The Baking Thread

[leggo PE]

I know there's some chemistry/biology involved here, but I'm new to the baking scene (been doing this for 2 months). My mother in law gave me some of her starter two months ago when she visited, and it's been going since 2005, so I guess there's some nostalgia to it. Anyway, per her instructions, I keep it in the fridge (jar with lid on but not tightened), and every 5-7 days I feed it and have it sitting on the counter for 8 hours minimum, then I put back in the fridge. I'll toss out a cup or at least half of it if I'm not using it that week.

So Tuesday, I realized I forgot to feed (usually I feed it Saturday or Sunday). After one feeding, I noticed a whitish ("hooch" as you call it?) floating on top, so I discarded that and fed it a second time. I'm not seeing anything green or brown, and it looks like stuff was floating/moving around as before, so I think it's ok. I'll feed it again in the next couple of days.

If anyone has a good pumpernickel recipe I can use with the starter that can also be used with a breadmaker (we have a Cuisinart CBK-200), please send it. I would love to make some pumpernickel.

@leggo PE , your spelt pan loaf AND your sourdough boule look amazing!

It sounds like you’ll be fine! I’m glad you know about keeping the starters in the fridge. I’ve gone probably a good 2-3 long, dark months of no sourdough baking with the starters in the fridge and have always been able to bring them back just fine.

 

[DLD PE]

How long do you typically keep starter in the fridge between feedings? My MIL told me 3-7 days, but could I go longer?

 

[leggo PE]

How long do you typically keep starter in the fridge between feedings? My MIL told me 3-7 days, but could I go longer?

I stretch it much longer! 7 days is what I aim for, but generally I sometimes go up to 2-3 weeks. I do try not to go longer than that, but have gone up to 2 or months (in which case, you’ll definitely get a hooch forming because the starter will get so hungry).

 

[snickerd3]

Made some paczkis this weekend. Had a little help from the 6yr old....shook in the sugar a little too hard.

 

[Supe]

I disagree, sugar quantity looks just right!

Did you fill them with anything? I haven't had those in years, really ought to try making some. I just hate the cleanup associated with frying/oil disposal.

 

[snickerd3]

The super sugared ones I did. She shook so hard the sugar fell off and outer layers started falling off.

No, I didn't fill them. I'm not a filled donut type of person in general. I fried in a deep pot so there wasn't a lot of splash back. I hear you on the deep frying mess cleanup. We don't typically deep fry for that reason either.

 

[leggo PE]

It’s a heavy dough week in the leggo household! Bagel dough made and shaped yesterday, baked today, by me. Pizza dough made today (some of which is to be baked tonight, yum!) by Mr. leggo. And tomorrow, I’ll be making bread dough to be baked on Saturday, S.E. Review class be damned!





All sourdough, natürlich! Also, I apologize for the sideways photos.... I still have not figured out how to rotate the photos when posting from my phone. At this point, I probably never will figure it out.

 

[leggo PE]

I should say, I’ve been working on my bagel shaping technique a lot. They’re not perfect (you can see some separation of my dough seams on some of them), but they are improving! For some reason, I refuse to shape the dough portions into balls and just poke a hole in them, like I’d done previously. I simply must roll them into fat sausages and try my best to convince slightly tapered ends to fuse together by gently rolled them with my index, middle, and ring finger against my humongous bread board (which is definitely one of my favorite kitchen tools — no cutting allowed!), hoping the ends will fuse together and not separate in the overnight retardation, boiling, or baking stage, not to forget I don’t want to deflate the perfectly supple, risen, possibly over-proofed bagel dough. Trust me, I need more than a hope and prayer!

 

[LyceeFruit PE]

My best friend and her partner have agreed to check in on my dog while I'm at work (I'm now ~40min commute) so she's crated. They're taking payment in baked goods. I'm excited because I've missed baking and they'll try anything.

I made lemon rolls from ButterBeReady over the weekend and more miso chocolate chip cookies.

I'm going to make anadama rolls this weekend and see what else I got stored away on my pintrest account to test on them.

