Hold on to your hat- it is more of a learning rollercoaster and it is a delicious, addictive ride! Everyone-novice and professional alike- has something to learn and this is a great site to learn from.
There are terms and techniques you need to know and it will take time to learn them. First off, get a bread baking blank notebook and take notes on each bake. Write down words you need to know and techniques you want to learn. Know that this is a world-wide site so in some responses, a common naming terminology needs to be established-esp when it comes to sourdough. Is your sourdough a mother, a chef, a biga, a preferment, a levain,etc,etc. Is it stiff,100%, liquid, flour-based, fruit water....etc. Establish what you call it and ask what others mean when they name something.
Learn about baker's percentage at some point. It doesn't have to be right away but it is a great tool for trying to replicate a recipe. ( I hear the astonished gasps of some members but I never fear rudeness or flames on this wonderful website-it is very civilized and we generally play well together.)
Learn about the ingredients and how they contribute and behave.
Learn WHAT bread IS.
Start with 1 recipe that you make MANY times and keep notes on. Vary one thing each time and see how it affects the outcome. Ask questions and learn how to upload photos here. Pictures of the crumb can answer many questions to a discerning eye and there are plenty of those here.
Lastly-Welcome and have delicious fun!
and if it tasted good then you are hooked:-) Sounds like it over proofed on the counter overnight. Slow is best when it comes to SD After kneading you can let it rest on the counter to bulk ferment for a couple of hours. Then pan it and out it in the fridge overnight. The next day it will likely be fully risen which means no more than 90% - doubling is way too much. Score if you want but I usually don't and then into the oven for 20 minutes of steam qt 230 C then remove the steam turn down to 220 C and bake till 96 F - 93 is a bit too low. There you go It should be much better next time!
Welcome and happy SD baking