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1 hour ago, DDD Dad said:


If you want it more sour let it retard in the fridge for at least 24 hours after proofing and shaping.

Good to know.  Thanks. 

  • 2 weeks later...

Looks good. Where’s the money shot?

On 8/9/2020 at 7:36 PM, DDD Dad said:

0cf9d720d74fc32400bc7fc7c00af082.jpg

Looks good. Where’s the money shot? :)

8 hours ago, DDD Dad said:

Looks good. Where’s the money shot?

Really nice crumb inside.  It went well for the first attempt.  Began cultivating my starter about 2 weeks ago  

7889CDA6-79CE-4625-BDE3-E37B0081466C.jpeg

Edited by CycleTex87

Got me a small, 1/2lb Pullman loaf pan. Got tired of making big loaves and having to freeze parts of them since my wife and son aren’t the biggest homemade bread fans (I know). 

Have used it a few times so far to make sourdough discard sandwich bread, and love it. Something about the “Borg Bread Cube” is satisfying to me, and the way that the loaf ends up soft, but not too airy makes the toast just excellent. 
 

Here I show a breakfast egg sandwich I made that was awesome (forgive Kraft single, was all I had at the time. But it did FIT the bread perfectly at least).
 

 

02EDB6EF-7164-4264-8FC1-FBEB3B23106A.jpeg

6D0AD5F9-DCC1-4E12-984C-CDD7F3C40019.jpeg

Slices of American were made for E&C sandwiches. Don’t apologize 

So I thought I would give these a try to go with ribs and sausage tonight. No yeast added. Sourdough. OMG. These are awesome.

3fe583d2e7700d8d4637986588dbebef.jpg

  • 4 weeks later...

This is my 5th or 6th iteration on sourdough bread.  It's gotten pretty consistently good IMO.

IMG_0038[1].JPG

IMG_0039[1].JPG

  • 9 months later...

Back when we would go to Romano’s Macaroni Grill once a year, we really liked their table Rosemary bread. Mrs. Brat found the house recipe a couple of months ago and baked two loaves that turned out great. She is in the process of baking another two today.

 

7DA78448-1CDC-47CD-9374-9FDAAA00A0F5.jpeg
 

Now to let it rise for an hour & a half...

1D8A2352-A764-4807-819E-852C635ED685.thumb.jpeg.a7a7d3213ec574363babeb66494fd301.jpeg

Edited by Armybrat

They have risen...

 

71DEC4A8-0E2C-4691-9B9E-F4BEE38AD638.jpeg
 

They are baked and delicious dipped in peppered EV olive oil.
Not a bad effort, since it was her first attempt at baking bread in the small Breville countertop oven. (the big kitchen gas stove has been malfunctioning and will be replaced this week)

E0DE35A4-9EB8-41AD-A1FE-794385B4ADC8.jpeg

Edited by Armybrat

  • 1 year later...

Resurrecting this thread. Easy "artisan" bread.

68d1feafa5c31ef69725f91966d196a7.jpgf419b37888050c325d1674823bf414e7.jpg

  • 5 months later...

Bumping this thread from the depths.

e5a9bff1c94f7a07fa60164b3b3c637d.jpg

  • 2 weeks later...

I’ve been meaning to post this since December. A couple of things, mainly this is about a monumental brain cramp. I thought I’d share so you don’t have to experiment for yourself. I was making banana nut bread. Have you ever wondered what happens if you use baking powder when the recipe calls for baking soda? Well, here you go.

First with baking soda, how they’re supposed to look:

58F9C569-4550-4431-A330-56FA9A36CEF0.thumb.jpeg.f0c72b4b8e576e31e97b3dd7f052f441.jpeg

Now with baking powder instead of baking soda:

7D3FD4DB-693B-4CCF-87DC-DB15BA1004F2.thumb.jpeg.eb06b8764df7d717e3285722417c2f10.jpeg

I have no idea how I made that mistake. I’ve used that recipe many times, although it had been awhile. I had bananas in the freezer that I needed to clear out to make space. I reviewed the recipe. What’s really crazy is that I had baking soda. I actually went to the store and bought baking powder. If I had ever used baking powder to make banana nut bread before, I would’ve had some on hand. But that didn’t sink in. I still followed the recipe and used baking powder anyway when the recipe clearly called for baking soda. My only guess is by that point I had them switched in my head and wasn’t reading package labels. The Arm & Hammer box was powder and the Clabber Girl can was soda. That’s my only guess.

