Author Topic: The sourdough thread  (Read 145035 times)

turketron

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #300 on: April 11, 2020, 05:58:24 PM »
Also, I'm still running on the 50 lb bag I bought at Costco in Dec, luckily.  I'd never be able to buy flour now.

How do you store a 50lb bag? I've been buying just 5lb bags, but have been thinking of getting a larger amount next time I need some, but I'm not sure what would be the best way to store such a large amount. I definitely don't have room in my kitchen but I suppose my basement would work, it's certainly cool and dry down there, just not sure what to store it in.

chaskavitch

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #301 on: April 11, 2020, 08:13:43 PM »
Also, I'm still running on the 50 lb bag I bought at Costco in Dec, luckily.  I'd never be able to buy flour now.

How do you store a 50lb bag? I've been buying just 5lb bags, but have been thinking of getting a larger amount next time I need some, but I'm not sure what would be the best way to store such a large amount. I definitely don't have room in my kitchen but I suppose my basement would work, it's certainly cool and dry down there, just not sure what to store it in.

I think it was 50 lbs, it may have only been 25, but it was the biggest one they had.  We got a big 5 gallon food-grade bucket from Lowes or Home Depot, then got a spinning lid for it.  You only have to bang the lid on once, and then the center spins on and off like a regular (enormous) jar lid.  The bag of flour fits almost perfectly!  We have one of rice, too, and a spare for once I find oats in bulk.

Linea_Norway

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #302 on: April 12, 2020, 04:28:46 AM »
Also, I'm still running on the 50 lb bag I bought at Costco in Dec, luckily.  I'd never be able to buy flour now.

How do you store a 50lb bag? I've been buying just 5lb bags, but have been thinking of getting a larger amount next time I need some, but I'm not sure what would be the best way to store such a large amount. I definitely don't have room in my kitchen but I suppose my basement would work, it's certainly cool and dry down there, just not sure what to store it in.

We sometimes buy 25 kilogram bags of barley for brewing. We store that in waterproof canoe tanks.

Linea_Norway

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #303 on: April 12, 2020, 04:37:02 AM »
Two days ago I used my starter to make a pizza dough from only white flour. That was really easy. It was the best sourdough i managed to make so far. Exactly the right consistancy and very fluffy.
My breads are never like that, because I use so much wholegrain. But now I am trying a bread with 80% white flower, but with some extra wheat fibers added. I hope it will turn out like the pizza dough.

By the way, yesterday I made a traditional Dutch Easter bread, which is a sweet bread, so I used normal fresh yeast. I figured sourdough might not taste so well because of the sourness. But maybe all the sourdough baking has improved some of my bread baking skills. DH thought the bread was of selling quality. I have at least learned to be very patient when poofing the dough. I never used to be that patient.

jeromedawg

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #304 on: April 12, 2020, 02:04:41 PM »
What I may have to resort to is grinding my own flour up - I have a Blendtec and didn't even think of it until today for some reason. There are a couple vids out there of people demonstrating using a Blendtec and Vitamix to ground and mill wheat berries and it looks like it turns out very nicely actually (the Vitamix has the edge but the Blendtec seems like it works just fine).

Anyone here mill their own flour or blend it even? The one thing I'm curious about is getting it to be more fine for use as all-purpose/bread flour - I'm guessing that right out of the blender, it probably results in a pretty dense bread. But I'd imagine the starter you can make out of it would be pretty great still.

EDIT: ughh, even wheat berries are pretty expensive :(
« Last Edit: April 12, 2020, 03:19:33 PM by jeromedawg »

geekette

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #305 on: April 12, 2020, 03:31:01 PM »
I think I'm on day 5 here.  Hard to tell any more...  Mine's bubbly, but not expanding much, if at all.  Twice a day feedings, hoping for the best.


birdie55

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #306 on: April 12, 2020, 04:03:03 PM »

Anyone here mill their own flour or blend it even? The one thing I'm curious about is getting it to be more fine for use as all-purpose/bread flour - I'm guessing that right out of the blender, it probably results in a pretty dense bread. But I'd imagine the starter you can make out of it would be pretty great still.

