It started so well, went downhill from there, but I learned how to make very tasty flatbreads.
I'd had a proprietary sourdough starter from Bread Matters for a while now (that may have been the problem). I found it at the bottom of the flour bin and set up the first day's batch.
I also thought I would try a slow starter with 2g of yeast as suggested in the Challenge post. That looked good, too, reassuringly lumpy.
Both starters were lovingly placed in a warm place, with careful notes and labelling, and checked regularly through the day. The 2g starter showed some signs of life, but the sourdough starter: nothing. The following day, I added additional flour and water, according to the package that came with the sourdough starter and cossetted them all day and overnight in the warmest place in the house. The next day, one looked dead, and the other inscrutable.
Meanwhile, I had no bread in the house and I made an ordinary wholemeal sandwich loaf in the usual way. I thought I would make it in the old tin, as that is bit shorter in length and I can fit a full loaf, uncut, in the storage bin. I had forgotten, though, that this tin, although apparently non-stick, clings onto the baked bread as if you are stealing it.
I managed to get the bread out, but the top was torn from it, and the centre was a little squashed and doughy. Toasted with butter and jam, it was perfect. I had more later with cheese and an apple. Dove's Farm, again, a nutty taste.
I've been planning to learn how to make flatbreads for ages and yesterday, disappointed with my starters, I decided to try. I can report they are very easy and very tasty.
So simple: mix together 200g flour, 100ml water, 2 tblspns oil, a pinch of salt. Kneed until pliable, divide into six or twelve pieces and roll each one until it is paper thin. Put in frying or griddle pan over a medium heat and cook for two-four minutes each side. Cook in oil if you want a crispy finish.
Late yesterday evening, in disgust, I went to get my starters to wash them down the drain. The dead one was looking very dead, it had separated, the flour falling to the bottom and murky water above, a slight scum on the surface.
But the sourdough one, neglected for a day and left in the draught from the open door to the balcony (it was chilly here yesterday, the temperatures dropped) had plumped up and become rounded and billowy. It was full of bubbles, soft and sponge like. I was delighted: it looks like sometimes you have to leave them alone to get on with their thing.
I mixed up the final Production Dough, according to the instructions, loaded it into two small bread tins, placed in polythene bags and placed them on top of the refrigerator. This last was a tip I had picked up somewhere along the way - it is always warm, unlike the rest of the house, which varies in temperature.
This morning, one of them has a bubble or two, the other does not. I've tucked them up again. Maybe they will be ready to bake this evening ...
When and if they are ever finally ready, I will post a picture in the comments!
23:03 Edit: here's the bread!
I've eaten some, too - chewy crust, tangy bread, quite heavy, moist enough to eat without butter, would be nice with cheese and pickles. I had to lever it out of the tins with a spatula haha!
This post was an entry into the Breadbakers Community Challenge: Baking with Natural Yeast. The challenge ends tomorrow, maybe my bread will be ready by then :)
Thank you for participating the challenge! Catching natural yeast is full of unexpectancy. Sometimes it works without any trouble, sometimes there are a lot of troubles ...
Keep on baking & thank you for sharing your experience!
Ok, the first sentence convinced me to read your post 😂(I feared intense shame on my part, because I do seem to be unable to produce a working sourdough).
Sadly I cannot contribute any helpful ideas, but on the other hand am very curious how your sourdough starter will develop. It seems he liked it colder than anticipated (could this be my problem??? I have the sourdough on the heating... does it do not need warmth after the first two days? I have to research)
Here you can mostly buy inactive sourdough powder which only lends a special taste to the bread but has no germinating power. I now hope for @muscara’s sourdough and are on the other hand afraid, that I will kill this too 😱😱😱
I have no idea how it works (or not) and, at the moment, I don't have the patience to learn. I've just set up another refreshment dough, which has done nothing in 22 hours. I will leave it for a few more hours, who knows what will happen. Meanwhile, I will make an ordinary loaf with yeast 😁.
I usually keep my sourdough starter in kitchen probably around 20 degrees. Mostly I had a luck but sometimes I failed. I doubt some flour doesn't work ... no idea.
I'll be back to regular bread too as some people said they found yeast finally in our region! Flours are coming back too 😁
I just checked and it is about 25 degrees sitting in the window in the sun. I think the top of the refrigerator is about 18-20 degrees at this time of year - closing the polythene bag made a difference.
The fig water yeast worked well, though, didn't it? I might try that. One day.
Good to have yeast, experimenting is fun if you have time, but I am quite busy at the moment, lots to do at work and in the garden.
Yes, yeast water worked well. It produced sourdough bread, bagels, pizza ... and I'll try brioche soon like apsu did. It'll be a big challenge.
Take time for work & garden! Same for me for gardening. But come back any time to natural east baking 😁
I had your sister bread recently ... My daughter and I liked it somehow and ate few slices with butter 😁
It was made with beer yeast (white beer + water + sugar + flour), which a supermarket informed their customers. According to the supermarket, it's a Grandma's time method. I was tempted that I can make yeast alternative just in a day! But yeast water split to water and other part. It looked nothing was going on. I left it for 5 days in kitchen but no progress happened ...
I'm laughing! These breads and their yeasts need a lot of loving!
It is quite tasty, though, isn't it? It just doesn't look how we have come to expect bread to look.
I've just checked my Refreshment Dough (a sort of intermediate stage), it has separated but there are bubbles on the water and it smells a bit funky - not bad (or mouldy), but not especially yeasty. I'm going to wait a little longer. I'm reluctant to put more flour into it and then it is wasted ... dun-di-dun-dun ... 🤣
I don't know how to say, it has certain addictive taste ;) I made this kind of bread few times ...
And yes, on some point we have to stop gambling ... feeding precious flour to starter.
I been making some most days now, but I cheat and use my bread machine :)
Yeah, I had a good bread machine, but then it started playing up!