It still tasted fine and I ate it all. But it was a little more dense and as you can see it didn’t brown up as well. The loaves with baking powder also took a few minutes longer to finish in the oven.

One other thing: that was my first time baking them in tin cans like my mom used to do. Have you ever done that? I grew up having banana nut bread that way at home. It’s nice for me because I can throw a loaf in the freezer so I don’t eat it all right away. My mom used to give extra loaves to neighbors. I’d have to make a double batch before I did that. This stuff goes fast. If I wasn’t careful I could eat a whole loaf in one sitting.

 

1 hour ago, WhatTheBuck said:

One other thing: that was my first time baking them in tin cans like my mom used to do. Have you ever done that?

This was my question.  Pretty great idea.  It's kind of like the muffin tops on Seinfeld.

1 hour ago, dcbc said:

This was my question.  Pretty great idea.  It's kind of like the muffin tops on Seinfeld.

And the crunchy top really is the best part. 

More banana nut bread now that I got the baking powder fuckup and the baking in cans things out of the way. The subject of using overripe bananas for banana bread came up in the Stupid Wives thread and I was in the mood so I documented the process. I’ve been eating more bananas lately and had to buy extras just so some could get overripe. Here’s what they looked like before going into the freezer:

6041ABA5-3D5E-41BF-ADAA-BC5ABD1C74FE.thumb.jpeg.2a203cdd5af92b9e51c55590e85efc7a.jpeg

My recipe calls for 1 cup of mashed banana. Three regular size bananas yields a little more than that. You might get by with two large bananas or it might take four small ones. Normally my bananas might sit in the freezer for months but I was in a hurry. These spent six days in the freezer then thawed in the fridge for two days. They looked like this:

A85249E2-4AE6-481B-8633-812A425989F3.thumb.jpeg.6d606e0ac7a4a234dd0765f6723b8819.jpeg

Peeled they looked like this, be sure to save the juices:

71C9BEDA-B632-4A7B-A268-3E7CE90F03C8.thumb.jpeg.33a94b12534fa697ab183cf56c886862.jpeg

There’s nothing wrong if the bananas have aged a lot more than that and are mostly brown. As they ripen the starches break down into sugars and they get sweeter. When you freeze them the ice crystals puncture the cell walls and make them mushy. That’s a critical step. When I was in school I worked at a bakery and we didn’t have time to let them get overripe before throwing the bananas in the freezer. We froze them by the bucketful and let them age that way. But for home use it’s easy to just keep a bag in the freezer and throw your overripe bananas in there whenever they’ve sat out too long. My recipe also calls for buttermilk but you can substitute sour milk instead. It’s a good use for that too.

I mashed the bananas with a pastry blender:

B7E59817-EE17-405F-AD89-93F46F1BB51C.thumb.jpeg.68a91c56c119135ad38335a8046c9bbf.jpeg

Then gave them several pulses with the immersion blender to smooth it out:

D7B153FB-D257-4047-9D68-8655AE39E9D3.thumb.jpeg.cdc3910c1e4d6e1abbc30548dd6e83ba.jpeg

I didn’t really need to take a picture of the batter but I figured what the hell:

38B05FFF-054D-4881-9E8F-78DCA775ABF1.thumb.jpeg.1111acbb020d5eb618409d44333ec054.jpeg

Put it in buttered cans:

8B44EB4D-6937-4303-987F-3E1E7FBBA9F4.thumb.jpeg.8b218d27cbd7e34be3d5088fb14a24e2.jpeg

Bake for 45 min at 350 and voila:

7ABD487E-5988-44D1-BF7D-8E1AF7826CD8.thumb.jpeg.01b120024eb16a679aea61c7e9d4df02.jpeg

54E50F34-27BD-45BA-9F48-2141D46B4665.thumb.jpeg.5e28d6663f87d16ea522a2a242f47360.jpeg

20107C88-ED9F-4268-AE8C-C7E524C5F109.thumb.jpeg.957e2ebb8fa2429f2f3e576da1a382c2.jpeg

It doesn’t matter what recipe you use but you’ve got to freeze your bananas and if anything you want them darker than what I’ve shown here. That’s really all I wanted to show. I just include the rest for good measure. This stuff rocks.

