If you’ve ever called King Arthur tech line for questions or help, there is a good chance you talked with Barb. She is knowledgeable and always helpful every time we talk. She recently published a 3 part article dealing with sourdough flavor, whether sour or non-sour. In detail she explains the nuances necessary to create the flavor profile of your choosing.
Danny
Thanks for the link. I'm still very much a novice when it comes to sourdough and I've read many similar discussions about sourdough acidity. I've only made sourdough rye breads so far, but I am interested in trying to produce a bread similar to SFSD.
I have seen some discussions on TFL about the famed Larraburu SFSD and it appears you and other members have abandoned hope of replicating it. Do you have any further thoughts on what has been successful for you in producing extra sour SFSD?
One detail I noticed from the Galal article was that the starter was made with (first) clear flour. Have you ever tried using that for the starter or as a part of the levain?
Thanks!
“ Do you have any further thoughts on what has been successful for you in producing extra sour SFSD?”
I learned to bake sour tasting sourdough from Teresa Greenway of Northwest Sourdough. Her online course on sourdough is on sale right now for $14.99.
https://www.udemy.com/course/bake-san-francisco-style-sourdough-bread/?couponCode=TBNSITE
Look for the yellow bar at the top of the page.
Thanks. I may have to go back to "school"; it's been awhile!
Have you tried any of her other courses on sourdough, like the Extreme Fermentation or the Advanced Sourdough Experiments?
I have taken at least 6 of her courses. But none is better than this one, IMO. But then I am a “Sour Freak”. LOL
I spent money for some of Teresa Greenway's disorganized recipes. I'm willing to look at them again but ISTR they involved very long proofing times. I tried these long proofing times and invariably the dough basically becomes pancake batter due to overproofing/proteolysis. The flavor is all there but the dough turns to goo. You can try baking it but the loaf will not rise and you wind up with a sourdough frisbee with a crispy crust.
Teresa and I are friends and I want to share my experience with her San Francisco Sourdough. I think the world of her…
Sorry Chris (DoughHooker). Some bakers seem to have problems baking Teresa’s SFSD. It took me a while to perfect that bread. Dough degradation is the main issue to overcome using her technique. I searched for years looking for the perfect sour flavor for my preference. Since learning Teresa’s method, I search no more.
Lately, I’ve been baking my SFSD in pans. But over the last 5 to 7 years I estimate I’ve baked in excess of 300 loaves (probably many more) both free form and panned.
SeeTHIS LINK for a few of the panned loaves.
HERE is a LINK to free form SFSD
Crumb shot below of a free formed SFSD loaf.
For my personal taste, her SFSD can’t be beat! AND, I love sour tasting sourdough bread.
As I said I spent money for her courses and I still had trouble with dough degradation due to the long fermentation times so I never had satisfactory results, and you say it took you a while and additional experimentation to get it right. I asked her about this maybe 3 years ago when I bought the courses and her response was to ask for more money for yet another one of her courses, which is why I feel a little ripped off by her. When I bought her courses I thought I was getting the full deal but apparently not. It seems like some key element is missing that she wants me to pay even more for.
I respect your protecting her copyrighted IP, but what do I have to do and whom do I have to pay to get a workable sourdough recipe?
Well, I sprang for the course already. I'll see if I have any luck.
Please let us know how it turns out.
The course says that it has lifetime access. She mentions in the course that she has updated the method to modify the bulk and proof fermentations. Are you able to log in to view the modified method?
No.
Which of her many courses are we talking about? Can you tell how recent these modifications are?
It was the SFSD course. The description says updated 27 Oct 2021. So far as I can tell, the difference is in fermentation time and temperature conditions to reduce the risk of dough degradation.
She wants $79.99 for the revised SFSD course. I did not see anything about a sale.
I already paid her for a SFSD course in 2019 and did not get satisfactory results.
"Once burnt, twice shy."
Do you still have your login for udemy?
You weren't clear in a previous comment about whether:
a) you couldn't log in, or...
b) you could log in, but the web site did not let you view the updated course.
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For those interested, and have not previously taken a Greenway course, if you use Dan's link above, with the coupon code, the price is 17.99, after the coupon, normally 79.99.
The coupon expires about 2:30 pm eastern time in the US, Sunday Feb. 27, 2022.
I had forgotten that when I first signed up for Udemy in 2019 I set up my account through Google, so now I'm able to log in through Google. Surprisingly Udemy remembered me and I have downloaded a pdf file with a copyright date of 8/31/2021. Is this the latest revision?
First order of business is to convert the portions to baker's percentages.
Yes, that's what mine says.
She actually offers lifetime support to all students that take her course(s). If you want to know who this lady is, READ THIS non-fiction work.
Thanks Danny,
A very good article, well written and reliable. A nice mix of science and practicality.
Gavin
I’ve just started baking with sourdough, so I really appreciate you sharing this informative article. I’m trying to learn everything I can. Thanks again, Danny!
Here are my bookmarks for Teresa's material:
Youtube channel, Northwest Sourdough, with Teresa Greenway:
https://www.youtube.com/c/NorthwestSourdoughBaker/videos
or by playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/c/NorthwestSourdoughBaker/playlists
Some of her Youtube videos are free/public, some are private, and you need to be a member to view them.
Teresa's commercial video courses:
https://www.udemy.com/user/teresalgreenway/
Teresa's website, some free stuff, some members only:
https://northwestsourdough.com/
Author page at Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Teresa-L-Greenway/e/B00DULWTVY
Volume 1 of her series has instructions on starting a starter, so the separate book on starters is not needed.
I purchased all 4 of the series, Volume 1 through Volume 3-B. Each book is $2.99 US.
Volume 2 has a recipe for Extra Sour Sourdough. Volume 3-A has a recipe for "San Francisco Sharp" that also uses a long ferment to get extra tang.
I've browsed the books but haven't baked from them yet.