Holy Sourdough Starter Batman!

It's official.  I now have enough sourdough starter to begin making sourdough bread!  Actually, that's an understatement.  It'd be more accurate to say that I have a vat of sourdough starter, and I'm hoping that no extraordinary act of macroevolution occurs overnight to transform this pool of seemingly innocent microorganisms into a new species capable of collective organization and intent.

If you are interested in making your own starter, I have to (again) put in a plug for actually getting your hands on the book, Crust and Crumb, by Peter Reinhart.  I can't really replicate all of his helpful notes here, which is why having the book is helpful.

Here's the gist of what I did:

Day 1:  Mixed 1 c. organic, whole-wheat flour; 1 Tbsp. diastatic barley malt syrup; 1 tsp. honey; and 1 c. water (used to soak 1 c. organic raisins prior to addition).
Day 2:  Added 1 c. unbleached bread flour; 1/2 tsp. malt, 1 tsp. honey; and 3/4 c. water.
Day 3:  Added 2 c. unbleached bread flour; 1/2 tsp. malt, and 1 1/2 c. water.
Day 4:  Discarded 2 1/2 c. starter.  Then added 2 c. unbleached bread flour and 1 1/2 c. water.
Day 5:  Added 4 c. unbleached bread flour and 3 c. water.

OOOooo bubbly goodness!

Fresh ingredients were stirred in each evening before bed.  The starter was kept at room temperature for development but has since been transferred to the refrigerator for storage.  The plan now:

• While in use, Refresh the starter every 2 days (by disposing of half, then adding back a 4:3 ratio of flour:water by volume).
• To make dough, take the starter out of the fridge 1 hour prior to mixing.
• When not in use (short term), keep refrigerated and build up with two refreshments prior to use.
• When not in use (long term), freeze the starter for up to 6 months.  Thaw in the refrigerator and refresh 3 times before use.
• If the starter separates in the fridge, skim off the gray liquid prior to refreshing. (This liquor is called "hooch" after the Hoochinoo Indians who used to trade supplies with Alaskan gold miners to obtain the whiskey-like substance.)

Hopefully, I'll get a loaf of sourdough made this weekend.  Then I'll be able to report if this worked!  If so, I'll keep refreshing the starter for a couple of weeks.  Since I have to throw half away each time, I might be looking for volunteers to take some off my hands.  (Note: An acceptable form of compensation for *some* individuals might include a quality photograph of one of my loaves of sourdough... <wink, wink>)

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Good morning bread-baking companions!   The sourdough starter that I began on Monday is well underway, but since it will be a few days before I can make make a loaf with it, I thought I'd whip up some Cinnamon Raisin Bread for breakfast this morning:

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

3 Tbsp. oil (I used Safflower)
3 Tbsp. honey
1 1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. water

1 c. whole wheat flour
3 c. white bread flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. yeast

2/3 c. raisins, soaked in water then patted dry
2 Tbsp cinnamon sugar (1:3 ratio of cinnamon to sugar)

Mix the wet ingredients in a microwave-safe dish and microwave for 1 minute.  Mix dry ingredients separately.  Place preheated wet ingredients in the bottom of a mixer bowl and add the dry ingredients on top.  Mix for 1 1/2 minutes, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, mix together raisins and cinnamon sugar.  When bread is doubled in size, punch down and roll out into a rectangle.  Sprinkle the raisin mixture over the dough, then roll up the loaf, pinching all of the seams closed.  Place into a greased bread pan and let rise for another 30 minutes.  Cut diagonal slashes in the top.  Cook for 10 minutes at 400 ℉, then reduce the temperature to 375 ℉ and cook 25 minutes longer. 

By the way, did you know that 'companion' is a bread word?  It comes from the French compaignon, literally 'one who breaks bread with another', based on Latin com- 'together with' + panis 'bread'.

Adventures in Sourdough

Country White Sourdough

This week I'm somewhat reluctantly beginning a sourdough starter.  Truth be told, I'm a little bit daunted by the whole sourdough thing.  If there's any kind of bread that has a BIG reputation to live up to, it's sourdough.  I've already confessed that I'm an overachiever and a perfectionist which gives me cause for trepidation.  But alas, I promised my labmate a bread of his choosing, and he picked sourdough. *sigh*

But, this got me to wondering, what is it that makes sourdough bread sourdough?  I have been reading through various books on bread (and have consulted some old—quite hilarious—magazine clippings from 1988), and this is what I have been able to gather:

In any type of leavened bread (ie: stuff other than flatbread or matzo), yeast is the agent responsible for making dough rise.  That is because yeast eats sugar (which comes from the breakdown of starch in flour); then it burps up CO2 gas; and this gas gets trapped inside the dough, making it rise.  Commercial yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is the kind of yeast I typically employ.

But, when it comes to sourdough, there is another important microorganism involved: lactic bacteria.  Like commercial yeast, lactic bacteria eat sugar and burp up CO2.  But, they also produce lactic acid and acetic acid which result in "buttery" and "sour" flavors.  One of the more famous strains of lactic bacteria, Lactobacillus sanfrancisco, is the bug responsible for the distinctive flavor of San Francisco Sourdough.

