On 30 Jul 2006 at 8:07, Jennifer Angelo wrote:
>The bread has great texture, chewy, and even, small holes
>throughout. It needed salt. I have read where salt kills the
>bacteria so I didn't put in enough. But for my first batch I am delighted!
Salt does kill the yeast (which is a fungus, not a bacterium, by the
way), but almost all breads contain salt. You just don't put salt in
the starter (your wild yeast culture), but add salt normally when
mixing the final dough.
>How do make a loaf to hold it's shape so I don't have to use a loaf
>pan the next time?
That depends on the recipe you're using. Some breads, for instance,
call for more water and don't hold their shape so well. Look for a
recipe of sourdough bread on the web (or even better, search the
archives of this list) and you're sure to find one that will direct
you to shape free-standing loaves.
It's also important to remember that the more you work the dough, the
more the gluten will develop, and the better the shape of the loaf
will hold. But as I said above, follow a good recipe and it will
certainly instruct you on how long to knead or mix the dough.
Good luck,
Erik