The Holes Are Right

I have been experimenting with my sourdough bread for about a year now. The flavor of the loaves has been nice for a long time but I just couldn't get the holes right. By holes I mean the texture of the loaf. Gluten development traps water which turns to steam and makes the holes.

After trying what I thought was everything, at least everything I could find in online sourdough bread baking sites, I had given in to the no hole texture bread. It is very good, just not what I was looking for. I guess what I was looking for would be sourdough French bread style.

By accident I discovered the resolution. The main application I have been using was a San Francisco style sourdough style website. The author suggests using a covered stoneware bread baking dish. This has distinct advantages as it keeps the heat very uniform and traps moisture inside while baking. The trapped moisture makes for a nice glossy topped loaf. He also says not to preheat the oven. So, I didn't preheat...ever.

Come Alton Brown and his "Need Not Bread" application. Alton uses a dutch oven that is preheated to bake sourdough (which in my opinion is not true sourdough) bread. I tried it, burned it (too many briquettes) in my camp style dutch oven, and got perfect holes. Mary was happy and I was happy.

After experimenting with my "real" sourdough, cooking it in a preheated stoneware dish, in the gas oven I found, that was it. Very happy with my bread loaves now.

Is it a Baguette?

It's sixteen inches long by three and a half inches in diameter. It that a baguette or a french loaf or what? Tell me if you know.

I do need more eaters of bread. If Mary and I eat all the bread I make we will expand.

I'm on a Roll

Well, my first sourdough cinnamon rolls look like this. Believe me they are perfect, especially with the light drizzle of cream cheese glaze Mary made.

This is all well and good, but last year I dumped forty pounds. All this cooking and baking is not too good for that weight loss. I do have to at least sample my goods though, so I guess I just keep track of this high point stuff and eat less of the food that I should be eating more of. Aah, the trade off's of life. If anyone wants to help me out just drop by or give me a call.

1847 Oregon Trail Bread

Well I finally made it. I have been making sourdough bread from starter for over a month now. After at least ten pounds of flour and numerous attempts I have it (I think).

Each attempt takes between 16 and 36 hours by the time you get the starter to sponge, mix the loaf and get it to rise.....twice, and finally bake it. The sponge can take 6-24 hours, each rise 4-8 hrs (if it rises at all), and baking only 30-40 minutes. My first dough balls stayed just that, dough balls. Or they went flat and were useful for discus throwing. The flavor was OK, you just couldn't bite them.

There are numerous sourdough starters available and you can make your own. I started with my own, setting flour and water mixture out on the patio for four days until it catches a wild yeast I called it Camulos Way. Yes, you can name your sourdough starter. Mine worked but the yeast isn't wild enough. It won't raise the dough.

Then I found a starter called Goldrush. Sounded old and good but it just doesn't rise well enough either. I'm not sure why because it is a widely known commercial wild sourdough yeast and I paid three dollars for it.

Then while researching sourdoughs on the internet I found a FREE one called 1847 Oregon Trail. It comes from a pioneer family around Burns, OR. Try the link to read about it.  I sent away for a start of it because you just can't have enough different starters around. Wow, it worked the first time I tried it. The starter is very active and bubbles bunches. This makes for good bread.

Now I need to find someone who will help me eat it. Ha Ha