Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2011 09:35:30 GMT -------------- BEGIN bread-bakers.v111.n007 -------------- 001 - "Joan" Subject: Re: sourdough conversion technique Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2011 06:22:51 -0500 Hi, I am a long time subscriber, mostly lurker, but consider myself a sourdough "maven". This information comes from my website I once had on the Net for a myriad of culinary topics; one being a sourdough primer. I am sure there are other conversion techniques but I have had success with the following. Many of my former subscribers told me how great the following information was. Remember, for success one must have a viable and reliable sourdough starter. I have used a variety of cultures ( starters ) and often have used this one below, free from this site: http://carlsfriends.net/ The site is worth reading for the history as well as chock full of sourdough information, photos and recipes! I thought you may enjoy it! Joan p.s I am off on vacation shortly and will be unable to respond to any emails A TECHNIQUE TO CONVERT YOUR OWN BREAD RECIPE INTO SOURDOUGH BREAD : This basic method ( with some of my changes ) comes from Sourdough Jack's Cookery ( 1959 ) and is a reliable technique that will turn your favorite bread recipe ( buns, breads etc. ) into a very good sourdough one. You must have a good reliable starter. Try your favorite one loaf non-sourdough yeast recipe such as white, anadama, oatmeal or any yeast white flour bread recipe ( even buns and rolls ) to convert to a 100% sourdough loaf. All such converted recipes come out very well! 1. Place one cup of your favorite active sourdough starter in a large bowl with about 2/3 of the total flour called for in your recipe. Add all the milk or water to make a stirable thick batter. You don't want a dough but a batter. 2. Cover the bowl and set aside the mixture in a warm place for 14 to 16 hours. Ex: in the winter I place the bowl on top of my radiator cover. The longer it stands, the more sour it gets. This sponge mixture will get bubbly and light. 3. Now add all the additional ingredients ( such as salt, sugar, oil, eggs etc. ) called for in your recipe except the remaining flour. "Do not include any yeast or baking soda- omit them!" Please trust your starter. If the starter is bubbly and active, the recipe will turn out okay. 4. Add the remaining flour, mix and knead well by hand, adding additional flour only if needed to make a soft pliable non-sticky dough. Dough will smooth and elastic but just a bit softer than your typical yeast dough recipes. 5. Let the dough rest 10 minutes, covered. 6. Form your dough into a loaf ( or loaves ) and place dough in the pan(s) or how your recipe instructs. 7. Let the dough rise, to the tops of the pan(s) or until light and puffy in a warm place. Patience- this takes so much longer than standard yeast dough recipes - often many hours !.! ( again in the winter I place the pan on top of my radiator ) 8. Bake and cool as your recipe instructs. Your bread should have a nice soft interior, a good chewy crust and that special sourdough tang. --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v111.n007.2 --------------- From: Leslie Lim Pheng Siang Subject: Converting regular bread recipes to sourdough Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2011 15:01:07 +0800 Hi everyone, I like to share how I would convert regular recipes to sourdough. Let's say your formula for 2 loaves is this: 1600g flour 1120g water 32g salt 16g yeast Total dough weight: 2768g How much sourdough starter to use depends on the weather or your room temperature. If it's hot, use 20% starter to the final dough. Double that amount if it is cold. Eg: starter to use is 2752 x 0.2 = 550g (here I omit the yeast weight). Now you know you need about 550g starter. Let's assume you have 100% hydration starter. Meaning half water and half flour. Work backwards to get the initial amount of starter to refresh: - Divide this by 3 for the third refresh (550 / 3 = 183.333g) - Divide again for second refresh (183.333 / 3 = 61.111g) - Divide again to get the first refresh (61.111 / 3 = 20.370g). This amount is your starting weight for your starter (of course if you get an amount smaller than 15g at the second refresh, stop there.) Add 20g flour and 20g water to your 20g starter (from the fridge). Let rise until it peaks and drops a little. Then repeat refreshing by adding 60g flour and 60g water. When peaked add 180g flour and 180g water. When peaked the third time, you are ready to mix your final dough. Minus the total starter flour (or water) to your original amount of flour (or water) to get 1600 - 20 - 60 - 180 = 1340g. There you have it. The final dough formula is: 1340g flour 440g water 32g salt No yeast is needed because you have refreshed your starter 3 times. It is strong enough to raise the final dough. I hope you like it. Leslie --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v111.n007.3 --------------- From: Reggie Dwork Subject: new theme Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2011 21:44:10 -0800 How about if we change the theme from muffins to biscuits?? I have been seeing quite a few recipes lately that are pretty interesting to me. Biscuits, The chemistry of Biscuits rise in the oven to become light and flaky not only from baking powder but also from the tiny flake-shaped pieces of butter or in the dough. These melt in the oven, leaving pockets of air that fill with steam from the moisture in the dough as it bakes. Baking powder dough must also be mixed just briefly to avoid developing the gluten in the flour, which toughebns the biscuits. Source: "Joy of Cooking" ************************ * Exported from MasterCook * Biscuits, Baking Powder Recipe By : Serving Size : 10 Preparation Time :0:15 Categories : Biscuits/Crackers/Crisps Bread-Bakers Mailing List Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup shortening 3/4 cup milk 1. Preheat oven to 450F (230C). 2. In a large mixing bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening with fork or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 3. Pour milk into flour mixture while stirring with a fork. Mix in milk until dough is soft, moist and pulls away from the side of the bowl. 4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and toss with flour until no longer sticky. Roll dough out into a 1/2" thick sheet and cut with a floured biscuit or cookie cutter. Press together unused dough and repeat rolling and cutting procedure. 5. Place biscuits on ungreased baking sheets and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Yield 8 to 12 biscuits Description: "With such a short list of ingredients, making great biscuits is all about technique." Source: "allrecipes.com" Start to Finish Time: "0:25" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 194 Calories; 11g Fat (51.5% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 2mg Cholesterol; 287mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Non-Fat Milk; 2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates. NOTES : There are drop biscuit and then there are flaky cut-out biscuits. They're made from a dough that the baker briefly kneads, pats flat, and cuts with a biscuit cutter--handling the dough as little as possible for tender, tasty results. Most biscuit recipes are variations on the same theme: flour, fat, milk or buttermilk, baking powder, and salt. It's how the ingredients are put together that really matters. --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v111.n007.4 --------------- From: Reggie Dwork Subject: Vermont Quark Biscuits Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2011 21:46:10 -0800 * Exported from MasterCook * (Biscuits) Vermont Quark Recipe By :Vermont Butter & Cheese Company, Websterville, Vermont Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Biscuits/Crackers/Crisps Bread-Bakers Mailing List Low Fat Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup quark cheese 2/3 cup water 1. Preheat oven to 450F. 2. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. 3. In a small bowl, whisk quark and water. 4. Make a well in the dry ingredients. Add quark mixture and stir with a fork just until blended. (Do not overmix.) 5. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead a few times and pat into a 1" thick circle. With a floured 2 1/2" round cutter, cut out biscuits and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Press dough scraps together and repeat to make 12 biscuits in all. 6. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until tops are golden and firm to the touch. Serve warm. MAKES 1 DOZEN BISCUITS. per biscuit: 110 cal, 4 g pro, 1 g fat, 1 gram sat fat, 19 g carb; 260 mg sod; 5 mg chol; 1 g fiber. Source: "Eating Well, Sept 1997" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 84 Calories; trace Fat (2.2% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 18g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 260mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Other Carbohydrates. NOTES : Ingredient Note: Quark is a mild, creamy fresh cheese that is low in fat. --------------- END bread-bakers.v111.n007 --------------- Copyright (c) 1996-2011 Regina Dwork and Jeffrey Dwork All Rights Reserved