Let me just start out by saying this is all my friend, CJ’s fault. So much of what happens around here is CJ’s fault and I’ve always believed in giving credit where credit is due so . . this whole blog post, the credit card bill that is going to send Vince into a fit, the hours and hours I’ve spent figuring this out . . all CJ’s fault.
Through the years, I’ve made sourdough bread. I even had Herman for a while. He was kinda like sourdough. Like all the previous sourdough I’ve messed with, the Herman starter came from a friend, probably wasn’t real sourdough at all but I did it and I enjoyed it. I haven’t had sourdough going for several years but after seeing CJ’s bread, decided that I had to get some real sourdough and try this.
What CJ didn’t mention in those posts was that you need a Ph.D. in Sourdoughology to do this. I swear . . it’s worse than having an infant around. I’ve been messing with this for almost two weeks and we enjoyed our first sourdough bread this afternoon.
I started by ordering a starter from these folks . . just as CJ recommended. It arrived. I read the instructions . . which is where I realized I was probably in over my head. The first indication that I might have a problem was when I said to put it all in the “proofing box”. What proofing box? No one told me I needed a proofing box! CJ??
There had to be some way around that. All I had to do was keep the starter at 90º for 24 hours. I dug out a thermometer and on my front porch in the shade, it was exactly 90º. But, at night, it would be about 72º. That created a bit of a problem. So, I rigged up a proofing box . . my big canner in the laundry room with the a/c vent closed with my Scentsy warmer (minus the smell good) down in the canner, with the lid partially on. That worked. Feed it, stir it, divide it, do this, do that. Oh . . and if it smells really bad, it’s probably contaminated and needs to be ‘washed’. What? Wash the sourdough starter? And did it smell bad? Oh, my . . the whole house smelled like someone threw up . . last week!
At this point, I decided my starter was definitely contaminated . . and they say most all flour has some contamination so it’s not unusual to have the starter get contaminated and need to be washed. This is when the decision was made to order a different starter . . maybe one that didn’t require quite so much expertise and babysitting. I ordered a starter from King Arthur, as well as a starter from Breadtopia. Then I read on a website that it’s normal for the starter to smell like someone threw up . . last week . . and after a few days, that smell goes away. So, I kept feeding and watering and babying the first starter and sure enough, the smell went away.
Finally, the starter seems to be alive and growing and bubbling and doing what it’s supposed to do.
Saturday I decided to start a batch of bread . . two batches to be exact. This picture was taken after I’d fed the starter, let it sit 2 – 4 hours, then divided it and fed it again and then it needed to sit at about 70º for 2 hours and then at about 80º for 8 hours and then mixed up for the bread dough and allowed to sit for . . heck I don’t know . . I sure hope this all gets easier after a few times or either the bread is so good that it’s worth what I’m going through. Notice the little container . . that’s the King Arthur starter that I haven’t even been brave enough to open yet. I do believe I’m going to need another fridge for all this starter and culture and whatever else they call the various steps.
I’m happy to say that the bread worked. It’s delicious and I’ll write another post about that.
Mel Meister says
The King Arthur starter is much easier to use. Unfortunately, I let mine die for lack of feeding.
Linda in NE says
Somebody gave me some starter for the Amish Friendship Bread once……I’ll never get sucked into that trap again, let me tell you.
Terry says
I make sourdough bread often but I don’t have to go through all that trouble. Byron’s grandmother showed me how to make it. She made it for over 50 years. She kept a ball of dough from the previous batch of bread in a small container in the fridge. The night before she wanted to make bread she would make a sponge with the dough ball. Mixing it with warm water and flour. She would leave this out over night and in the morning add the rest of her ingredients to the sponge and make her bread. I got my starter from breadtopia too. I needed a fresh starter because I let mine sit way too long in the fridge without using it and it went bad. She had since passed away so I ordered from breadtopia. I made refreshed the starter like he suggests in his video on my counter. No special proofer needed. I made bread and kept out a small ball of dough before making my loaves. I put the ball of dough on counter for a few hours then in the fridge it goes. I start with a sponge the night before bread baking day just like she did. Hope this helps and sorry it is a long post.
Alma says
It has been decades since I did the sourdough thing. Once was enough for this lifetime.
I like CJ but not going to be messing with that no matter how good she makes it sound!
Shirley Albertson Owens (sao) says
You have to be one of the most interesting people ever! Spider bites, broken foot – and you are baking bread! What a woman!
I never knew making sourdough bread could be so complex!
sao in Midlothian, VA
Helen Koenig1 says
Judy – I’ve made sourdough bread A LOT (although it’s been about 5 years since the last batch). Never had that much trouble! Did several different types too – the French Lactic starter, the honest to goodness start from scratch one (not as much fun – doesn’t have the history of one that’s been handed down from the wagon trains west!) and the one that goes with Friendship Bread. Never had this much problem.
When I got ready – I added my flour early morning – to essentially double or increase my batch. Then when a couple or more hours went by – I scooped some out to save for my next batch – usually anywhere from 1 cup to a pint depending on how much I had (oh – and the more you use it = the mellower it gets!). As for “proofing box” – unless you’re talking about my oven – which is where I usually put ANY rising bread – to keep dust out of it (with some sort of tie on the front so I KNOW I have something in the oven) that was it. Rising time – usually depended on humidity, the room temp – and how much of a hurry I was in. If in a tearing hurry – sometimes the second batch I would flatten out, cut in floured circles – and bake on the griddle – sort of like English Muffins, or I might make rolls or mini-loaves of bread. If I had the time I would let it rise until double in bullk – somewhere usually around an additional 2 hours (once I have added the rest of my ingredients). Regardless – it usually turned out pretty good – both for my family, my parents family and sometimes for various other folks as well.
Dana says
I have been using my King Arthur Flour starter for years, and believe me, if I had to go thru all that I would never have made the bread!
Denise Fischer says
I had several different sourdough starters from Sourdough International and totally ignored their proofing directions. It was great stuff and always worked despite my lack of compliance with their directions. I think sourdough starters should be survival of the fittest sourdough. Either it survives or you chuck it and get a different one.
Now I have a gluten intolerance and can’t use any of them, but recently found a rice flour sourdough and am trying it.