 

[leggo PE]

Ridiculous rise on these two little boules:

 

[akwooly]

First attempt at challah bread

 

[leggo PE]

First attempt at challah breadView attachment 21543

That looks great! Isn’t the braiding easier than you expect? And then it comes out looking amazing! How did it taste?

 

[akwooly]

Thanks Leggo! The three strand braid was easy and looks cool. My kids think I am some kind of pro baker now. It tasted delicious. And it makes awesome French toast.

 

[Dothracki PE]

I made cinnamon rolls two weeks ago. The rolls came out pretty well but the glaze was a little clumpy even after a lot of mixing. Still tasted good, so I guess that's what counts.

 

[JayKay PE]

Forgot to post. Made some espresso brownies, a strawberry cream shortbread cake, and a black velvet birthday cake this weekend. Wasn’t able to test the cake itself (tasted good, but they collapsed in the middle/baked through. It was a very “melting chocolate cake” situation. Going to have to tweak the recipe a little)

 

[snickerd3]

i didn't get any pictures, but I made Mr snick a Gluten Free Carrot Cake with a cream cheese frosting for his birthday this past weekend. I hate carrot cake so I have no input on the flavor, but mr snick said it was AMAZING. He said if he didn't already know he wouldn't be able to tell it was gluten free. He has diverticulitis so I didn't include the nuts. The way he plowed through it, I would say he liked this recipe better than my regular carrot cake recipe.

The only issue with all from scratch gluten free baking is shelf life. even in the fridge it started getting soggy middle after a day.

 

[leggo PE]

I made bread the day before the S.E. Exams.

 

[DLD PE]

I made bread the day before the S.E. Exams.

View attachment 21653

Dang @leggo PE that looks so good!

I need your help. I have been keeping up my sourdough starter my mother-in-law gave me, but it makes a "sweet" sourdough bread. Everyone else (including me) seems to like non-sweet breads (there is an artisan bread I enjoy making as well as a simple "white" bread in the bread machine my wife and son like). Is there a way to make a more "sour" sourdough with my starter? Or should I start altering what I feed it? My mil gave me a recipe to feed it: 1/2 cup of sugar, 3 tablespoons of potato flakes and 1 cup of warm water. That's what I'm supposed to feed it anyway.

 

[snickerd3]

when people talk about sour dough starter...this is what pops to mind

 

[leggo PE]

Dang @leggo PE that looks so good!

I need your help. I have been keeping up my sourdough starter my mother-in-law gave me, but it makes a "sweet" sourdough bread. Everyone else (including me) seems to like non-sweet breads (there is an artisan bread I enjoy making as well as a simple "white" bread in the bread machine my wife and son like). Is there a way to make a more "sour" sourdough with my starter? Or should I start altering what I feed it? My mil gave me a recipe to feed it: 1/2 cup of sugar, 3 tablespoons of potato flakes and 1 cup of warm water. That's what I'm supposed to feed it anyway.

Ah, a sweet starter! I’ve never had one before, but have heard of them. I am definitely a savory bread gal, but have been known to introduce sweet add ins (I’m looking at you, Golden raisins!) and make sweet things (hellooo brioche cinnamon rolls!!) with my regular old sourdough starter.

If you’re game to experiment, I would take a clean jar/container/whatever you keep your starter in, and put a 1 or 2 teaspoons of your sweet starter in it. Then I’d mix in 2 oz of warm water, and 2 oz of your flour of choice (I’d probably start with all purpose, if it has a good protein amount, or otherwise rye flour, if you happen to have it). Feed like this, discarding at every feeding and keeping at room temperature (or in a warm place, if your home is on the colder side), 2x a day for a few days, and see if the transformed starter doubles in size. I am not sure, it might happen right away!

I’m guessing this sounds much like how you may or may not feed your sweet starter, but with only the ingredients of the starter, flour and water.

If this doesn’t work, I’d try making a starter with flour and water from scratch, but that can take upwards of two weeks to get going depending on a multitude of factors. Still, it’s a viable option!