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SF Sourdough

Reggie and Jeff Dwork <reggie@best.com>
Sun, 18 Apr 1999 00:11:09 -0700 (PDT)
v099.n021.2
Recently we attended a class "San Francisco Sourdough vs. the French
Levain", given by Chef Kurtis Baguley.  It was an incredible class!!
He has graciously given permission for us to post the recipes from the
class.  If you ever have the opportunity to take a class from Kurtis,
don't pass up the chance.

Here are the recipes for the San Francisco sourdough and the barm and
firm starter.  The recipe for the French levain will follow next
week.  Since the barm will take you a week to make, you don't really
need either of the bread recipes until then, but here is one anyway.

Kurtis is a subscriber to Bread Bakers Digest and will answer
questions when he can, so please feel free to ask.

Jeff & Reggie

                     *  Exported from  MasterCook  *

                          Barm Sourdough Starter

Recipe By     : Kurtis Baguley
Serving Size  : 1    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Bread Bakers Mailing List        Breads
                Hand Made                        Starter

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
*****  NONE  *****

Day 1:

1     C     whole wheat flour, organic if possible
1     Tbsp  diastatic malt
1     tsp   honey
1     C     raisin water

(To make raisin water, soak raisins 15 to 20 minutes in 1 1/2 C water, 
then discard raisins.)

Mix all ingredients until they form a smooth sponge.  Cover loosely and 
allow to ferment at room temperature (65 to 75 F) for 24 hours.  Do not 
cover too tightly as it will form lactic acid.  Also do not cover too 
loosely.

Day 2:

1     C     unbleached bread flour, organic if possible
1/2   tsp   diastatic malt
1     tsp   honey
3/4   C     water

Add day 2 ingredients and mix well, making certain that all the flour is 
wet.  Cover again and allow to ferment at room temperature for another 24 
hours.

Day 3:

2     C     unbleached bread flour, organic if possible
1     tsp   diastatic malt
1 1/2 C     water

You should be seeing some signs of activity by the third day.  Add the day 
3 ingredients and mix well.  Don't worry if the previous day's sponge has 
separated.  Cover again and allow to ferment at room temperature for 
another 24 hours.

Day 4:

2     C     unbleached bread flour, organic if possible
1 1/2 C     water

There should be definite signs of fermentation in the form of bubbling and 
a faint smell of vinegar.  Discard half the starter.  Refresh with the day 
4 ingredients as on the previous days.  Cover again and allow to ferment 
at room temperature for another 24 hours.

Day 5:

2     C     unbleached bread flour, organic if possible
1 1/2 C     water

Discard half the barm.  Repeat the day 4 refreshment instructions.  You 
may begin building a sourdough loaf on day 6.

The next day (of the rest of your life):

Follow the basic refreshment pattern of one cup flour to 3/4 cups water 
for every two cups of barm.  You always want to approximately double the 
barm to ensure that the yeast has plenty on which to feed.  After a 
refreshment, allow the barm to remain at room temperature for 4 to 6 
hours, and then refrigerate until the next refreshment.

Refresh the barm every day or every other day, whichever pattern you find 
works best.  Some claim that better, more complex flavors come from a two 
day refreshment cycle.  You will have to refresh the barm on any day that 
you make bread in order to rebuild your maintenance volume.

You should keep enough barm to be able to make bread and have two cups 
left over.

When building a dough, it is recommended to remove the barm from the 
refrigerator one to two hours before you begin to allow the yeast to 
reawaken.  Catch the barm before it falls to make tomorrow's starter.

Never try building a dough from a barm that has just been refreshed.  
Always allow the barm to ferment four to six hours (and preferably 
refrigerate it overnight) before beginning.

On a day when you are not building a dough, but need to refresh the barm, 
discard to about half of your maintenance level and refresh as usual.  On 
a day when you begin to build a loaf, the discard goes toward the build 
(firm starter).

If you neglect the barm for four or five days to a week, discard all but a 
cup of barm and rebuild over two to three days of refreshment.  The barm 
may be considered neglected if there is a greyish liquor (known as 
"hooch") floating on top.  A healthy barm will have a definite feeling of 
life when you put your hand in it; a neglected barm will not.  It will 
feel like a flat pancake batter.

