Sourdough SVGS

Sourdough SVGS 

Sour Notes - Spilling The Contents [And Tips]

 

The Contents Page Of My Sour Notes Journal

And Misc. Sourdough Related Notes

A Closer Look

Sourdough Discard - Assorted Notes

 

In my Sour Notes Journal was a title page, designating the section of Discard Recipes.

The page had been mostly blank, with just the phrase "Discard Recipes" in the center.

That seemed a waste.  I pay for my printing by the page, not by the ink usage. [Thank you HP Instant Ink].  So I might as well fill the page with random notes...

Here's what I stuck on there:

Double Double, Toil & Trouble - Sourdough Starter

 

Experimenting with feeding sourdough starter - getting it to double in size

Easy Overnight Sourdough

 
Easy Overnight Sourdough

This recipe is page 16 in my Sour Notes Sourdough Journal.  See more here:

https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2023/12/sour-notes-adventures-in-sourdough.html

Sourdough Discard Pizza

 
Quick and Easy Sourdough Discard Pizza

The key: Make sure your pan is good and hot before you add the discard, then swirl it gently so it covers the pan, not too thickly.  Cook, add the toppings, then cook again.

Two differnt recipes, one one printable page, below

Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread - A Comparison Of Variations

Every time I make soft sourdough sandwich bread, I am asked if I tried such and such a recipe.

I love that, really I do.  But SO many of the recipes are the same, just under different names. Below  are four very popular recipes, all with some variation.  One even offers an added commercial yeast option if you are in a hurry or your starter is lagging...  

These are not the only recipes out there.  And the chart below is a "condensed" version of the recipes.  To read the entire recipe, visit the sites:

The Kitchen Joy Soft Sourdough
Pantry Mama Soft Sourdough
Feathered Nester Soft Sourdough
Farmhouse On Boone Soft Sourdough

As for which one is my favorite..  we haven't gotten that far into the experiment yet.  :-)  Step one was to narrow down the most popular variations of  a soft sourdough bread recipe.  Now, let the baking begin...

This is currently page 21 in the Sour Notes Sourdough Log Book shown in most of my photos.  It's my personal sourdough journal with all sorts of tips, charts, recipes, experiments...  Someday I'll put it all in a pdf you all can download, but for now, you can see most of the pages here:

https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2023/12/sour-notes-adventures-in-sourdough.html

Extra Starter Sourdough

[printable recipe at bottom of post]

This "Extra Starter" sourdough is a recipe I've been making a lot recently.  It's pretty forgiving.  For this particular loaf, I did one stretch and fold, got called away to help a neighbor, then rushed off to evening plans, completely forgetting about the dough.  I came home, HOURS later, did a second stretch and fold, left it sit on the counter for a couple more hours, then stuck it in the fridge.

Sourdough Log [or journal] Sheets

 

If you ask me my "Method" for making sourdough, I may look at your  blankly for a minute.

Not because I don't have a method, but because I have at least 12.  It depends on the day.  I've been making sourdough off and on for more than 20 years, but only recently did I get "serious" about it.

Sourdough Sandwich Loaf

 

Sourdough Sandwich Loaf

Although I love a traditional crusty loaf of sourdough... the reality is, "regular" bread - shaped for sandwiches and  toast - is a lot more popular in our house.  This is the bread I make most often.

Sourdough Discard Pretzel Bites

Sourdough Discard Pretzel Bites

Once again I fell for an internet craze.  These pretzel bites are all the rage on my sourdough lists right now.  "Best Ever!"  "Amazing!"  "First Time I Have Farmers Market Quality Pretzels To Sell!"

So of course I had to make them.  And as with most things that are over hyped, I was disappointed.  Not because they aren't good - they are GOOD.  They are not mind blowing-ly awesome.  They are good. Maybe even very good.  But most pretzel recipes are, even [dare I say it?]  ones without the sourdough discard.  

Bread Flour Protein Percentages

In 2023 I delved into the science behind sourdough baking.  Although I've been making sourdough off and on for decades, I've always done it rather..  haphazardly.  Like my ancestors, quite honestly.  But these days people are SERIOUS about their sourdough, and I was curious.

On the whole, after using scales and obsessing over temps and exact rise amounts..  my best bread was still when I just stopped obsessing and made bread.  

But that hasn't stopped my fascination with some of the method discussions - such as, the importance of bread flour.  This was an interesting, and frustrating journey.  One of the most interesting things to me was to find that regular flour in Canada has more protein than our bread flour in America.  And our wheat has more gluten, than the wheat grown in Europe.
There is no standard for protein content in flour in America.  It varies by brand.  In one brand I found that the protein content was identical in their All Purpose [AP] flour as in their bread flour.  In another, the label I found online shows less protein than the label I read in my own store.  [See chart at the top of the page].