 

 

  • 1 month later...

The last time I made banana nut bread, I let the bananas get a little more ripe. I could have let them go longer. That’s okay.

177317BC-00B8-4927-8C20-CED9545E64EF.thumb.jpeg.68227d372a55ad0f30edc7f9938b78de.jpeg

And check this out. I started thinking about date nut bread. I thought my mom had a recipe but I couldn’t find one. I figure I could just modify her recipe for banana nut bread. But I searched online to see what I could find and came across this: “Grandma’s Date Nut Loaves — Baked in Cans.”

https://cookingwithcarlee.com/grandmas-date-nut-loaves-baked-in-cans/

2719EA70-71B1-4B8A-9A72-1555C54C0079.thumb.png.e4dd5a4864f10479bb686265e8089224.png

902EBD98-CAAA-4007-AEE9-395DC41718CF.png.da10444d7442574775e621a2238e4922.png

On 2/19/2023 at 11:28 PM, WhatTheBuck said:

 I had bananas in the freezer that I needed to clear out to make space. I reviewed the recipe. What’s really crazy is that I had baking soda. I actually went to the store and bought baking powder. If I had ever used baking powder to make banana nut bread before, I would’ve had some on hand. But that didn’t sink in. I still followed the recipe and used baking powder anyway when the recipe clearly called for baking soda. My only guess is by that point I had them switched in my head and wasn’t reading package labels. The Arm & Hammer box was powder and the Clabber Girl can was soda. That’s my only guess.

It still tasted fine and I ate it all. But it was a little more dense and as you can see it didn’t brown up as well. The loaves with baking powder also took a few minutes longer to finish in the oven.

You could have gotten the same degree of leavening with baking powder, but it takes more. The substitution isn't one-to-one. There are still some subtle differences in their end result though. Baking powder is baking soda mixed with cream of tartar and some binding starch, and cream of tartar is the acid to react with the baking soda as opposed to buttermilk in your case.

I've been cooking banana bread of late as well using baking soda, milk and lemon juice instead of buttermilk.

IMO the reaction baking soda makes with buttermilk, lemon juice or vinegar tends to be a little stronger or more "violent" than baking powder indicated in the "breaks" you see in the top of whatever you're baking be it banana bread, cornbread, or whatever. Whereas baking powder seems to be a little more even or regulated in it's reaction.

  • 1 year later...

Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.  Fourth loaf I think.  It’s a little denser than I like but the method is very simple and quick as far as the work required. I’m going to keep working on my techniques. 
 

IMG_6616.jpeg

  • 1 year later...

BUMP because I bought a bread machine and a stand-up mixer.   

I need to know how to make better bread.  I am progressing with the BM loaves, those are pretty easy.  What am I doing with the stand-up when it is cool enough to turn on the oven?  I have some 9" loaf pans.  4k altitude, if that matters.  King Arthur bread flour.  

My machine bread is coming out OK, although it falls at the end like a cake.  Realized putting in the yeast last was foolish, started putting it in first with the water and sugar.  Got better loaves, 275gm flour.  But I want to move up a class and start actually BAKING, not pushing a button.  

4 hours ago, TOR said:
BUMP because I bought a bread machine and a stand-up mixer.   
I need to know how to make better bread.  I am progressing with the BM loaves, those are pretty easy.  What am I doing with the stand-up when it is cool enough to turn on the oven?  I have some 9" loaf pans.  4k altitude, if that matters.  King Arthur bread flour.  
My machine bread is coming out OK, although it falls at the end like a cake.  Realized putting in the yeast last was foolish, started putting it in first with the water and sugar.  Got better loaves, 275gm flour.  But I want to move up a class and start actually BAKING, not pushing a button.  

This is the recipe for the country white bread from the Salt Lick cookbook.  It's the only recipe I've tried from that book (it was a gift).
 
