Topic: Anyone to Share their Sourdough Starter with me please?

[artichoke]

Just want to report that my bread monster went berserk this evening, climbed out of a big jug , pushed the lid off, and spread across the table! The 10 family visitors here are eating the bread up like mad so I gave my monster a big feed thinking I would cook more bread tomorrow - and off it went!

I still think this is all black magic.......absolutely fascinating.

Daughter loves the buckwheat bread from the baker next door, and has not reacted to it with indigestion and headaches, so maybe the small amount of gluten in it is not enough to set her off. She is not officially celiac, just has bad reactions to wheat and some other flours. Thank goodness not buckwheat.

Life here is very frantic at the moment so I have not had time to experiment, but will report back if there is a lull and I can have a go. At least I now have some Xanthan gum or whatever its name is....

[goodlife]

'The monster' is excellent cooker cleaning stuff.. ::) It takes some cleaning off once it has dried on surface over night..but the metal ring around hot plates come off clean!.. :o..happened to me once.. :-X

That's why in one of the earlier posts I mentioned "not to fill the starter container more than 2/3 full"..it will take off and surprise you... ;D Well...it really is active now.. ::) ;D

There has been some talk in web about some people showing signs of being celiac..but not reacting for more 'primitive' wheats..it is the 'curse of modern wheats..'

[artichoke]

Yes, I have bought some spelt, but there are so many people running around (6 aged 1 to 16 plus all their parents) that filling them up is taking all my energy. Looking forward to trying out these flours.

[BarriedaleNick]

It is amazing stuff.  I got a pot out of the frdige this morning that has been in there for at least 6 weeks.
Gave it a feed and put it on my PC (excellent place for rising bread!) and it is going like the clappers..

[goodlife]

It is amazing stuff.  I got a pot out of the frdige this morning that has been in there for at least 6 weeks.
Gave it a feed and put it on my PC (excellent place for rising bread!) and it is going like the clappers..

 :o..let hope it doesn't overflow on you PC..that would be some mess..

Code: [Select]

[jesssands]

Hi goodlife.... well had my few days away and did what you said, good feed and fridged it.
just about to give it 3rd feed since getting back.
Do you think i should feed it for a few days before trying to use it for bread without yeast?
And also, just as a guide, roughly how long does it take to rise? just so I can plan out.
One last thing... Would I give it 2 risings like normal?

Thanks for all your help x

[goodlife]

Code: [Select]

Do you think i should feed it for a few days before trying to use it for bread without yeast? Well, if it was fully functional starter before going away..it should not need feeding any further..when the yeast it active it should stay so when it has someting to feast on...and since you've already fed it, it should be fine.
As a really rought guide for rising time..warmer the conditions quicker it happens...but even with best of the conditions I would expect it to take few hours at least.
Usually if I make mine in a morning..by afternoon it has risen and ready for making loaves.
As for 2 risings..with wheat based dough yes..just as you would make with 'normal' yeast..only difference to baking with sourdough is that it takes longer and you are not in hurry to deal with the dough/loaves..it will wait until you are ready.. ;)
(I make my rye bread different way so with that I don't do the normal 2 risings.)

[cambourne7]

Yesterday i was given some Herman for a german friendship cake can i use some of this to make bread?

[antipodes]

Yesterday i was given some Herman for a german friendship cake can i use some of this to make bread?

My sourdough starter started life as a herman. It is sweet so watch out to not add more sugar to the dough! I fed my herman with more flour and milk and just a pinch of sugar and now it is great bread starter. You might want to feed it up with just flour and milk and after a few days use that as your starter.

I usually cheat and add a pinch of yeast (means that out of one pouch of yeast I make 4 batches instead of two!) and the starter for bread, but on Saturday I ran out of yeast! So I made hot cross buns with just the starter and they came out very well.

[irridium]

oh dearie me. confession time...

well, i tried to post a query about the recipe but no-one got back to me in time, so went along and proofed the dough about 3 times, but in the end it became rather dry so i added a sprinkle of water to it. it got baked to the highest temp. in a fan ass. oven for 30m or so. it came out sounding hollow and the slashes brown. but cutting inside of it (waited til it cooled down, of course) there were few air pockets and it was dense. taste wasn't nice. so it was chucked. that was last wed.

what happened to the remaining starter? saved 100ml or so. and fed that for 2 days till i went away for Easter (Fri - Sun) and by then it was too, too late. the starter had mould fur on top. i had killed it (hadn't i??)

i'm now on Starter Attempt No. 2 2012 using just white flour - Day 1....

i'm a lost cause, ain't i...??? ::)

[BarriedaleNick]

Nah - keep going - Starting from scratch can be hard (I cheated and bought a started in powder form!) but once you get one going it can last you for a lifetime..

[cambourne7]

Yesterday i was given some Herman for a german friendship cake can i use some of this to make bread?