I grind various grain in my Vitamix, but my it came with a wet and a dry pitcher.  The blade is different in them.  I grind rice, rye berries, oats and wheat berries.  I don't do large volumes at any time, but it works fine. 

Dogastrophe

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #307 on: April 12, 2020, 04:21:51 PM »
Decided to skip sourdough this week and tried bagels. Taste was good but they ballooned up like softballs. Have a couple of things to try for next time.

jeromedawg

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #308 on: April 12, 2020, 07:48:32 PM »
Decided to skip sourdough this week and tried bagels. Taste was good but they ballooned up like softballs. Have a couple of things to try for next time.

Whoa, nice! Did they balloon up like that during the boiling process?

Linea_Norway

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #309 on: April 13, 2020, 12:32:22 AM »
What I may have to resort to is grinding my own flour up - I have a Blendtec and didn't even think of it until today for some reason. There are a couple vids out there of people demonstrating using a Blendtec and Vitamix to ground and mill wheat berries and it looks like it turns out very nicely actually (the Vitamix has the edge but the Blendtec seems like it works just fine).

Anyone here mill their own flour or blend it even? The one thing I'm curious about is getting it to be more fine for use as all-purpose/bread flour - I'm guessing that right out of the blender, it probably results in a pretty dense bread. But I'd imagine the starter you can make out of it would be pretty great still.

EDIT: ughh, even wheat berries are pretty expensive :(

We have a barley mill called The Valley Mill. It can be connected to an electric drill. I guess we could use it for wheat as well. So long I haven't done that. I do blend my own flour, for each bread.

Linea_Norway

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #310 on: April 13, 2020, 12:38:09 AM »
This is my last sourdough bread, this time with about 80% white flour, but with extra fibers added. The structure is my best result so far.

LightTripper

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #311 on: April 13, 2020, 05:00:46 AM »
This is my last sourdough bread, this time with about 80% white flour, but with extra fibers added. The structure is my best result so far.
That does look great, I think!!

Dogastrophe

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #312 on: April 13, 2020, 05:52:23 AM »
Decided to skip sourdough this week and tried bagels. Taste was good but they ballooned up like softballs. Have a couple of things to try for next time.

Whoa, nice! Did they balloon up like that during the boiling process?

The expanded a bit during boiling but this was mainly from the oven.

jeromedawg

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #313 on: April 13, 2020, 09:44:57 AM »
BTW: is there any issue using *bleached* flour for the dough mixture (not the starter) on sourdough? There's a chance I may be able to get flour but it seems like it may only be bleached.

Poundwise

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #314 on: April 13, 2020, 09:48:40 AM »
I have been using only bleached flour (because unbleached not available) and the results have been fine.

jeromedawg

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #315 on: April 13, 2020, 10:35:50 AM »
I have been using only bleached flour (because unbleached not available) and the results have been fine.

Thanks! Are you mixing it with wheat and other flours? I'm guessing mixing it probably helps a ton, which is probably what I'll be doing anyway.

Linea_Norway

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #316 on: April 13, 2020, 10:43:06 AM »
DH just read somewhere that mixing C vitamin can cause the yeasting bubbles to stay better inside the bread. Worth a try for those who only get bubbles on the top of the bread.

erutio

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #317 on: April 13, 2020, 01:00:50 PM »
Still haven't had a chance to get a starter going since I have not been able to find any whole wheat flour (no flour anywhere in fact) in my 4 trips to the grocery store in the past month. 
I did have AP flour on hand already though.  Can a starter be made from AP?

geekette

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #318 on: April 13, 2020, 01:32:31 PM »
I started mine with white flour.  Day 6 and it's bubbling and such. Still not much rise, but it's early yet.