1 Tablespoon instant yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water.  Put that in your stand mixer with the dough hook and let it sit for 5 minutes.
 
Add 2 cups of water and two cups of bread flower and mix.  As it comes together, add two more cups of flour and 1 Tablespoon of salt.  Add up to two more cups of flour (recipe calls for 5.5--6 cups).
 
Kneed with the dough hook on speed 2 (always speed 2).  After a few minutes, slowly add a cut up stick of softened butter.  The dough will be pretty sticky at this point, but as it continues to kneed, at a spoonful of flour at a time until pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  Let it kneed for about 8 minutes.  After it's done, turn it out onto a floured surface and form into a ball.  Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and put the ball into the bowl.  Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise for an hour.
 
When it's done rising, gently punch the air out of the dough and divide into two pieces.  On a floured surface, roll the dough out into roughly a 9x12 rectangle.  Fold into thirds and pinch the seems to seal.  Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and put your folded dough into the loaf pan.  Repeat with the other half portion of dough.  Let the loaves rise in the pan for 45 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375 and bake for 35 to 45 minutes.  When done, remove from the pan and let cool on a rack. 
 
I made a couple of loaves yesterday and will use one for my Thanksgiving dressing.



05c41055effa598bff6b72af685b207c.jpg14822a29b3c615d568c447889430b576.jpg

Edited by dcbc

First time bread, first time really baking. 
 

I thought baguettes were some french dark arts. Turns out, the process was 98% identical to making pizza which i’d just recently learned. 

IMG_4708.jpeg

IMG_4709.jpeg

IMG_4713.jpeg

First time bread, first time really baking. 
 
I thought baguettes were some french dark arts. Turns out, the process was 98% identical to making pizza which i’d just recently learned. 
IMG_4708.thumb.jpeg.98f8754cfc8740f6574234f0e16df77a.jpeg
IMG_4709.thumb.jpeg.d546984f019248cf2c2f444497dc90ec.jpeg
IMG_4713.thumb.jpeg.3f95d38a6a179032a3ae7da2753b88df.jpeg
Or you may be a wizard. Nice work!
  • 1 month later...
On 3/27/2020 at 1:17 PM, Jerry Callo said:

Just got some sourdough starter from a neighbor.  With some flour and about 15 hours of labor, we should have some sourdough bread by Sunday.

So I've had an envelope of sourdough starter in my desk drawer for several years from Kensington in Toronto. Supposedly, this stuff hails back to 1850's era San Francisco or whatever. Probably marketing. Anyway, my one-time BBQ cook buddy who dabbles in all kinds of cooking/smoking/baking has used his Kensington sourdough starter to make some killer looking loaves. I've put it off for multiple years but finally bit the bullet and started cultivating my starter one week ago today. And I've got a few questions. On Day 3 (I think), I fucked up and used Dallas tap water -- about 1/4 cup of it. I know chlorine is not good for sourdough starter and the process but I was hoping I didn't murder it. It bubbled quite good and looked fine and dandy until I threw half of it in the trash on Day 4 (or 5) as instructed. It's seemed a little dormant since then. Here's how it looks today, on Day 7 when the instructions say I should have a fully-developed sourdough starter.

image.jpeg

(Hope you can see this. If not, I'll need to try and add from my phone.)

PS -- this stuff kind of stinks. Guess that's where the "sour" in sourdough comes from. Tell me that's normal before I poison my family with bad sourdough -- if this shit ultimately reacts the way it's seemingly supposed to.)

Edited by C-Man

So I've had an envelope of sourdough starter in my desk drawer for several years from Kensington in Toronto. Supposedly, this stuff hails back to 1850's era San Francisco or whatever. Probably marketing. Anyway, my one-time BBQ cook buddy who dabbles in all kinds of cooking/smoking/baking has used his Kensington sourdough starter to make some killer looking loaves. I've put it off for multiple years but finally bit the bullet and started cultivating my starter one week ago today. And I've got a few questions. On Day 3 (I think), I fucked up and used Dallas tap water -- about 1/4 cup of it. I know chlorine is not good for sourdough starter and the process but I was hoping I didn't murder it. It bubbled quite good and looked fine and dandy until I threw half of it in the trash on Day 4 (or 5) as instructed. It's seemed a little dormant since then. Here's how it looks today, on Day 7 when the instructions say I should have a fully-developed sourdough starter.
image.thumb.jpeg.bb9bcfe4f4ed25136ea27cc9e13b54fd.jpeg
(Hope you can see this. If not, I'll need to try and add from my phone.)
PS -- this stuff kind of stinks. Guess that's where the "sour" in sourdough comes from. Tell me that's normal before I poison my family with bad sourdough -- if this shit ultimately reacts the way it's seemingly supposed to.)