This brings us to two important points:

1) Lactic bacteria need more time than commercial yeast to produce their respective biometabolites.  This is why 'normal bread' does not have the same flavor as sourdough; it is developed too fast for the other flavors to emerge.  This is also the reasoning behind using a sourdough starter.  Starters provide extra long fermentation times to gradually build up the dough and incorporate more lactic bacteria-derived flavors into the final product.

2) Commercial yeast isn't very tolerant of the acidic conditions produced by lactic bacteria if the two are co-fermented for longer periods of time.  Consequently, a different kind of yeast (one that is more compatible with the acidic conditions), Saccharomyces exiguus, is often used in sourdough starter.  S. exiguus is a wild yeast that grows ubiquitously, but two particularly common places to find it are on grapes and whole grains.  This is why organic, unbleached, whole wheat or rye flours are often used to begin starters.  This is also why the water used in starters is sometimes pre-soaked in raisins before adding it to the flour.  (Note: one of the worst things you can do is try make sourdough starter with bleached white flour!) 

For the time being, I have decided to go with a starter recipe that I found in Peter Reinhart's book, Crust and Crumb.  (A delightful read if I don't say so myself!)  I will post pictures of the starter and outline instructions in a few days.

Top 10 Essential Pantry Ingredients

If you are new to baking bread, it may be helpful to know what the 'essential' pantry ingredients are.  These are what I consider to be the ingredients that either cannot be dispensed with, or are just so downright tasty that I keep them close at hand.  Consider adding these to your shopping list if you are headed to the store this weekend:

1. Unbleached White Bread Flour
2. Whole Wheat Flour
3. Active Dry Yeast
4. Honey
5. Oil (any kind, but Canola if I only had one)
6. Salt
7. Rye Flour (good for making starters)
8. Granulated Sugar
9. Cinnamon (cinnamon-swirl bread = yummy!)
10. Corn Meal (for the bottom of rustic-type loaves)

Of course, I've ended up accumulating a lot of other fun ingredients too!  Any type of flour, seed, nut, sweetener, oil, or grain can be used in bread-making. (Warning: If you acquire very many of these items, you may have to also invest in some organizational tupperware!)

In coming posts, I hope to address the properties of some of these ingredients more specifically.  In the mean time, remember that experimenting is a great way to learn!

Easy White Bread

"I feel thin—sort of stretched—like butter scraped over too much bread..."  Bilbo Baggins

As the end of August approaches, I'm sure that many of you can appreciate the feeling of being stretched too thin as the summer draws to a close.  The past couple of months have felt to me like one big game of musical chairs, with everybody vying to get somewhere else.  Often this results in a number of unanticipated activities and events when we are the ones being visited.

Sometimes, I honestly don't have the time or energy to participate in all of the hubub.  But, I figure that everyone can appreciate a fresh-out-of-the-oven loaf with breakfast. That's why recently, when I found myself in this situation, I put together this loaf for some visiting family to enjoy in my absence:

Easy White Bread

2 Tbsp. butter
1 3/4 c. water
4 c. bread flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar

Melt butter in a microwave-safe dish; add water and microwave for 1 minute more. Mix dry ingredients separately. Place preheated wet ingredients in the bottom of a mixer bowl and add the dry ingredients on top. Mix for 1 1/2 minutes, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Punch down and shape dough into a loaf. Let rise for another 30 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with flour. Cook for 35-40 minutes at  375 ℉. Allow bread to cool slightly before delivering to hungry family and friends!

PS Don't Forget To Play!

This postscript comes from a note that I received recently from my aunt.  The phrase is borrowed, and she’s not the only family member admonishing me with it these days...  

You see, recently my younger brother graduated from college.  During the commencement ceremony, one of the speakers emphasized the importance of graduates not getting so tied up in work that they forget to play.   And so there I was, minding my own business in the dimly lit balcony of the university auditorium, when all the eyes of my family members suddenly turned in unison… to me.

Methinks I must be guilty of this transgression.

It is admittedly hard to fit ‘play’ into the schedule.  I have lived most of my life as an accomplished overachiever, and the most recent chapter in this book is that I have enrolled in a doctoral program in chemistry.  I have no intention of using this blog to hash out all the gory details of lab-life, but for the sake of my readers who aren’t familiar with this lifestyle, I will be brief:  I am expected to work a minimum of 60 hours a week in lab; I am permitted one day off on the weekend; my program lasts five (or more) years; and no, I don’t get summers off.

Clearly, playing has limitations – but it’s not impossible!

Six months ago, I was flipping through a book titled, Bread Machine: How to Prepare and Bake the Perfect Loaf, by Jennie Shapter.  The book has the most magnificent pictures of bread I have ever seen.  But there was a problem: I didn’t have a bread machine.  Then in occurred to me:  I am a chemist who ‘cooks’ in lab all day.  If anyone has the skills to figure out how to make these loaves without a bread machine, it’s me.

So, I made a loaf… and another… and another… and discovered that I love making bread.  For me, it is the epitome of playing.

So, consider this an invitation to join me as I play, experiment, and tinker with recipes.  You don’t have to be an expert to join in the conversation, and you don’t have to quit your day job to participate and have fun.  Happy baking!