Sourdough Bread making... HELP !

[clapham_gull]

Just got into this.

1) Buy an old starter from Amazon (or other). You get a small bag but it's fool proof. No f###### about.
2) As suggested above feed the starter with rye flour, not your bog standard flour.
3) Keep the starter in the fridge and feed 1 or 2 times a week.
4) Don't throw away half as suggested. Just make bread, pizza etc.. with it but add yeast and uses as normal.

What I've learnt is that you are not a hipster bakery and there is no need to be purist about it. Go ahead and make your 2 day purist sourdough, but make your normal yeasted bread with the rest.


Made pizza tonight lovely, but added yeast to the mix and a loaf for tomorrow with the remaining dough.

 

[BensGrandad]

Have just bought a bread maker and am going to try making bread but not sour dough as the James Martin recipe is very easy as is his home made butter. My question is that J M says to buy the best flour that you can afford. Is this a fact does it make a great difference or is it just wealthy chefs talk.

 

[vegster]

Have just bought a bread maker and am going to try making bread but not sour dough as the James Martin recipe is very easy as is his home made butter. My question is that J M says to buy the best flour that you can afford. Is this a fact does it make a great difference or is it just wealthy chefs talk.

BG, the important thing with bread is to get the correct ratio of wet/dry ingredients. it must be 3 fluid/ 5 flour plus a teaspoon of salt + yeast and a splash of oil. I use Lidl bread flour and it always works a treat. The Lidl flour is about 70p for 1.5 kg, bag up now before Brexit !

 

[BensGrandad]

What size loaf does that rise to a traditional loaf or small loaf? Are you sayjng buyjng Alliskns or similar branded flour will make no difference.

 

[vegster]

What size loaf does that rise to a traditional loaf or small loaf? Are you sayjng buyjng Alliskns or similar branded flour will make no difference.

That recipe will give you a standard loaf of 800g give or take a few g... I would suggest if you can you use fresh yeast, Morrisons often do it by the ready rolled puff pastry and cookies 50 p buys you enough for 8 loafs. yes, try Allinsons or Dove Farm but I think it makes little difference. be careful doing Wholemeal bread as it will not rise as much as plain white flour so I only ever do a mix of 150g Wholemeal or Brown with 350g of white. If you have a machine it probably won't bake an 800g loaf as its too big for the machine, it will give you a scaled down recipe, but, always remember the 3/5 ratio of wet to dry.

 

[Birdie Boy]

I love sourdough so much that I thought of making some until I found out how much effort is needed in the starter. I think I bought some cheating starter in Tesco, might look into it again.

Love the breadmaker we have, not been out for a while, seems like the right time!

 

[Machiavelli]

I love sourdough so much that I thought of making some until I found out how much effort is needed in the starter. I think I bought some cheating starter in Tesco, might look into it again.

Love the breadmaker we have, not been out for a while, seems like the right time!

It really does pay off to make the starter. It only takes about a month, and they can go on for a long, long time. I've been using mine for about eight years, but there are starters that have been used for more than a century in Italy.