Home-made Sourdough Bread

[Netix]

On Saturday I created my sourdough starter. I was meant to feed it yesterday, but neglected it. Off to a great start there! Apparently its supposed to take up to a week (usually three to four days though) for it to be 'ready' as a starter and to be used for making bread. It's been sitting on the stereo behind the tv (the best 'warm' place there was) since Saturday arvo, and I think it may actually be ready tonight! It's quite frothy, but mainly the top half I think.

The instructions I used to make it said it could be ready "more quickly" than the three/four days, but two days? With no 'feeding'? It also said "When your starter develops a bubbly froth, it is done. You have succeeded." It was frothy. Smelled a bit funky (probably because I'm feeling green at the moment, and even serving baked beans to my kids made me sick!) too.

I 'fed' the starter anyway and returned it to behind the tv.

My questions... (if anyone lasted through all that mental dribble!)

Does anyone make their own sourdough bread? Do you make anything other than loaves of bread? (Ie, can you make cheese and vegemite rolls, pizza bases, that type of thing)

Does it taste any good?

Is my starter actually ready?

When you feed the starter, does the water need to be warm or cold? (Especially when it's living in the fridge)

Thank you!!

[Netix]

I hope there is someone on here who can help me! I threw out the starter and made a new one just now. The one I threw out had separated at the bottom, with yuk looking water. Smelled yuk too.

[Teeki]

Hi Netix,

I know this is late after your original post, but I saw your other thread where you succeeded and wanted to say congratulations!! You've inspired me to create my own George lol. I hope you don't mind, but I have a couple of questions?

I'm on day 2 of my starter, and it has the little bubbles and the right smell. Did yours take the full 5 days to be properly ready? I'm hoping to have it ready for Friday night or Saturday morning to bake & take to my parents.
Also, I'm feeding it every 12 hours like the site says with 1 cup of flour & 1/2 cup water. But now only two days in the starter is huge!!! How much bread did yours actually make? I'm thinking I'll get at least two loaves out of this. Or do you reckon I could feed it less? Just halve the amount every 12 hours?

Thanks, hope you don't mind all my questions!

[Netix]

Hey, that's okay, and I'm sorry that I haven't been online to answer your questions! Thank you so much, I never imagined I would inspire someone to make bread!

I take it you're looking at the bio-oz site, and if you read the recipe to make a loaf, it calls for four cups of starter (George). So far, I've only been making half size loafs, as I am a bit slack on feeding George (I definitely don't do it every twelve hours! But, he seems happy enough). You could divide it and have two starters going at the same time if you wanted to. Are you making it in a glass container? Only asking, because if you are, its so much easier to see how far down the mix the bubbles actually go. If its not in a clear container (like maybe a mixing bowl), when you give it a stir (before a feed), have a look as you turn the mixture over with a spatula if it seems bubbly inside.

Sorry, back to your question, I would say that you could halve the amount of feed successfully.

I think mine took two days to be ready, but it took ages (and I mean about sixteen hours) to rise into a loaf, but I wasn't sure how much it was supposed to rise while I was waiting (and I did read somewhere about letting it rise for something like eighteen hours ). In the end I gave up waiting (impatience!) and turned the oven up to bake it. The result was good, a heavy loaf (but I'm comparing it with supermarket wholemeal bread, I don't know what sourdough is meant to be like at all having never bought it), and a very crispy crust. Probably wasn't good for trying to make a sandwich with (since the bread was so heavy), but makes the most wonderful toast (as I discovered last night... mmmm <drool>).

[Teeki]

Thanks for your reply, it was perfect timing!

Unfortunately I don't have a clear container big enough to hold it so it's in a mixing bowl. But tonight there was no mistaking that it was ready - between 1 & 7:30 it had grown enormously and was so fluffy, bubbles all the way through I was wondering how long I'd need to let it rise to be able to bake it tomorrow, and was thinking a couple of hours lol. So yeah, perfect timing for your post to come through lol.

I reckon I'll go to feeding only every 24 hours, rather than 12 cos we just can't eat all the bread that would make, so it's good to know yours worked that way.

I've now got three half-loaves rising, and can't wait to bake them tomorrow!! Fingers crossed they turn out ok, the plan is to take at least one to the parents' place to have with dinner for Dad's birthday.

Can't wait, thanks for your help!

[Netix]

Hey, that's great! I usually just have George in a 1 litre jar from the Reject Shop, with the clip down lid. OH, nearly forgot, with the first George I made, I left the lid sitting down closed, but I don't know if that was part of what made it go bad, so this time around, I fiddle with the wire clip for the lid and get the clip to prop the lid open just a little bit.

I did read somewhere that it is very hard to kill a George, and even starving them is pretty difficult, so I don't think you have to worry about him going hungry. Even if you go away on holidays! PS, My George doesn't live in the fridge, he still lives behind the tv so that he stays active (not dormant) and so I can use him when I like, not have to wait for him to reactivate.

I made up a loaf last night (at about 5.45), just a half size one. This time I kneaded it for longer (much closer to the ten minute mark as specified in the recipe) and had a much nicer feeling dough than the first one I made. Put it into the loaf pan and put it on top of the gas heater in the lounge. I put a thermometer next to it and it soon got up to thirty degrees. The tin stayed there all night, and I think the heater stayed on most of the night too (GRR! Hate that!). Checked on the rising of the loaf this morning, and it had FILLED the tin completely! I guess that this loaf will be much fluffier and lighter than the first! (The first loaf only half filled the tine after it had risen) Can't wait, because like you, I want to take mine away to my Mum's tomorrow. I put it in the oven just before 8am, so will take more photos (the only thing I've been able to document on film!) when its done. It smells divine!

Also, even though I depleted George last night, I fed him and probably because the heater was on all night, this morning he was all bubbled up again. So I fed him again, I want to make another loaf soon for a friend of mine who loves sourdough. I think that the temperature of George has a great deal to do with how quickly he grows (okay, I did know this before, but now I can see exactly how important it is!)