sourdough starter - lots of questions!

[aubergenie]

I've lovingly made a sourdough starter this week and am making my first loaf today.

I've got loads of the starter left over and am not sure how to store it. Presumably it'll be fine in the fridge? Do I need to do anything to bring it back to life before I make my next loaf later in the week? Can I freeze it and if so will I need to amend my recipe (I think you have to increase the amount of fresh yeast in a recipe if it's been frozen, don't know if the same applies here?

Also, can make the dough, or even the whole loaf in the breadmaker? I'm relishing the whole process today as I'm on holiday but it'll be less appealing once I'm back at work.

I only keep the scrapings from the bowl as my next starter - I find I don't need loads. In ye olden dayes, they didn't wash the mixing crock, and that was your starter, encrusted on the sides.

I put it in a cup with a teaspoon of flour and a dash of water, mix it, cover and leave at room temp, then add another tsp flour & water each day (if I remember, it doesn't matter if I miss a day).

Then I make another loaf later in the week - we eat about 2 loaves a week.

If I'm going away for a week I put it in the fridge, it goes sort of dormant, and needs a couple of days of flour etc to revive.

Have never tried freezing it.

I don't have a breadmaker so have never tried that, but ime, wild yeasts take longer to rise than tame yeasts.

How was your loaf?

I did like MMB but not too successful.
Bit of a brick was the result.

I use the NYT no-knead method leaving it overnight then cooking it.

Works beautifully every time. Only when I use rye does it go Barratt-like.

Thanks for replying. The no-knead method sounds like it could be the one for me. I've just googled it and will try it next time. How much of the starter do you use, as the recipe specifies yeast.

Meltedmarsbars - It turned out OK. It tastes good but is a bit flatter than I was expecting. Stupidly I slavishly followed the recipe and chucked all the water in at once without checking the consistency and it was a bit too wet. I'll try again later in the week and use my own judgement on the liquid.

Husband bakes a couple of these a week. He insists it's no effort. Just shoves things into the mixer then into the oven.

We keep the culture in the fridge as it goes CRAZY if left outside in anything warmer than fridge temperature!!

His method:
Mix 500 g of flour (wholemeal or plain) and water with the sourdough culture. Cover with a tea towel and keep at a warm place for 12 h (ie overnight).
Take off 3?5 table spoons and put in a jar with lid. Keep in the fridge as starter culture for the next bread.
Add 15 g of salt and the remaining 500 g of flour.
Knead thoroughly ? (ie blast in mixer for Kenwood mixer for 5 min).
Again, cover the dough with a towel and let it rest for 1 to 2 h. Bake it for 45 min at 180 oC (in a fan oven).

oops! that's not very MN! should've said DH, obviously!

picc. Thanks for the recipe. I'm definitely going to give it a try.

Picc - your starter sounds very different to mine.
I make my bread totally differently:

3 cups flour (white or mix of white, wholemeal, rye, etc)

1 tsp salt

Starter (about quarter cupful) mixed with one cup water.

Extra water dependent on wetness of mix.Mix all of above in large bowl. Cover with clingfilm/plastic bag. Leave room temp overnight.
Tip onto floured surface, spread out lightly to large dinner-plate size, then fold sides in then ends then turn over and put into PREHEATED floured pan with lid.
Cook in hot oven 45 mins, take lid off for 5 mins, then if it is cooked, turn out to cool.

wow! yes. very different!

maybe also because the quanities are different? DH makes a kilo loaf each time!

could also be because he's german, and likes quite a moist, dense loaf. is yours more like french baguettes? (ie lighter?)

i may try that method the next time he's away and see if i get a different result....

Mine is like a holey round rustic crusty loaf, except when I do rye, then it is a brick (dh is Czech so likes rye and carraway bread)

The technique of cooking in a pan with a lid is like making a miniature steam oven - the bread cooks in its own steam, iyswim?

ah! didn't notice that bit about the lid!

that's really interesting. really think i should try it, because DH does like to put a glass of water in the oven with his loaves anyway. that's just a much more effective way of doing it.

(and yes.. same here... if DH had his way, all loaves would be brick-like rye loaves, but luckily he takes pity on me and alternates between rye/wholemeal/white....)

Aubergenie, mydad swaers by this breadmaker sourdough method. It is time but not labour intensive so I don't know if it would work for you.

Put on long dough cycle & leave to rest for several hours. Put on dough cycle again as you go to bed. Put on just bake cycle when you wake - no kneading. Light & airy sourdough

I have about 4 cups of fairly liquid starter in the fridge. I take half to bake a loaf with every weekend, and stir about a cup of flour and a cup of water back into the starter bowl. I leave the freshened starter on the counter to bubble a bit maybe the length of an afternoon and then back in the fridge it goes for use the following weekend.

Meanwhile the 2 cups of starter that were taken out get warm water and plenty of flour and a spoonful of salt stirred in until I have a dough stiff enough to knead. I let it rise twice: first time in the bowl, and then second time as shaped loaves that are on a smooth board sprinkled with oats; the oats allow me to slide the risen loaves from board to hot baking stone without puncturing the loaf.

I have never frozen sourdough starter, but successfully dried and then rehydrated/revived it a few months later.

Interesting... So many different methods. I think I'm going to have to start experimenting.

Meltedmarsbars - when you say "pan", does it have to be metal or do you think I could use a ceramic pan or pyrex dish with a lid instead?

You can use cast iron (like le creuset) or steel/metal. I use both, have never tried a pyrex but there should not be any problem as long as the lid fits well (no steam escaping).

Heat the pan up well, get the dough ready, take the pan out of the oven, scatter the bottom with flour (to stop bread sticking) place dough carefully inside, put lid on and return to oven.

i keep my starter in the fridge and make the whole thing up with flour and water for dough, then put some back in fridge again. once a week or so.

i vary breads and flour made according to season and how i feel - atm the starter and the bread is rye, i don't mind the brickiness but it is really difficult to handle the dough.

i think the longer one does it the more wild yeast abounds in the kitchen. my yeasted breads do go bonkers.

I've just made a FANTASTIC loaf following meltedmarsbars method. So easy. I ended up leaving it to rise for almost 24 hours as we ended up going out unexpectedly and I was worried that this could be a problem but it was fine.
I cooked it in a ceramic casserole dish with a lid. I used all white flour this time but I think I'll start experimenting with a mixture of flours.

I'm glad it worked but I can't take the credit - its not my method!

Its the New York Times you knead to thank - google NYT no-knead method.

I keep mine in the fridge and feed it with a tablespoon of water and flour every week or so if Im not baking.
its important to let it breathe, I have a small glas storage container, where I peeled off the silicone ring.