Dogastrophe

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #319 on: April 13, 2020, 01:42:30 PM »
Still haven't had a chance to get a starter going since I have not been able to find any whole wheat flour (no flour anywhere in fact) in my 4 trips to the grocery store in the past month. 
I did have AP flour on hand already though.  Can a starter be made from AP?


My starter was made with AP (Canadian - ~13% protein).

jeromedawg

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #320 on: April 14, 2020, 12:14:17 AM »
Prepped another ball tonight... (the picture below is of the first fold prior to bench rest after bulk fermenting btw - I folded it another time and got it slightly tighter before getting it into the bowl... I really need to grab a couple bannetons and a bread whisk). It's currently resting in the fridge anxiously awaiting to be transferred into a piping hot dutch oven tomorrow AM

jeromedawg

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #321 on: April 14, 2020, 10:01:17 AM »
Baked this AM - didn't quite turn out the way I was hoping for. Definitely not as good of a crumb but that's because I went lower on the temp compared (450F for 30min then dropped to 400F w/o lid) to last time:




So next time I'll probably raise the temp a bit more - the first time I had it blazing hot (475F for 30min then dropped to 450F w/o cover) and it was a bit too much crumb. I also let the dutch oven preheat longer last time. So the next loaf I do I'll probably do like 460-465F and let it preheat longer, then drop to 425-430F w/o cover for the remainder. The inside is very good but a bit more on the soft chewy side, which I actually don't mind much. Could also be due to the flour I'm using (used a mixture of stone-ground whole wheat, KAF Bread flour and standard all purpose bleached flour).

LightTripper

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #322 on: April 14, 2020, 10:29:48 AM »
Ahh, pictures won't load for me for some reason! Hopefully later.

Did my first loaf since my sister managed to find me some bread flour (woo hoo!!)

Seemed to go quite well (probably as I am running out of wholemeal so this is 80pc white). But haven't looked inside yet!

geekette

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #323 on: April 14, 2020, 05:04:09 PM »
I'm getting frustrated by my starter.  It keeps bubbling, and turning from thick (when I add flour) to thinner (after 12 hours), but there's virtually no rise.  6 days and a couple pounds of flour in.  It smells yeasty, but that's it.

Another day or two and I may end up pitching it.  There are shops around here selling bread, I just wanted to make my own. 

I did use yeast to make a nice loaf of white bread yesterday, but I really love sourdough...

jeninco

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #324 on: April 14, 2020, 07:58:20 PM »
I'm getting frustrated by my starter.  It keeps bubbling, and turning from thick (when I add flour) to thinner (after 12 hours), but there's virtually no rise.  6 days and a couple pounds of flour in.  It smells yeasty, but that's it.

Another day or two and I may end up pitching it.  There are shops around here selling bread, I just wanted to make my own. 

I did use yeast to make a nice loaf of white bread yesterday, but I really love sourdough...

(looks around furtively...)

I have a ... I guess it's a "levain" in the sense that it once was a hunk of dough from a regular loaf of bread. I've been using it as leavening and re-feeding it twice a week or so, and it tastes lovely and sour, but it isn't really enough to get half whole-grain loaves to rise. I just finished a batch of bread where I added 1/2 tsp - 1 tsp of yeast (for two loaves of bread) at the stage where I pulled out the starter to put away and when I mixed in more flour, water, and salt. The resulting loaves tasted wonderful, and were a bit puffier then I'd been getting using the starter alone. I think it's a pretty successful strategy, and one I'm going to continue using.

Now, if I'd just looked up the (*& altitude adjustment for interior loaf temperature... (it's 5 - 10 degrees F if you're at 5000 ft and up. NB.) My next loaf will be a bit less dark, because I won't be waiting for it to get past 201 degrees F on the inside!

LightTripper

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #325 on: April 15, 2020, 12:12:30 AM »
I'm getting frustrated by my starter.  It keeps bubbling, and turning from thick (when I add flour) to thinner (after 12 hours), but there's virtually no rise.  6 days and a couple pounds of flour in.  It smells yeasty, but that's it.