How important is the protein amount in flour when making bread?  Like absolutely everything else in sourdough, it depends.  But here's the basic explanation:

"Ultimately, if the proteins in flour form gluten, then the more protein in the flour — i.e., the higher its protein content — the more gluten-forming potential that flour has. Another way to think about it: the higher the protein content, the “stronger” the flour."
I've made great bread with AP flour.  I've made bread that didn't rise as well with AP flour.  I have made great bread with Bread Flour.  I've made bread that didn't rise as well with bread flour.  The protein is only one part of the equation.  

Use this formula to determine the percentage of protein in flour:
(x) grams of protein per (y) grams of flour
(x) x 100 = (z)
(z) / (y) = % of protein content in the flour

 If there is 4 grams of protein per 30 grams of flour, you need to multiply 4 by the number 100 and then divide by 30  This flour has a protein content of 13.33%.  The percentages will never be exact, because labels are not that precise.  But it will give you a rough percentage.
I also checked the flour at Aldi, thinking that because it's a German company the bread may have a higher protein - but they were on par with gold medal, at 3 grams per a 30g serving - or 10%.  My best options locally are King Arthur, Wheat Montana, and Heckers, all having about 13% protein.

Find an Index Of My Sourdough Experiments & Forays, here:

https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2023/12/sour-notes-adventures-in-sourdough.html

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Printable Page For My Sourdough Journal:

Sour Notes - Adventures In Sourdough

 

An Index Of My Adventures In Sourdough

Recipes, Tools, Printables, and Other Random Things

Sourdough Discard Crackers

 

Making Crackers with unfed, or "sourdough discard".

Many sourdough bakers discard part of their starter each time they feed it.  You can use that "discard", in so many recipes - crackers being one of the most popular.   As I work my way through my sourdough recipe collection, these are the Sourdough Discard Recipes I had saved.  I'll update the post as I try each recipe, and decide which methods, and flavors, are my favorites.

Sour Notes - One Dough, Two Techniques

 
Two Methods Compared Using The Same Sourdough

Continuing my adventures with sourdough.. I've been working on technique comparisons. This past week I took two batches of the exact same dough, and used two different methods. One sat on the counter, one sat in the fridge.

I did not get as much rise on the dough from the fridge. But in a blind taste test, everyone preferred the flavor, even though it was a tad more dense. Both loaves were good - but the one where the dough sat in the fridge was just better.

The Recipe - This is the reliable recipe that has never failed me.

You should be able to right click and "save as" if you would like to print this to use yourself.

This week I'm going to add an autolyse for comparison- that just means I'll be combining the water and flour and letting them sit a bit before I add the starter.

I'm really enjoying all of this very much. But I will say that pumpkin shaped loaves are not overly practical for sandwiches or toast.. Still, I can't resist playing with the pumpkin shape, this time of year. I saw recently where someone makes theirs in a roaster (not a Dutch oven) and I think I may try that soon - a longer oval loaf is more practical for us most of the time.

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See more of my sourdough log book here:

https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2023/10/creating-my-sourdough-journal.html

Sour Notes - Hydration in Sourdough

 

Slowly but surely, I've been building my own Sourdough Logbook - all of my notes and recipes in one place, along with my favorite recipes.  This is a compilation of various notes I've found helpful, regarding  hydration in sourdough, and how to calculate the "Bakers Percentages"

Printable version at the bottom of this post,  just right click and save as.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Sourdough Cookie Recipe

 
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Sourdough Discard Cookie Recipe
Adapted from The Boy Who Bakes

Sourdough discard is the portion of your sourdough starter that is removed and discarded before feeding the remaining starter.   When I feed my sourdough starter, I pour the "discard" into a container I keep in the fridge.  That discard can be used in so many recipes - including crackers, waffles, pancakes..  and cookies.  

Creating My Sourdough Journal - Assorted Printables

 
Starting My Sourdough Journal

I've been working through my collection of sourdough recipes this year, attempting to sort them out and keep only the recipes I love.  However, I didn't really keep track  specifically of what I liked, and what I didn't.  

And then I learned about sourdough logs.  And if I'm going to print a notebook full of logs, I may as well add some tips, and charts...  

https://amzn.to/3rzXS9f

Any regular binder or portfolio would work for this too - I just happen to already own a binding machine.  Ok, I technically own two.  One that does solid bindings (I like that better for genealogy books - I can label the thin spine) and one that does this comb style binding - which opens up flat and is better for cookbooks.  I rarely use the thermal "solid" binding one - it's more fickle, and the books don't open flat.  But this comb style one has been used hard.  It's simple to use.  I've made genealogy books, a Soap Making notebook, many, many family cookbooks,  a book of all of the winter sampler knit  along patterns...  

The really nice thing about this comb style is that you can put the completed book back in the machine, open the comb back up, and add or replace pages.  

My sourdough journal is nowhere near complete, but here  are a few of the printables I have compiled so far for in it: