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Bread

What has eating and drinking  got  to do with risk? Not much beyond the many  problems of bad diet... However, this isn't meant to be a healthy eating page, just a place to share some of my  favourite recipes for no good reason beyond being a foodie


My love of travel revolves around the people, places and cultures I encounter; with food and drink being central to them all.


These recipes are provided in good faith, illustrating my approach. Sourdough bread making is a mixture of art and science

Sour Dough

Starter


This starter is about 5 years old, It is due to be fed, but you can see where it was previously active and bubbling up the glass- a good sign.


Creating a starter like this  just requires a jar, some flour and a lot of patience in the early days, but it is worth perservering. The alternative is to ask a local artisan baker if you may buy some starter.


Opinions seem to be divided as to where the yeast spores originate, in the flour or in the air. My instinct says both, but mainly the air. This means no two starters will be identical and each is closely related to the location.


Day #1, add 50g flour and 50g water in to a clean jar, stir, cover with light cloth or even sit the jar lid on top but not closed. Leave it somewhere warm but not hot, a kitchen cupboard is ideal


Day #2, add 50g flour and 50g water, stir, cover and leave


Day #3, same as day#2.


Day #4, should now have 300g of water/flour. Pour away 100g and feed  with fresh 50g flour and 50g water.


Day #5- #7 same as day #4, except, you should be starting to see and smell activity... it will be frothy, thinner consistency and smell a little sour. If not, keep going (see also problems section) 


Once you have a healthy starter, instead of throwing out the 100g this is used for your bread (see bread recipes)


If wished, you can now split off some of the starter and freeze it (in case you want to stop/ restart or main batch dies). To re-use, just defrost slowly then feed- should be fine the next day.


More importatly, you can now put the lid on after feeding, put it in the fridge and reduce feeding to one a week (or even  less)

Starter problems


This picture is of an old, healthy starter that lives in the fridge and is fed on rye; they don't have to look really bubbly but typically will bubble up 30% when young and fed on wheat.


It won't get going. Patience/ perserverance may be enough. Alternatively try adding a different flour. I find organic wholemeal rye the most effective, white rye the next most effective


It separates. If it's just a small layer this means the yeasts ate all the flour; there might be a bit of an alcohol smell.  You can often stir it in, then feed it...but if unsure, or if there is a strong alcohol smell just pour off the layer, then stir the rest, pour out 100g and feed a little extra 


Black layer. Usually this is associated with a stronger sour smell. Not normally a big issue, just stir it in and feed it. 


Mold growth. Green/ red or excessive black molds are not good signs. Bin the starter and begin anew. This is one of the reasons for keeping a healthy starter in the freezer

Starter FAQ


Will it freeze? Yep


How thick should it be? The standard mix is equal weights flour and water. However, making it thicker lets it keep longer in the fridge but may cause it to separate more easily. Making it slightly thinner requires more feeding and may also result in a slighly more sour bread (mixed reports on this one)


What flour? Generally, use the same flour you plan to use for your bread. However, once its established you will find you can use a different flour in the starter to the loaf, it's only a small element so won't alter the colour or grain of the finished loaf very much unless you seek a pure white loaf.  I always use organic. I tend to use rye in the starter as it is more resilient,  my loaves tend to be mixed rye and wheat.


Can I seal the jar? In the first 7 days this will exclude air and may prevent the yeast spores reaching the mixture. Once established,  If the jar is too full and sealed then it may break due to the gas created by the fermentation. However, a strong jar only 2/3 full sat in the fridge with the lid on seems to work fine for me

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Basic Dough


There are two equally good techniques that I've used. 


Easiest first:

  • Take 100g of the starter, add 200g flour and 200g water, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of honey or maple syrup; or two teaspoons  of  sugar. Mix thorougly. cover bowl with lid, clingfilm or dry cloth and leave for 10-14 hours until bubbly and grown about double.
  • Add 200g flour and another 20-30g water (amount varies by the flour, need enough to form a sticky but handleable dough) then knead ( 15 minutes if wheat flour, 5 minutes if 100% rye)
  • Shape and leave to rise until nearly doubled (5-10 hours depending on warmth and yeasts)

Second technique

  • Take 400g flour, add 100g starter, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of honey or maple syrup; or two teaspoons of  sugar. Add up to 100g seeds (e.g. sunflower or pumpkin) rub together by hand to form an even texture that looks like fine breadcrumbs
  • Add 220g water mix, then knead ( 15 minutes if wheat flour, 5 minutes if 100% rye). Whilst kneading optionally, occasionaly,  sprinkle in a little water.  Idea is  to add another 10g or so, not more. Dough should feel sticky but still come away from worksurface. Coat with 2-3 tablespoons of good quality oil (virgin oilive oil, coldpressed sunflower or Avocado oil)
  • Place in a large bowl with lid, clingfilm or dry cloth and leave for 10-14 hours until grown to about double.
  • Gently knock back (press and fold inwards) then shape or put in Banneton or BrotForm, cover with cloth or clingfilm and leave to rise until nearly doubled (5-10 hours)

Rye flour or wheat flour?


Wheat is easier and gives a more reliable rise but I prefer the taste of rye. Irrespective of the grain I prefer organic.


I typically do a classic German recipe of 50% rye/ 50% wheat and replace the sweetener with a tablespoon of organic barley malt extract.


Normally I use white rye, which (unlike with wheat) is arguably healthier. However, dark (wholemeal) rye is tastier and crucial for black breads.

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Bread Rolls and tear-breads are the easiest starting point. They are quick to bake and very forgiving of the dough and the baking.


For rolls, simply shape the dough into balls  before the second rise, press down lightly, cover and leave to rise. If you want the coated in seeds, just press them into a few seeds before turning back upright.


For tear-bread simply position the rolls close to each-other in an upturned bowl-lid so that they have to grow together and rise together


Bake for around 15 minutes at 220c, then check, turndown the heat to 200 and cook on until colour is to your preference. Rolls may need a total of 20-25 minutes, tear-bread can take a total of 30-35 minutes

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Classic sourdough loaves are cooked in a dutch oven (cast iron or clay pot preheated in the oven) or direct on a shelf, or preheated stones.


I place some oatmeal on the bottom of the pot or stones to stop the bread sticking and coat the bread with some coarse ground semolina or oatmeal


Cooking times vary with taste and style but my usual timings and temperatures are:

  • 20 minutes at 220c then
  • turn the oven down to 200 and cook for another 15 minutes,
  • remove the lid and check progress/ colour.
  • Typically I cook on for another 10 minutes (lid on or off is optional, depends how dark you like the crust)


A tray of water in the bottom of the oven helps give a crusty loaf

Kefir Bread


Sourdough starters take time to develop and manage. A much simpler approach to a sourdough is to simply use kefir, flour and salt. The resulting dough is very slow to rise (typically 24 hours for the first rise and 6-12 hours for the second rise). The resulting bread needs to be cooked a little cooler to stop the crust getting too dark.


The kefir must be a live culture, I find one of the cheaper ones from the Polish food section of my local supermarket works best. Ratios will depend on the thickness of the kefir but my start point is 400grammes flour with 250 grammes kefir and a teaspoon of salt, then adjust with extra flour or kefir to make a slightly sticky dough. Knead for 15 minutes, then cover and leave to rise. When doubled (after 24 hours) I gently push back and shape for the second rise.


I bake at 200c for 15-20 minutes then 180c for 20 minutes.


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