Another day or two and I may end up pitching it.  There are shops around here selling bread, I just wanted to make my own. 

I did use yeast to make a nice loaf of white bread yesterday, but I really love sourdough...
I would try doing a float test when it's bubbly, and if it passes I'd just use it. In fact, even of it fails the float test, if it's bubbly I'd still just give it a try. Mine doesn't visibly rise that much but still makes a nice looking and tasting loaf.

GuitarStv

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #326 on: April 15, 2020, 05:38:02 AM »
Yeah, if it's bubbling away you're probably good to go.

JLee

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #327 on: April 15, 2020, 12:44:48 PM »
my god the English muffins are good....

turketron

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #328 on: April 16, 2020, 07:39:21 AM »
I've been experimenting with how to get my starter more sour/tangy, so I've been leaving it out at room temperature and feeding it every 2-3 days rather than daily. From what I can tell just by smell the starter seems more sour, but I haven't actually made any bread with it since trying this so I won't know for another few days. However, each time I feed it I've been keeping the discard in a jar in the fridge, which has been acquiring a layer of real dark liquid (it's almost a dark gray color, and way more liquid than the tiny layer I sometimes get on the starter itself, but the internet tells me it's fine) on top that I've been stirring back in. And let me tell you, that shit has some tang.

Last night I made these sourdough crackers using the discard with some herbes de provence and they're like the best, tangiest version of Wheat Thins I've ever had.
« Last Edit: April 16, 2020, 07:41:03 AM by turketron »

Dogastrophe

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #329 on: April 16, 2020, 08:20:40 AM »
I've been experimenting with how to get my starter more sour/tangy, so I've been leaving it out at room temperature and feeding it every 2-3 days rather than daily. From what I can tell just by smell the starter seems more sour, but I haven't actually made any bread with it since trying this so I won't know for another few days. However, each time I feed it I've been keeping the discard in a jar in the fridge, which has been acquiring a layer of real dark liquid (it's almost a dark gray color, and way more liquid than the tiny layer I sometimes get on the starter itself, but the internet tells me it's fine) on top that I've been stirring back in. And let me tell you, that shit has some tang.

Last night I made these sourdough crackers using the discard with some herbes de provence and they're like the best, tangiest version of Wheat Thins I've ever had.

The liquid is hooch, which is a naturally occurring alcohol produced when the yeast runs out of food. 

turketron

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #330 on: April 16, 2020, 08:27:11 AM »
The liquid is hooch, which is a naturally occurring alcohol produced when the yeast runs out of food.

Yep, I was just surprised how much darker it was on the discard vs. the liquid that's accumulated occasionally on the starter itself.

geekette

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #331 on: April 16, 2020, 09:14:48 AM »
I've been experimenting with how to get my starter more sour/tangy, so I've been leaving it out at room temperature and feeding it every 2-3 days rather than daily. From what I can tell just by smell the starter seems more sour, but I haven't actually made any bread with it since trying this so I won't know for another few days.
Maybe I've been feeding mine too much then.  Tonight I'll split it and test that theory (although this morning it had a slightly sour yeasty smell, so maybe it's just taking for-ev-er in my house.  I have some discard in the fridge that just has lots of tiny bubbles on the top.

GuitarStv

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #332 on: April 16, 2020, 09:39:15 AM »
I've been experimenting with how to get my starter more sour/tangy, so I've been leaving it out at room temperature and feeding it every 2-3 days rather than daily. From what I can tell just by smell the starter seems more sour, but I haven't actually made any bread with it since trying this so I won't know for another few days.
Maybe I've been feeding mine too much then.  Tonight I'll split it and test that theory (although this morning it had a slightly sour yeasty smell, so maybe it's just taking for-ev-er in my house.  I have some discard in the fridge that just has lots of tiny bubbles on the top.

