Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Dawson Round Two

Two more loaves of Dawson City Sourdough bread. I should really rename this, since my flour, water and free ranging yeast have never been anywhere near Dawson City. But, the experiment continues.
This time the yeast was more active, bubbling within minutes of mixing the batch.  It didn't seem to rise while in the 'pancake mix' phase, but after adding the remaining flour, there was noticeable rise on the second phase.  Punching down doesn't feel like it's releasing any gasses yet.  The dough is still very heavy.  Third rise- in the bread pans- it did almost double.  It probably would have, but I was tired so I baked it and went to bed.  It doesn't taste as much like playdough this time, but still bird food.


I refilled the 'dirty' jar with 1 Cup of flour, 1 Cup of water.
This morning there's already a thin layer of alcohol.  The others aren't bubbling, and the only noticeable change is that the raisins look like they may be developing some mold.  Today is Day 7 for the yeast waters, but I think I'll just leave them sit awhile yet, until some bubbling occurs or they start looking too nasty to use.

First bake with the Potato Mother.
The starter was very active and quick to bubble.  The first rise was almost non-existant.  The second rise was almost double, and you can see some nice air pockets in the loaf.  However- it tastes like playdough.  More bird food.

I'll try these again on Friday.
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2 comments:

  1. LindaNovember 21, 2012 at 3:41 PM

    I have had bread that did not have the right "mouth feel." I sliced it and buttered it and toasted it under the broiler. It was great with jelly or jam. Can yours not be used for croutons or to make bread pudding? Yes, I know the birds are hungry...lol...but it seems it could be redeemed.

    When you get this down, will it translate to our kitchens and conditions? Or, are we on our own? This is very interesting and I am learning a new vocabularly.

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  2. WendyNovember 21, 2012 at 4:49 PM

    Most sourdough starter recipes tell you to remove a cup or so of the starter every other day or so, and throw it away for the first two weeks. Some people use theirs for different things, to varying degrees of success.

    I could also use the early stages of the starters as 'flour' in a regular commercial yeast bread. Then I'd be certain of bread that would rise, and be edible, however it wouldn't let me see what was happening with the yeast starters.

    Since I know from these experiments that the yeast is alive and growing, I may do that on Friday. I need to bake some edible bread anyway.

    There are thousands of people more skilled and experienced than I starting sourdough starters online. Different recipes, methods, adjustments for humidity, etc. You should be able to start your own starter using any of these methods or many others.

    Yeast is all around us, in the air, on fruits and veggies, and probably a million places you'd never think to look. All I'm trying to do is catch some and keep it in a jar so I can use it when I want to.

    Yeast is alive. There are different strains of it as well. My yeast may taste or smell differently than yours.

    Go earn yourself some swagbucks and look it up. :)

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