What does it smell like? If it just smells a little ripe, no worries. Just keep it in the fridge (I keep mine in a Mason Jar with plastic wrap and a rubber band) and feed it every week or so. If it smells like vomit or some other putridity, toss it.
2 hours ago, C-Man said:

So I've had an envelope of sourdough starter in my desk drawer for several years from Kensington in Toronto. Supposedly, this stuff hails back to 1850's era San Francisco or whatever. Probably marketing. Anyway, my one-time BBQ cook buddy who dabbles in all kinds of cooking/smoking/baking has used his Kensington sourdough starter to make some killer looking loaves. I've put it off for multiple years but finally bit the bullet and started cultivating my starter one week ago today. And I've got a few questions. On Day 3 (I think), I fucked up and used Dallas tap water -- about 1/4 cup of it. I know chlorine is not good for sourdough starter and the process but I was hoping I didn't murder it. It bubbled quite good and looked fine and dandy until I threw half of it in the trash on Day 4 (or 5) as instructed. It's seemed a little dormant since then. Here's how it looks today, on Day 7 when the instructions say I should have a fully-developed sourdough starter.

image.jpeg

(Hope you can see this. If not, I'll need to try and add from my phone.)

PS -- this stuff kind of stinks. Guess that's where the "sour" in sourdough comes from. Tell me that's normal before I poison my family with bad sourdough -- if this shit ultimately reacts the way it's seemingly supposed to.)

You're further along that I ever got. I didn't remember having sourdough starter until this thread bump.

My daughter is planning on getting some starter from a friend to start making bread. I'm glad you brought the thread to the top.

Good luck with your bread.

  • Author

That looks like WAY too much starter. You probably want about 30g of that and it looks like maybe 500+! Give it a good stir and then discard all but 30g.

You are likely at the stage where your starter is close but the acidity is too high. A real good way of tackling this is starting right now as we go into the weekend because it will take bit of time over 48 hours.

You have 30 grams of active material. You want to give it 60g of inactive material (good flour and water). Add 30g of water (tap is fine, but i like distilled.. dont worry about all that chlorine noise from random internet posters) to your 30g of starter and stir it well. The starter is now diluted. Add 30g of good flour (bread flower ideally) and stir it for a bit (maybe 15-30 seconds) until its pancake batter. You now have 90g of material. Cover it and let it set somewhere where the temp is between 75-80*. In 4ish hours it will have doubled in size. Immediately repeat the process, throwing away all but 30 grams of this new starter (yes, 60g going in the trash) and adding/stiring in new water and good flour. You want to do this every 4 hours over the next two days. Obviously overnight you don't want to wake up in 4 hours, so just double the inactive materials, so 30g of starter plus 60g of water and 60g of flour. This 150g of material will take 8 hours rather than 4 hours to reach that doubling state. (if you're curious, the ratio to time is generally 1:1:1 4hrs, 1:2:2 8hrs, 1:3:3 12hrs, etc. as long as you're in the temp sweet spot bolded above). When you wake up in the morning you can pare it down to 30g/30g/30g again.

If you can get 5 or 6 of these refreshes in over the course of a weekend your starter will be in fantastic shape with a greatly reduced acidity. You'll be able to tell because it will start to blow past the doubleing in size in even less time. Mine will often go 2.5 to 3x over 3-4 hours when its in great shape. It is this reaction that you're looking for because it means when you're actually mixing it into your bread recipe its going to give you that rise you want.