You may freeze barm for up to six months and refresh it (at least) three 
feedings to bring it back up to strength.

If you want to leave the barm unattended for a period of time, feed it and 
leave it for three hours at room temperature, then refigerate it.


                   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 


                     *  Exported from  MasterCook  *

                        Firm Starter For Sourdough

Recipe By     : Kurtis Baguley
Serving Size  : 1    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Bread Bakers Mailing List        Breads
                Hand Made                        Starter

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   4 1/2  Oz            Bread Flour -- (1 C)
   8      Oz            Barm -- (1 C)
                        Water
                        As Needed, Not Too Warm

Yields 12.5 oz of firm starter.

Hand method:

1) Stir together the barm and flour in a mixing bowl until it forms a 
ball.

2) Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and kneed for about 4 minutes 
or until all the flour is incorporated and you have a smooth, sticky 
dough.

3) Place the dough, covered, in a clean, non-reactive bowl and allow to 
ferment at room temperature for about 4 hours.  The dough should show 
definite signs of rising.  Allow it to rise about 50% and then refrigerate 
it, well covered, overnight.


Mixer method:

1) Combine barm and flour in a mixing bowl and mix on low speed with a 
dough hook until it forms a ball.  Add a few drops of water if necessary 
to make it come together.  The dough should clean the bowl while the mixer 
is on, and the dough ball should sag off the hook when the mixer is turned 
off.

2) Mix on high speed for two to three minutes, until the dough appears 
smooth and homogenous.

3) Place the dough, covered, in a clean, non-reactive bowl and allow to 
ferment at room temperature for about 4 hours.  The dough should show 
definite signs of rising.  Allow it to rise about 50% and then refrigerate 
it, well covered, overnight.


                   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 


                     *  Exported from  MasterCook  *

                         San Francisco Sourdough

Recipe By     : Kurtis Baguley
Serving Size  : 30   Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Bread Bakers Mailing List        Breads
                Hand Made                        Sourdough

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
  14      Oz            Bread Flour -- (3 C)
   8      Oz            Water -- (1 C)
  12 1/2  Oz            Firm Starter
     1/2  Oz            Diastatic Malt -- (1 Tsp)
     3/8  Oz            Salt -- (0.4 Oz, 2 1/4 Tsp)

Yields 35 oz loaf.

Day 1:

Make the firm starter.

Day 2:

1) Remove firm starter from refrigerator and allow to warm one to two 
hours.

2) Mix water, flour and malt on low speed and adjust water to get a shaggy 
dough.  This fully hydrates the flour.  Allow mixture to rest 15 minutes.

3) Add starter and mix with bowl lowered some to get better mixing.  Then 
mix at high speed (4.5 on Kitchen Aid mixer) while slowly adding salt.  
Trickle in water from fingers if necessary.  Mix about four minutes.

Salt is table grind.  The equivalent volume of kosher salt is twice the 
table grind volume.  The weights of the two are the same.

4) Bulk ferment approximately 3 hours, reforming after about 1.5 hours.

5) Scale: cut to size and form into round loaf.  

6) Bench: lightly spray with oil and cover with plastic wrap, allow to 
stand 30 minutes. 

7) Shape: sprinkle flour on couch (linen cloth or towel - embed flour into 
nap of cloth if it is not smooth).  Form loaf on couch and sprinkle with 
flour.  Cover with couch and plastic.

8) Proof: allow to rise 1.5 times.

9) Refrigerate overnight.

Day 3:

1) Remove from refrigerator and continue to proof until ready.

2) Score and bake in a 450 F oven with steam.  Start baking at 475 F for 
15 minutes.  Steam with two big spoons of boiling water.  Lower 
temperature to 400 F and continue baking for a total oven time of 40 
minutes.


                   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 






-- 
Reggie Dwork                        | Om Mani Padme Hung
reggie@jeff-and-reggie.com                   |
Owner eat-lf, bread-bakers, otbf mailing lists