My sourdough starter started life as a herman. It is sweet so watch out to not add more sugar to the dough! I fed my herman with more flour and milk and just a pinch of sugar and now it is great bread starter. You might want to feed it up with just flour and milk and after a few days use that as your starter.

I usually cheat and add a pinch of yeast (means that out of one pouch of yeast I make 4 batches instead of two!) and the starter for bread, but on Saturday I ran out of yeast! So I made hot cross buns with just the starter and they came out very well.

Ok I think then what I will do is when I get to day 10 to split this I will use 1/4 x 2 for cakes and then create 2 starters one for bread and of we like the cake one for sweet things I was told it made nice donuts :) thanks for the tips xx any good bread recipies??

[irridium]

was so busy last week preparing myself for going away that i forgot to ask the cat-sitter to feed my 'other pet'!!! what a ditz i am! am the original poster to this thread and so far everyone else have succeeded in their first bakes and mine, well... i died with the first of many bodged-up beginnings... ::) ::) sorry to have let you down goodlife... really, did have good intentions.. am home now for the next couple of weeks with no intended out of town visits.. promise will be a good girl from now! ;D

[goodlife]

Ah..it happens all of us.. ;) I've started from scratch several times now... :-X
But now that I've got active starter again..I can share some of it with you.

[SueK]

Yesterday i was given some Herman for a german friendship cake can i use some of this to make bread?

Hi Cambourne, I'm in just the same situation and hoping to make my starter work a bit harder for me rather than give it away!  :)

Today is the first go at going "non-cake". Right now I'm making some English muffins - I'll let you know how I get on later, but the original recipe is at http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/3241/sourdough-english-muffins.

Can I also ask everyone whether they have combined a sourdough starter with a (sharp intake of breath anticipated) breadmaker recipe????

[antipodes]

Can I also ask everyone whether they have combined a sourdough starter with a (sharp intake of breath anticipated) breadmaker recipe????

I have had good results in the bread machine, but what I usually do is first combine the starter with the liquid, at room temperature. Give it about an hour in the liquid till it starts to get all cloudy. Then pop on the dry stuff and start the cycle. Then I find that it "takes" better with the dough. To be honest it doesn't really get long enough to rise in the bread machine. Try a longer cycle, like for wholewheat bread.
You might need to adjust the flour to liquid ratio (because the starter tends to have moisture in it)- have a look at the dough once it is well mixed, it should be springy and should form a nice coherent ball. If it's not coming together properly (sticking to sides) sprinkle on a wee bit of flour until it comes together. If it's not a nice smooth ball, but is kind of dry, you might need to put on a few drops of water.

[goodlife]

Code: [Select]

Can I also ask everyone whether they have combined a sourdough starter with a (sharp intake of breath anticipated) breadmaker recipe?Yes I have..but I use white sourdough base for machine, it seem to be little bit faster..rye starter is too slow and heavy for breadmachine to cope with.
I use cupfull of starter..adding little warm water and rest of the incredients as by the usual 'recipe'..the flour I have to quess and adjust as the dough is been kneeded...oh..and I use half amount less of dry yeast than I would normally.
They starter is not fast enough to raise the whole loaf..but it is enough in addition for smaller amount of yeast.

I 'treat' starter in breadmachine more of as 'flavouring incredient' rather than 'raising agent'.. ;)

[artichoke]

I am on my 4th or 5th batch of excellent bread, well risen, aerated, chewy, tasty, even the little ones eat it (1, 5 and 6). Can hardly remember what else I have written on here, sorry if I am repeating myself, but I have a batch of dough rising at the moment ready for big family "Go Ape" forest picnic tomorrow (about 22 people? Given up counting) and mean to make pitta breads in the morning by rolling out lumps on a floury board until they are very thin, then putting them into a hot oven to puff up and then sink down into pockets that can be filled with all sorts of stuff I am providing (grated cheese, egg mayonnaise, bits of cooked chicken, salads, hummus, sliced cucumber and tomatoes, cream cheese mixed with herbs, fried bacon etc etc etc).

Wish me luck. I have done some small trials that worked but this is the big one.

Gluten free bread: the baker next door has been kind enough to give me a list of ingredients but assistant did not know the proportions or method, but I think we can work it out, and they are ordering me potato flour (the one flour I have not yet got). Daughter still loves the bought loaves (£3!) and is very keen to take recipe and ingredients back to Germany on Saturday.

Apparently buckwheat flour here is better - more gluten free - than in Germany......

[cambourne7]

oh crumpets might work as well  ;D

good luck with the big bake :)

[jesssands]

Just made my 1st loaf without yeast. its been proving for about 3 hours in the kitchen. i was wondering if i should knock it back now and cook it late tonight or leave it til tomo afternoon (after work) and then knock it back and cook then.. looks about twice the size at the mo.