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π How I feed my starter less and bake when I want to
Reduced Starter Feedings and High-Fiber Pan Loaves |
This month and last have been a whirlwind of testing new recipes for The Perfect Loaf (more whole grains coming!), refining my panettone technique, baking a batch or two of my sourdough bagels, and testing sourdough feeding schedules with the Sourdough Home. On these hot days, the mouth of my oven may feel more like a portal to Hades π₯ than a conduit to delicious bread, but honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. The good news is that I finally have my guide to using the Sourdough Home posted, which has been a game changer for me. Not only can I keep my starter at precisely the right temperature, I can use it to reduce its feedings and still have it ready to go when I want it. β Let's look at the guide, the bread I've used for the toast I've been cranking out in my kitchen, and a problem one reader faced (with my solution). π Guide: How I Use the Sourdough Home To Feed My Starter LessWhat if I could feed my starter less but still have it ready to use to make superb bread without having to ramp it back up to full strength before using it? My guide delves into using the cool (not cold) temps of the Sourdough Home to keep it on a 2, 3, and 5-day feeding schedule. Additionally, I give the exact day-to-day five-day feeding schedule I've been testing with hereβand the bread has been astonishing (see the photos in the post!).
β π Recipe: High-Fiber Sourdough BreadOne of my favorite pan loaf recipes of late is my high-fiber seeded sourdough bread. It's healthy bread for people that don't like healthy bread. It's light and airy thanks to the tangzhong technique, and it has incredible flavor thanks to these rockstar additions:
BUT! The key with this bread is it doesn't lean healthy. Its light texture and delicate flavor make it a loaf perfect for school lunches, toast, and grilled cheese (and that's exactly how I've been using it here!).
π¬ Member Discussion of the WeekQ: "I'm new to sourdough but not bread baking. Been at it for a few months or so with fair to poor results. Consistently, my bread doesn't rise when baking. I have altered hydration, dough strengthening, time, etc. In the end, I just get a flat pancake." A: To me, it sounded like this baker overproofed their dough. I advised them to try cutting their bulk fermentation time or proof period to help rein in that fermentation in the dough. In some cases, a flat loaf can also result from over-hydration, which reduces dough strength and can result in a weak rise in the oven. β If you enjoyed this week's newsletter, you'd love our community of sourdough bakers answering questions just like this. The annual membership ($50) gets you access to our private chat and forum, recipe archives, recorded and live sessions, and all my baking tools.
π What I'm Reading and Watching
β Until next week, stay cool & happy baking. Maurizio Leo P.S. If you received my last email and were intrigued by my panettone struggles, see here for my panettone progress. Improvements all around π |
The Perfect Loaf π
Want to make bakery-quality sourdough bread from home? Subscribe for the best sourdough guides and recipes to take your bread from ordinary to incredible.
Sourdough discard recipe roundup! This week, I was at it again, baking a few larger loaves in the kitchen. But gosh, the heat was unbearable; But! It meant my doughs were incredibly active, bubbly, and dare I say, nearly runaways on me. Honestly, I prefer baking in the summer heat to the cold of winter. It keeps you on your toes, and if you can keep your dough in check, you'll end up with a super voluminous loaf that has a fantastic texture. It's almost like the microbes in our starter know...
What's on the menu for July 4th? We've had some reprieve from the intense heat here lately, thankfully. But that doesn't mean it doesn't still trip me up here in the kitchen: an overripe starter, a dough teetering on the edge of overproofing... All common occurrences here as I juggle with the heat. I don't usually slow down my baking here, though. I keep at it throughout the year, but my preferences usually shift away from large loaves, like a big beer miche, to smaller, more delicate breads....
Summertime bagels, pizza, and more crackers! One of the things I love most about sourdough baking is its versatility. Not only do we get incredible flavor from the natural fermentation process in large, thick loaves, but it's also possible to apply that to other goodies, such as tortillas, bagels, and many more. Over the years, I've been sneaking my starter into so many things, from pie crusts to banana bread, to, well, everything for breakfast π This week, I returned to one of my favorites:...