THEN you're ready to use it for bread and then set it in the refrigerator covered as mentioned above for weekly feedings (or even less)

1 hour ago, 52-80 said:

class hours GIF

Yeah, this is why I didn't start this project when I got the starter several years ago.

2 hours ago, dcbc said:

  4 hours ago, C-Man said:



What does it smell like? If it just smells a little ripe, no worries. Just keep it in the fridge (I keep mine in a Mason Jar with plastic wrap and a rubber band) and feed it every week or so. If it smells like vomit or some other putridity, toss it.

My wife says it smells like dirty socks. I'm not super keen on milk taste (unless it's hot and in a coffee drink) and or smell, especially after it starts turning and that's what this smells like. It doesn't smell like milk puke 100% but we're certainly in the ballpark.

I haven't discarded half yet like I'm supposed to for the day. Was going to do that shortly.

2 hours ago, Jerry Callo said:

You're further along that I ever got. I didn't remember having sourdough starter until this thread bump.

My daughter is planning on getting some starter from a friend to start making bread. I'm glad you brought the thread to the top.

Good luck with your bread.

I assume @C-Man had some sort of dehydrated starter if it survived in his desk drawer for a period of years. They're easy enough to make from scratch.

I followed this procedure and have kept it going for several years at this point.

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-starter-recipe

4 minutes ago, C-Man said:

Yeah, this is why I didn't start this project when I got the starter several years ago.

I'm not that precise. When I feed, I dump half of it out and add about that much back in equal parts by weight of flour and water. Stir and refrigerate. My bread has been delicious. Like anything, there are levels of expertise to this hobby. Much like beer, even if your bread isn't perfect, it's still going to be damned tasty.

  • Author

Yeah the nerdiness is what I enjoyed the most! The above is the peak to peak method fwiw. Helps to understand the biology/chemistry that is happening and why the math works

5 minutes ago, C-Man said:

My wife says it smells like dirty socks. I'm not super keen on milk taste (unless it's hot and in a coffee drink) and or smell, especially after it starts turning and that's what this smells like. It doesn't smell like milk puke 100% but we're certainly in the ballpark.

I haven't discarded half yet like I'm supposed to for the day. Was going to do that shortly.

The first time I tried it, I tried to get cute with fruit skins and the like. Believe me, if you get a vomit starter, you'll know. If it's a tart smell, that's normal. Old socks or horse blanket smell might be okay.

Just now, Lurch said:

Yeah the nerdiness is what I enjoyed the most! The above is the peak to peak method fwiw. Helps to understand the biology/chemistry that is happening and why the math works

I mean, I'm measuring shit in grams. That's pretty nerdy.

If I'm feeling generous to my little yeast ranch, I'll take half of what I need for my recipe and feed it 100% by weight or more to get it going before I toss it in with the other ingredients.

Edited by dcbc

5 minutes ago, dcbc said:

I assume @C-Man had some sort of dehydrated starter if it survived in his desk drawer for a period of years. They're easy enough to make from scratch.

I followed this procedure and have kept it going for several years at this point.

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-starter-recipe

Yes, that's what I had -- dehydrated starter.

https://kensingtonsourdough.ca/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=nonbranded_search_2024&utm_content=text_ad&utm_term=san+francisco+sourdough+starter&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21827115285&gbraid=0AAAAACTRszthARPj-MmWFJdiRSz75ztkI&gclid=CjwKCAiA64LLBhBhEiwA-Pxgu4vDDN6gR5-5WLXnWJuGBg-lURfgO8p_uCrzsxnP-jiyG0B4QYWerhoCSqQQAvD_BwE

1 minute ago, C-Man said:

No telling what that smells like compared to mine. One of the things I like about sourdough is not just the funk, but the fact that it's my funk.

PXL_20251107_004608256~2.jpg

Edited by dcbc

2 hours ago, Lurch said:

That looks like WAY too much starter. You probably want about 30g of that and it looks like maybe 500+! Give it a good stir and then discard all but 30g.

You are likely at the stage where your starter is close but the acidity is too high. A real good way of tackling this is starting right now as we go into the weekend because it will take bit of time over 48 hours.

