For the love of bread
Bread is so easy to make once you have some practice.
Here are some topics to help you along your way.
Here are some topics to help you along your way.
Sourdough Starter
Let's keep it simple.
You have starter that's been given to you & now you have a new pet for the fridge. The care is put in general terms because we all need to fit this in with our day to day chores. Feeding it for use or feeding it for growing more for a friend -- is the same thing, except some people throw a portion out before they do a regular feeding.
Feeding: 1/2 cup of flour & 1/4 cup of room temperature water
Take the starter out of the fridge, add the flour & water, mix well with a firm whisk. Let sit for 1 or 2 hours, on the counter, with a towel draped over or a lid slightly left ajar (about a 1/4"). When it's bubbling (and it will smell beautifully sour), it is ready to use or put back in the fridge.
Common practice is to throw away a portion before feeding. It's easy enough to use the 'throw away' in a recipe to add flavour & to be frugal. I grow what I have, then use some before putting the rest in the fridge.
The above are simplified instructions, but they work!
There is detail to go into about maintaining proportions, using weight measurements, and more. This can fill a book and be disheartening to those without much practice with sourdough.
You have starter that's been given to you & now you have a new pet for the fridge. The care is put in general terms because we all need to fit this in with our day to day chores. Feeding it for use or feeding it for growing more for a friend -- is the same thing, except some people throw a portion out before they do a regular feeding.
Feeding: 1/2 cup of flour & 1/4 cup of room temperature water
Take the starter out of the fridge, add the flour & water, mix well with a firm whisk. Let sit for 1 or 2 hours, on the counter, with a towel draped over or a lid slightly left ajar (about a 1/4"). When it's bubbling (and it will smell beautifully sour), it is ready to use or put back in the fridge.
Common practice is to throw away a portion before feeding. It's easy enough to use the 'throw away' in a recipe to add flavour & to be frugal. I grow what I have, then use some before putting the rest in the fridge.
The above are simplified instructions, but they work!
There is detail to go into about maintaining proportions, using weight measurements, and more. This can fill a book and be disheartening to those without much practice with sourdough.
Kneading Bread for Final Shaping
Even a 'no-knead' bread benefits from some kneading. In this video, I'm kneading it until I feel the dough is smooth and stretchy, but still has some give. It could take 6 or 8 turns and the dough is ready to shape; but it could be a couple of minutes.
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Here is a easy to make, no knead bread made in the Pillivuyt pot. The ball of dough is tossed in a bit oil to coat for the final rise so there's no need to grease the pot.
Comes out cleanly. |
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