Sourdough starter is a mix of yeast and bacteria.  As long as the yeast is out-competing the bacteria, your bread will rise and your starter won't spoil.  Regular feedings will keep the yeast portion very healthy and vigorous.  The tangyness you get is the flavour of the bacteria that's growing (usually Lactobacillae - not sure if I spelled that one right).  You have to be careful if you're trying to make your starter more tangy by reducing feedings . . . because my experience is that two problems can happen:

- sometimes you go for too long and the starter will go off and pick up a really gross flavour and even get weird colours of moldy stuff growing on top - which means it's time to start over
- sometimes it gets very tangy flavoured, but won't rise well any more because the yeast is not as healthy as the bacteria

turketron

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #333 on: April 16, 2020, 10:00:35 AM »
- sometimes it gets very tangy flavoured, but won't rise well any more because the yeast is not as healthy as the bacteria

Yeah, that's my biggest concern since I haven't used it to bake actual bread with since starting this experiment. I think I'll give it an extra round of more regular feeding ahead of baking my next loaf to ensure it's good and active, although doing so might negate the efforts to make it tangier. We'll see!

LightTripper

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #334 on: April 16, 2020, 10:45:09 AM »
I think things like proving the dough more slowly at lower temperature (in the fridge) are also supposed to make the bread more sour/tangy, and probably safer than trying to rebalance your starter?

turketron

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #335 on: April 16, 2020, 02:20:46 PM »
I think things like proving the dough more slowly at lower temperature (in the fridge) are also supposed to make the bread more sour/tangy, and probably safer than trying to rebalance your starter?

Yeah, I've done overnight an proof in the fridge but it wasn't too tangy, so maybe I'll try multiple nights in the fridge and see if that makes a difference as well, as that seems like the "safer" option.

jeromedawg

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #336 on: April 16, 2020, 05:49:17 PM »
Do you guys think it's insane to purchase 25lb bags of hard red winter berries and 25lbs of hard white berries? I've been entertaining the idea of planting a wheat garden (lol) for wheatgrass and obviously more wheat (just for fun/experimentation more than trying to harvest it). But now that I've jumped into this, I've nearly become obsessed with wheat, flour and bread (especially sourdough). This is quickly turning into a dangerous hobby during quarantine. Part of the rationale behind buying such bulk quantities of this stuff though is that it can last a realllly long time to indefinitely as long as it's stored properly. I honestly and seriously envision myself baking bread on a weekly basis and no longer purchasing store-bought bread at this point though.

Currently I have a Blendtec 525 which I would mill the berries into flour with, and though probably not ideal, seems like it would work until I "invest" in a dedicated mill or better equipment. I ended up purchasing a banneton set (includes two bannetons, bread whisk, scraper, razor, linens) off Aliexpress so excited about that.
« Last Edit: April 17, 2020, 12:15:41 AM by jeromedawg »

erutio

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #337 on: April 16, 2020, 08:56:26 PM »
Do you guys think it's insane to purchase 25lb bags of hard red winter berries and and hard white berries? I've been entertaining the idea of planting a wheat garden (lol) for wheatgrass and obviously more wheat (just for fun/experimentation more than trying to harvest it). But now that I've jumped into this, I've nearly become obsessed with wheat, flour and bread (especially sourdough). This is quickly turning into a dangerous hobby during quarantine. Part of the rationale behind buying such bulk quantities of this stuff though is that it can last a realllly long time to indefinitely as long as it's stored properly. I honestly and seriously envision myself baking bread on a weekly basis and no longer purchasing store-bought bread at this point though.

Currently I have a Blendtec 525 which I would mill the berries into flour with, and though probably not ideal, seems like it would work until I "invest" in a dedicated mill or better equipment. I ended up purchasing a banneton set (includes two bannetons, bread whisk, scraper, razor, linens) off Aliexpress so excited about that.
I say go for it.  Seems like a beneficial and not-expensive hobby, as well as soul (and stomach) filling.

geekette

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #338 on: April 17, 2020, 08:39:42 AM »
I didn’t do a second feeding of my week plus aged starter, and it finally rose! 

