Question for Sourdough Bread Makers

[Chuckanut]

Can I bake my bread on an ordinary baking sheet? Or do I need a bread baking crock of Dutch oven with a lid?

 

[Trailwalker]

Can I bake my bread on an ordinary baking sheet? Or do I need a bread baking crock of Dutch oven with a lid?

There are no rules for how to bake your bread. Most people find a favorite. I use a pizza stone (that I owned already). I place a large pot over the loaf for the first 25 minutes of baking. No water added. I get a very nice hard crust (which is what I prefer).

 

[street]

Can I bake my bread on an ordinary baking sheet? Or do I need a bread baking crock of Dutch oven with a lid?

Oh I know that people bake on a flat tin. Like Trailwalker said, if you could cover that first 20 to 25 minutes is best to keep the moisture in for a good rise.

Here is one I did this morning.

 

[aja8888]

Oh I know that people bake on a flat tin. Like Trailwalker said, if you could cover that first 20 to 25 minutes is best to keep the moisture in for a good rise.

Here is one I did this morning.

Street, looks like you have this stuff down pat now! That looks great!

 

[audreyh1]

Wow, that’s a beautiful loaf!

 

[walkinwood]

I’m currently running two starter start-ups. One is my first starter that I keep feeding every day as instructed. The other is a new starter that I am also feeding every day. I did switch to a store bought whole wheat flour rather than my home ground einkorn flour. It occurred to me that the grinding process might be an issue?? I don’t know. Meanwhile I continue to bake my ordinary bread using commercial yeast. It still beats the heck out of store bought “artisanal” bread.

Interesting. I saw the later post that said Einkorn isn't good to get a starter going.



If you want to give your starter a good kick in the pants, feed it rye flour. Keep that in mind if your starter ever gets lazy again.

 

[Chuckanut]

My first loaf of sourdough bread using the King Arthur’s no knead recipe.
I think it overcooked somewhat. And while it tastes good it lacks that tang of sourdough.

Thankfully my starter now seems very healthy. As it matures I hope it gets tangier.

 

[street]

My first loaf of sourdough bread using the King Arthur’s no knead recipe.
I think it overcooked somewhat. And while it tastes good it lacks that tang of sourdough.

Thankfully my starter now seems very healthy. As it matures I hope it gets tangier.

Outstanding!!! You got the money shot with the cut slice and it look great!!! Thanks for sharing your experience.

Mine doesn't have thang taste either even after about 8 loafs. I do know my starter is getting stronger with age it seems to appear.

 

[Trailwalker]

My tang is mild--nothing like the East Bay's Colombo sourdough tang that I consumed regularly in the 80's. Some of that is going to depend upon your locale's yeast and bacteria. I judge my success by the rise (ears), holes in the crumb, crust and overall taste.

 

[audreyh1]

Do some commercial bakeries add ascorbic acid to have a strong tang?

 

[calmloki]

Dunno about ascorbic acid, the common tang enhancer, and what I use, seems to be vinegar. I use Bragg's cider vinegar with the mother. Tablespoon or more substituted for the water in your dough.

 

[walkinwood]

My first loaf of sourdough bread using the King Arthur’s no knead recipe.
I think it overcooked somewhat. And while it tastes good it lacks that tang of sourdough.

Thankfully my starter now seems very healthy. As it matures I hope it gets tangier.

Lovely loaf! I love the complex flavors of a dark (but not burnt) crust.


After shaping, did you proof & bake it right away? If you want more tang, you could try shaping it, placing it in a banneton (or well floured cloth lined bowl) and cold-proofing it in the refrigerator for 15-17 hours before baking. It will also be much easier to score too.


With all this unsolicited advice that I'm giving, I thought I should adds some proof of knowledge My sourdough loaves still miss sometimes - ie, they don't get that great oven spring.

 

[street]

Lovely loaf! I love the complex flavors of a dark (but not burnt) crust.


After shaping, did you proof & bake it right away? If you want more tang, you could try shaping it, placing it in a banneton (or well floured cloth lined bowl) and cold-proofing it in the refrigerator for 15-17 hours before baking. It will also be much easier to score too.


With all this unsolicited advice that I'm giving, I thought I should adds some proof of knowledge My sourdough loaves still miss sometimes - ie, they don't get that great oven spring.

