The bakers' thread

[glasgowcyclist]

It can't have been as bad as these two that I turned out a while back. My friend's chooks flatly refused to eat them...

View attachment 400775

My first ever sourdough back in July 2016 was very similar, it could have been used as a discus in the next Olympics.

Lord knows what went wrong but I created a ceramic crust that was impenetrable to my best bread knife, which just skated from side to side. Ended up using it as a doorstop for the garage door.

 

[Reynard]

Ouch! Seriously? Pics, unless it didn't happen re doorstop

I'd already been baking basic sourdoughs for a little while when I turned out these. Had been encouraged by the bods on thefreshloaf to try some new things, but overreached my then skills when trying porridge-based breads. I overproved these massively, hence the frisbees.

Have since learnt to watch the dough, not the clock...

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Just had some sourdough from Lidl. Good effort but now a few hours later it’s repeating on me. Weirdly, in a fish and chips kind of way. Vinegar?

 

[Reynard]

Just had some sourdough from Lidl. Good effort but now a few hours later it’s repeating on me. Weirdly, in a fish and chips kind of way. Vinegar?

Probably - or something else of a similar ilk. Most shop bought sourdoughs are in fact yeasted doughs with only a tiny amount of culture in (to meet legal requirements on labelling) and the sour flavour is achieved through the use of acidic flavourings.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Have since learnt to watch the dough, not the clock

That's a top tip that should be included in every bread recipe.

There are so many variables, from flour used, water temperature, the room temperature etc., that timings are only rough guidelines. I do it by eye now too, with a better success rate.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Just had some sourdough from Lidl. Good effort but now a few hours later it’s repeating on me. Weirdly, in a fish and chips kind of way. Vinegar?

Could be that or it could be yoghurt.

Often referred to as sourfaux because its flavour is artificially reproduced by the use of those additives or dried sourdough culture. In any case it will contain around 40 ingredients instead of the 4 that are used to make genuine sourdough: flour, water, salt and time.

 

[Reynard]

That's a top tip that should be included in every bread recipe.

There are so many variables, from flour used, water temperature, the room temperature etc., that timings are only rough guidelines. I do it by eye now too, with a better success rate.

Yeah, even the weather can change things... Yeast (whether standard saccharomyces cerevisiae or whatever you've captured from the wild) is a living organism with all the quirks that this entails. Although standard yeast is more predictable than a sourdough culture.

I've also learnt that the fridge is most definitely my friend.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

I've also learnt that the fridge is most definitely my friend.

It's not a fridge, it's a time machine!

 

[Reynard]

On Thursday I will make a start on baking this:

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/45353/sourdough-easter-babka-babka-wielkanocna-na-zakwasie

Must have one for Easter.

 

[CharlesF]

Looks very interesting, but I have promised SWHMBO hot-cross buns so I might try it later. My list of things to try is growing faster than I am baking!

 

[C R]

This is called "rosca" a traditional sweet bread from Galicia, which children are given as a present by their godparents for easter. The dough is similar to hot cross bun dough, but without cinnamon, normally you are supposed to use aniseed, but forgot to buy yesterday.

 

[robrinay]

I've often used vinegar to sour the milk.

I’m late to the Soda bread thread so apologies if this has been said elsewhere.

You need an acid to react with the Sodium bicarbonate to release Carbon dioxide gas bubbles, so lemon juice (Citric Acid) or vinegar (Acetic Acid) or Buttermilk (lactic acid) all work. Baking powder has a dry powdered food safe acid (usually Disodium Diphosphate) and Sodium Bicarbonate in it and when wet the two react to release Carbon dioxide bubbles into the dough. A bit of extra acid from buttermilk etc helps produce it faster. I’ve also had quite good results by substituting a sharp sour tasting Natural Yoghurt (lactic Acid), for the buttermilk.

 

[Reynard]

I’m late to the Sourdough thread so apologies if this has been said elsewhere.

You need an acid to react with the Sodium bicarbonate to release Carbon dioxide gas bubbles, so lemon juice (Citric Acid) or vinegar (Acetic Acid) or Buttermilk (lactic acid) all work. Baking powder has a dry powdered food safe acid (usually Disodium Diphosphate) and Sodium Bicarbonate in it and when wet the two react to release Carbon dioxide bubbles into the dough. A bit of extra acid from buttermilk etc helps produce it faster. I’ve also had quite good results by substituting a sharp sour tasting Natural Yoghurt (lactic Acid), for the buttermilk.

I'm assuming you mean soda bread as opposed to sourdough?

 

[robrinay]

Whoops! Yep Soda bread sorry - now edited/corrected.

 

[Reynard]

Whoops! Yep Soda bread sorry - now edited/corrected.