When do you do this float test? 

LightTripper

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #339 on: April 17, 2020, 09:07:52 AM »
Just before you're ready to bake. I count hovering in the water and then sinking as floating (and have also made loaves with starters that didn't float at all, as long as they were bubbling, and they still turned into bread!)

robartsd

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #340 on: April 17, 2020, 11:52:51 AM »
Also, I'm still running on the 50 lb bag I bought at Costco in Dec, luckily.  I'd never be able to buy flour now.

How do you store a 50lb bag? I've been buying just 5lb bags, but have been thinking of getting a larger amount next time I need some, but I'm not sure what would be the best way to store such a large amount. I definitely don't have room in my kitchen but I suppose my basement would work, it's certainly cool and dry down there, just not sure what to store it in.

I think it was 50 lbs, it may have only been 25, but it was the biggest one they had.  We got a big 5 gallon food-grade bucket from Lowes or Home Depot, then got a spinning lid for it.  You only have to bang the lid on once, and then the center spins on and off like a regular (enormous) jar lid.  The bag of flour fits almost perfectly!  We have one of rice, too, and a spare for once I find oats in bulk.
The brand name for the spinning lid is Gamma Lid. The lids cost $7-8 each.

In my experience, a 5 gallon bucket holds about half of a 50 lb bag of flour. Last time we bought a bag that size, we filled a 5 gallon bucket, plus a few 1-2 gallon containers, then still had a bit of flour to use out of the bag. Some people seal their flour in plastic bags and place them in a chest freezer to keep it fresher - this is especially beneficial for whole grain flours. I prefer storing grain and using freshly ground flour made in my Vitamix. Currently I'm using wheat that was canned in 1973 that I got from some friends who were moving out of state. Properly sealed wheat can store nearly indefinitely.

LightTripper

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #341 on: April 17, 2020, 03:10:30 PM »
I didn’t do a second feeding of my week plus aged starter, and it finally rose! 

When do you do this float test?
Actually, I just read more on this and it seems it's a bit simplistic. So I would say, if it seems bubbly, give it a go!

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/48981/float-test

geekette

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #342 on: April 17, 2020, 04:19:51 PM »
W00t!  Boy has it taken off since I fed it this noon!  The rubber band is where it started.  I wanna bake!

I see all sorts of recipes.  I need simple.  I need small...  I have a borrowed enameled cast iron dutch oven that I think is maaaaaybe 3.5 quarts on a good day.  I have parchment paper.  I have no other special equipment, not even a lame (is that pronounced lāme or lah may?). I do have a sharp knife.

Is there a small loaf recipe banging around here?
« Last Edit: April 17, 2020, 04:38:09 PM by geekette »

turketron

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #343 on: April 18, 2020, 09:37:31 AM »
W00t!  Boy has it taken off since I fed it this noon!  The rubber band is where it started.  I wanna bake!

I see all sorts of recipes.  I need simple.  I need small...  I have a borrowed enameled cast iron dutch oven that I think is maaaaaybe 3.5 quarts on a good day.  I have parchment paper.  I have no other special equipment, not even a lame (is that pronounced lāme or lah may?). I do have a sharp knife.

Is there a small loaf recipe banging around here?

Nice, it's looking great! Here's the recipe I've been using, it's pretty foolproof, and the video is helpful too. The amounts listed are for 2 loaves, but if you halve the measurements it's perfect for one loaf that fits well in my 4qt dutch oven.: https://www.ilovecooking.ie/features/sourdough-bread-masterclass-with-patrick-ryan/

I proof mine in a ~3quart mixing bowl (if you proof it overnight in the fridge use a bowl with a lid or cover it with plastic wrap) lined with a floured tea towel, but if you don't have a towel I've read that you can lightly oil the bowl with vegetable or olive oil.  A sharp knife works fine if you don't have a razor/lame.

jeromedawg

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #344 on: April 18, 2020, 12:29:13 PM »
W00t!  Boy has it taken off since I fed it this noon!  The rubber band is where it started.  I wanna bake!