WOW!!! That is picture perfect!!! I always enjoy the beauty of each loaf. They all have their unique features after the bake.

 

[Chuckanut]

Lovely loaf! I love the complex flavors of a dark (but not burnt) crust.


After shaping, did you proof & bake it right away? If you want more tang, you could try shaping it, placing it in a banneton (or well floured cloth lined bowl) and cold-proofing it in the refrigerator for 15-17 hours before baking. It will also be much easier to score too.


With all this unsolicited advice that I'm giving, I thought I should adds some proof of knowledge My sourdough loaves still miss sometimes - ie, they don't get that great oven spring.

I did raise the dough for aproximately 24 hours in the fridge. A slow rise is one of the “Baker’s Secrets” that we all know. I did not try to score it. In any case it has a very good and different taste from my non-sourdough loaves. I am happy with it.

 

[old medic]

Well my 1st attempt at baking a loaf in the oven seemed to turn out quite well if I do say so myself. Although I did add some yeast, yesterday's sourdough discard went into the mix.

 

[Kings over Queens]

Can I bake my bread on an ordinary baking sheet? Or do I need a bread baking crock of Dutch oven with a lid?

Yes.

I bake ciabatta and Italian type loafs on sheet pans or pizza stones.

Sour dough is almost always in a dutch oven or pot with a tight lid, but only almost always...not always always. sometimes I'll do them on the pizza stone and put ice on a sheet pan under it to get steam.

 

[Kings over Queens]

Oh I know that people bake on a flat tin. Like Trailwalker said, if you could cover that first 20 to 25 minutes is best to keep the moisture in for a good rise.

Here is one I did this morning.

Lookit you! very nice, very happy for you.

 

[Kings over Queens]

My first loaf of sourdough bread using the King Arthur’s no knead recipe.
I think it overcooked somewhat. And while it tastes good it lacks that tang of sourdough.

Thankfully my starter now seems very healthy. As it matures I hope it gets tangier.

doesn't look overcooked to me, the crust would be much darker/deeper. perhaps slightly under proofed, but looks like a great loaf and like I mentioned to someone earlier, is going to taste 100% better than any loaf you buy in the store.

I generally pull mine at 205 to 208 and let them carry, or let them get darker and ignore the internal temp and pull based on site.

 

[Kings over Queens]

Lovely loaf! I love the complex flavors of a dark (but not burnt) crust.


After shaping, did you proof & bake it right away? If you want more tang, you could try shaping it, placing it in a banneton (or well floured cloth lined bowl) and cold-proofing it in the refrigerator for 15-17 hours before baking. It will also be much easier to score too.


With all this unsolicited advice that I'm giving, I thought I should adds some proof of knowledge My sourdough loaves still miss sometimes - ie, they don't get that great oven spring.

Nice ears!

 

[Chuckanut]

Here's my 2nd loaf of sourdough. The starter seems to be doing fine and a quick taste test indicates more of the sourdough tang than loaf #1. I did not bake it as much since I like to toast the bread. If I bake it to a very brown crust, the toasting process produces a nearly burnt crust.

 

[Sunset]

Here's my 2nd loaf of sourdough. The starter seems to be doing fine and a quick taste test indicates more of the sourdough tang than loaf #1. I did not bake it as much since I like to toast the bread. If I bake it to a very brown crust, the toasting process produces a nearly burnt crust.

That looks really good !!

 

[walkinwood]

Here's my 2nd loaf of sourdough. The starter seems to be doing fine and a quick taste test indicates more of the sourdough tang than loaf #1. I did not bake it as much since I like to toast the bread. If I bake it to a very brown crust, the toasting process produces a nearly burnt crust.

Very nice crust & crumb!

 

[street]

Looks great Chuckanut!!!

I baked one this morning at 530 AM and the house smelled so good. I have found out that the whole process is forgiving in every step. I do believe my starter is getting stronger as the times goes on.

Thanks for sharing that picture.

 

[arbeadub]

Since I did not have good luck with making my own starter I used a packet of Red Star Platinum Sourdough Starter to make a batch of a french bread recipe from their website. I used a small portion of the batch to make a pizza and refrigerated the rest to make what ever [probably a loaf in a day or 2]. Here's a pic

 

[Trailwalker]

Taking the chill off of the house this morning.