Monday Morning Open Thread: The State of Our Starters
10/4/21
You GUYS! Last week’s first open thread was better than I could have ever hoped. Nearly 50 of you chimed in with your baking stories and got to know one another a little bit. Your enthusiasm for baking bread is obvious, and it’s inspiring me to get back to work here!
If you were feeling shy or busy and didn’t yet add your own introduction, but still want to, it is never too late. As always, remember that you have to go to the post on Substack and add your comments below the post, so that everyone can read them, rather than replying to me in an email.
For time reasons, I can’t reply to every comment directly, but I read them all, and I’m definitely taking notes. Here are a few of my takeaways so far:
Katie from Chicago said hello to her “fellow Loafers”, and I have decided that from now on that is what we shall all be called. Loafers of the world unite!
As for requests for future recipes and techniques, a few things came up regularly:
Baguettes. This is definitely on my list. It’s a hard one to tackle, especially in a print recipe, and it is best taught in person. It’s high on my list for a future class, though, and the basics are actually quite easy, it’s just the shaping and scoring that are a challenge and require a lifetime of practice to master (I’m still working on a consistent baguette myself, even after years). I’ll probably start with a class and then turn it into a series of posts.
Pita. This one is coming soon. I have a sourdough pita recipe ready to go, so stay tuned for that, along with a class as well. Making pitas that puff reliably is actually quite easy, but it does require knowing what to look for when you are rolling them out.
Discard recipes. Definitely! I have way too much discard on hand right now myself, and need to come up with some new uses for it.
Old bread recipes. Andrea from CA asked for sourdough bread pudding, and I’ve had something along those lines in mind for awhile too. I do have a recipe for end-of-summer tomato soup coming this week which uses some old bread, so stay tuned for that. And it’s getting to be panade season again, and I have some more ideas along those lines too.
Fresh milled flour/whole grain breads - I’ve got some recipes in the works, including a 100% whole wheat flour sandwich bread that isn’t at all a brick.
Enriched/sweet sourdough breads. I started down this route last winter, and plan to push it over the finish line soon. I even have a guest poster in the works to help us sort out how to make sweet sourdough breads that aren’t sour.
Sharing recipes. As you all know, I’ve been bringing guest voices into the newsletter lately, and I’d definitely like to include yours too if time and space allows. If you have ideas for recipes (or posts about a bread or grain topic), email me directly and we can talk. (Looking at you, DeAnna!)
These open threads are for you all to talk about whatever is on your minds, but if you need a prompt this week, feel free to discuss the state of your sourdough starters. Share tips, questions, concerns, whatever. Mine has been kind of neglected lately, as I’ve been busy making rye-flour cookies for an upcoming issue of Edible Boston and (non-sourdough) pizzas for a series of upcoming posts I’m doing for Serious Eats on making the most of your Ooni-style tabletop oven. But I’m going to go give it some love right now.
If you don’t yet have a starter, you can always order a dried one from me, or (if you are a paid Wordloaf subscriber) ask me to mail you one for free.
—Andrew
Hi Loafers, so fun to have a Nick name. My Mother starter came by way of a friend of a friend I think it’s about 30-35 years old. I keep it in the fridge and know that it takes 2-3 days to get back in baking shape I just have to be patient. I also started a starter in the quarinytiny time too named her Sourpuss, she also lives in the fridge but doesn’t take as long to get reved up. I made a cheesy bagel everything sourdough boule yesterday. I made a poolish with the starter proofed in the fridge for 24 hours, added sharp cheddar and everything else. Proofed again for about an hour the shaped and rested for 30 popped into my dutch over heated in a 500 degree over for 20 minutes with the lid on the reduced oven temp to 425 and went 15 minutes more with lid off. Yum!
It all "started" in April of 2020, after many, many attempts. I feed the starter once a week, and feed a small portion of that a second time before baking. Equal weights of 130 gm each AP unbleached flour/water/levain.
I gave two people a bit of my starter, and now they are married after consulting one another for baking help. I tried to inspire others to bake, giving them starter as well, but most of them have killed their starters, and did not ask for more. Bread baking takes time, patience and practice and a deep interest. Not everybody is dedicated to such a project.
Enhancing my baking skills has been my pandemic project. I only go to work and essential other places. No traveling or socializing, so baking has become a best friend to keep me occupied. There is too much at stake if I transmit infection to people I take of.
Would love to see more discard recipes, as I try not to waste product. One tried and true recipe I use is for buttermilk biscuits by Sarah Owen. I have picky eaters at home, but they love the biscuits. I have baked loaves for a few friends with great appreciation.
I don't think my starter is too acidic as the flavor is quite mild, especially with shorter final fermentation times. I do smell a hint of acetone, but this aroma dissipates completely when incorporated into a dough. Reaches it's peak after feeding at about 8-10 hours, depending on how warm the room is.
Enjoy everybody's posts. Keep baking and sharing your experiences fellow Loafers! Thank you Andrew for being our Loaf Leader.