You have 30 grams of active material. You want to give it 60g of inactive material (good flour and water). Add 30g of water (tap is fine, but i like distilled.. dont worry about all that chlorine noise from random internet posters) to your 30g of starter and stir it well. The starter is now diluted. Add 30g of good flour (bread flower ideally) and stir it for a bit (maybe 15-30 seconds) until its pancake batter. You now have 90g of material. Cover it and let it set somewhere where the temp is between 75-80*. In 4ish hours it will have doubled in size. Immediately repeat the process, throwing away all but 30 grams of this new starter (yes, 60g going in the trash) and adding/stiring in new water and good flour. You want to do this every 4 hours over the next two days. Obviously overnight you don't want to wake up in 4 hours, so just double the inactive materials, so 30g of starter plus 60g of water and 60g of flour. This 150g of material will take 8 hours rather than 4 hours to reach that doubling state. (if you're curious, the ratio to time is generally 1:1:1 4hrs, 1:2:2 8hrs, 1:3:3 12hrs, etc. as long as you're in the temp sweet spot bolded above). When you wake up in the morning you can pare it down to 30g/30g/30g again.

If you can get 5 or 6 of these refreshes in over the course of a weekend your starter will be in fantastic shape with a greatly reduced acidity. You'll be able to tell because it will start to blow past the doubleing in size in even less time. Mine will often go 2.5 to 3x over 3-4 hours when its in great shape. It is this reaction that you're looking for because it means when you're actually mixing it into your bread recipe its going to give you that rise you want.

THEN you're ready to use it for bread and then set it in the refrigerator covered as mentioned above for weekly feedings (or even less)

I've got a couple of jars of my starter that have been in my fridge for over a year. Stopped baking shortly after COVID 'cause I got so fat, and just haven't felt like devoting the time to getting back into it. I may see how they're doing (last time I tried to use it I poured out the hooch which I probably shouldn't have done and the consistency was way too pasty. Ended up using what I had to make discard crackers. They came out fine but just haven't felt the urge to do a loaf or some other recipe (like pretzels, e.g.).

Edited by DDD Dad

  • Author
12 minutes ago, DDD Dad said:

I've got a couple of jars of my starter that have been in my fridge for over a year. Stopped baking shortly after COVID 'cause I got so fat, and just haven't felt like devoting the time to getting back into it. I may see how they're doing (last time I tried to use it I poured out the hooch which I probably shouldn't have done and the consistency was way too pasty. Ended up using what I had to make discard crackers. They came out fine but just haven't felt the urge to do a loaf or some other recipe (like pretzels, e.g.).

Either way is fine re hooch imo. You’re just going to add water and flour regardless so the consistency will normalize

I've finally put my finger on what it smells like to me. It smells like that little spit up of a baby that is only breastfeeding.

  • Author
4 minutes ago, C-Man said:

I've finally put my finger on what it smells like to me. It smells like that little spit up of a baby that is only breastfeeding.

It’s often referred to as baby diaper smell. Def need to do peak to peak feedings

5 hours ago, Lurch said:

It’s often referred to as baby diaper smell. Def need to do peak to peak feedings

Alternatively, as my old east Texas buddy once told me when I was stressing about my beer fermentation particularities, "Man, they used to make this shit in Egypt. They got sand everywhere. It'll be fine." He didn't know shit, but he wasn't wrong.

On 11/16/2025 at 4:19 PM, TOR said:

BUMP because I bought a bread machine and a stand-up mixer.   

I need to know how to make better bread.  I am progressing with the BM loaves, those are pretty easy.  What am I doing with the stand-up when it is cool enough to turn on the oven?  I have some 9" loaf pans.  4k altitude, if that matters.  King Arthur bread flour.  

My machine bread is coming out OK, although it falls at the end like a cake.  Realized putting in the yeast last was foolish, started putting it in first with the water and sugar.  Got better loaves, 275gm flour.  But I want to move up a class and start actually BAKING, not pushing a button.  

IMG_0146.jpeg

It’s great. Sold on Amazon or directly on their website.

They also have a really good YouTube channel

3 hours ago, randomhorn said:

IMG_0146.jpeg

It’s great. Sold on Amazon or directly on their website.

They also have a really good YouTube channel

And their recipes on their website are as good as anything I have found.

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