You wouldn't believe it, but within about 3 hours, the white one had already almost double and the green was on it's way. I've realized that the key is more regular feedings!
I had to do something, and I wasn't sure if I should just feed it again and leave it...but, if I did that, it would sure overflow while I was sleeping. So...I decided to make some bread!
Given that my starter was mostly whole wheat flour (instead of unbleached white), it wouldn't make the ideal sourdough bread, but I felt like it was time!
 |
| The next couple batches will get whiter and whiter like classic sourdough |
 |
| About 2.5-3 hours after the last feeding |
 |
| Time to do something! |
 |
| lots of bubbles!!!!!!!!!!! |
I'm missing pictures on a few steps here. But, here's what I did. I took out 3/4 cup of my more successful starter (the white one), and placed it in a large bowl to make the dough for my bread.
I added 2 cups of sifted, unbleached, white flour (spooned into the measuring cup instead of scooped, so it's not packed as tightly), and just barely over 1 cup of water, and 1 tsp of salt. The dough looked like a big flour-y mess.
I then floured the counter, and kneaded the dough until it looked like this...Smoother texture, elastic-y and all the flour worked in. Then, I kneaded it into a round. I oiled a large bowl, put the dough in (coating all sides).
 |
| notice the flecks from the whole wheat flour starter |
I let it rise overnight (about 12-13 hours). It about doubled or tripled its size.
Then, I placed it on a floured counter top, and kneaded it very gently. Just enough to get the big air bubble out. I formed it into a round. Once I put it on the counter, the dough lost a lot of its size, but that's ok because it was all air. I placed it on an oiled cookie sheet and covered it with plastic wrap again. (You're supposed to put cornmeal on the bottom, but I didn't have any.) I preheated the oven to 400 degrees and let it rise a little more (about 30-45 min).
Then, sliced a few hash marks in the dough with a super sharp knife. I baked it for just over an hour.
I sprayed the oven and the dough with a water about every 5-10 minutes to get the crispy crust. I'm not sure why the color on some parts is so light, but I think because of the whole wheat flour. Or, maybe I was spraying it too often.
Then we ate some! It was only slightly sour, but the texture inside was spot on. It was slightly chewy, and soft. Really good! I am amazed that after a whole week, I finally have some real bread...Yes!!!!!!!!
Oh and forgot to mention, the white starter is now in the fridge, and should only need weekly feedings instead of daily or twice daily.
No comments:
Post a Comment