I see all sorts of recipes.  I need simple.  I need small...  I have a borrowed enameled cast iron dutch oven that I think is maaaaaybe 3.5 quarts on a good day.  I have parchment paper.  I have no other special equipment, not even a lame (is that pronounced lāme or lah may?). I do have a sharp knife.

Is there a small loaf recipe banging around here?

Second post in this thread but it's for two loaves... that's the first recipe I tried :)
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/do-it-yourself-forum!/the-sourdough-thread/msg139660/#msg139660

Otherwise, I've been basing my recent attempts off this recipe (which is for one loaf), which seems pretty good too:
https://alexandracooks.com/2019/11/07/easy-whole-wheat-ish-sourdough-bread/

After a few times doing it with a single loaf, you'll probably want to do larger batches (at least two loaves) just to maximize on your time, since it is a drawn-out process. I currently have a couple rounds bench resting and getting ready for their final shaping. Hope these next ones turn out well. Can't wait till I get my banneton set.
« Last Edit: April 18, 2020, 12:31:06 PM by jeromedawg »

jeromedawg

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #345 on: April 18, 2020, 06:15:06 PM »
Just did a couple more loaves:


This one didn't come out so great - I was experimenting trying it in my Le Creuset Doufeu w/ water on top. I think the water likely lowered the temp too much resulting in a bread that didn't rise as nicely... definitely not going to add water again next time. That Trader Joes Everything Bagel topping is something else on the bread though:


This is the other loaf that I cooked 'as normal' in the round dutch oven - it came out much nicer all around:


I'm still having some trouble getting a better-rising loaf so have to work on that. But the loaves are improving overall. The other thing is that I increased the amount of stone ground wheat flour, which I think has resulted in a slightly more dense loaf which I've heard seem not to rise *as well* as when using a larger proportion of AP or bread flours.
« Last Edit: April 20, 2020, 06:37:22 PM by jeromedawg »

geekette

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #346 on: April 18, 2020, 07:53:35 PM »
Can't see pics @jeromedawg.

My first loaf is in the fridge for the first overnight rise, but with the discard, I made a variation of these crackers (all white flour, and subbing rosemary for the herbs de Provence), and they're great! 

They were also surprisingly easy.  I rolled chunks of dough as thin as I could one at a time on a silpat mat, then moved them to parchment to bake.  Will definitely do this again, probably with that TJ's everything but the bagel seasoning - good stuff!

« Last Edit: April 18, 2020, 08:07:24 PM by geekette »

geekette

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #347 on: April 20, 2020, 02:49:02 PM »
This may be the ugliest sourdough loaf I've ever seen, but it's tasty.  Mild sourdough taste, but for a first attempt, I'll take it.

The dough was too thin, and stuck to the towel, except where there were great gobs of flour.  Then in the parchment paper, it oozed into the folds.  I see mentions of rice flour, maybe that would help.  Or a banneton.  Or a heftier dough.  I'll work on that.

LightTripper

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #348 on: April 20, 2020, 04:02:50 PM »
Looks good! You got a nice rise.

jeromedawg

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Re: The sourdough thread
« Reply #349 on: April 20, 2020, 06:38:52 PM »
This may be the ugliest sourdough loaf I've ever seen, but it's tasty.  Mild sourdough taste, but for a first attempt, I'll take it.

The dough was too thin, and stuck to the towel, except where there were great gobs of flour.  Then in the parchment paper, it oozed into the folds.  I see mentions of rice flour, maybe that would help.  Or a banneton.  Or a heftier dough.  I'll work on that.

Looks pretty good to me! You really got your to rise a lot which is nice. I have the same issue with the parchement paper causing deformities. Not quite sure the best way to prevent that.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!