Is this a "real" sourdough recipe?

[granola_mom]

So I just got the laurel's kitchen bread book.. not sure if any of you are familiar with it? Anyway, I got it in hopes of getting rid of white, refined flour for good and baking 100% whole wheat. I also want to learn how to bake sourdough, but the only sourdough recipe I had in any of my cook books was from joy of cooking, which uses white flour. In laurels kitchen, the starter is totally different from any of the other starters I have seen in other recipes (from NT and joy of cooking) in that you don't feed it daily, you just mix rye flour with some water, tiny bit of milk and one granule of active dry yeast and let it sit 3-5 days.

Then in all of their "sour dough" recipes, they use yeast as well as the starter... which is confusing me. Isn't the starter supposed to replace the yeast? And their sour dough breads don't have a longer rising time than any of their other yeasted breads... which makes me think, is this real sourdough? Or are they faking me out... should I follow a different recipe?

[moondiapers]

you can just exclude the yeast and let it rise longer

[JTA Mom]

The added yeast is a 'cheat.' It ensures that strong yeast will colonize the starter, and do it faster. Wild yeast takes a while to really get strong and healthy (anywhere from days to weeks to months). So I don't think one could have a 'quick' starter without some yeast granules thrown in.

hth

Ami

[granola_mom]

I mixed the starter mentioned on Sunday and today it is definitely bubbly, fluffy and yummy smelling. Does that mean it's ready? It said three to five days. And do I treat this starter differently.. I don't have to feed it like I would other starters? Or what?

Thanks for the tips everyone.

[Ruthla]

You either need to feed it, or keep adding more packaged yeast.

I'd suggest going with a "real sourdough" recipe if "traditional baking" is your goal. This particular cookbook doesn't seem to have the information you're looking for.

[granola_mom]

So can I switch it now that I've already done this starter... or do I have to get rid of this one and start over? I want to use a recipe for real sourdough, because yes TF is what I'm shooting for... the benefits of long fermentation. I think I'll just follow the sourdough recipe in Nourishing traditions. But can I use this starter for it? And should I start feeding it now then if I dont want to add more packaged yeast?

[Ruthla]

This starter you have should be fine- just start treating it like a regular starter and feed it regularly. Plenty of people use commercial yeast when getting a starter going, if they have trouble getting enough wild yeasts to do so otherwise.

[pampered_mom]

You can keep going with the starter and still use the book's recipes, but skip the extra yeast and let it rise longer. At least that's what I planned on doing with their recipes. You can always convert them to sourdough. :0)

[granola_mom]

Thanks!

[granola_mom]

... and, man oh MAN! The starter smells so yummy I could just die!

[granola_mom]

Okay so one more question... I think my starter is ready, so I'm going to go ahead and try out some baking! I am thinking I'll follow the recipe for whole wheat sourdough in the laurels kitchen book... letting it rise longer without the yeast. But it only uses 3/4 cup of starter for two loaves of bread. Is that going to be enough, without the added yeast? Never done this before!!

[Koalamom]

Here is my recipe:

step 1:
1 cup starter
1/2 cup water

Mix together and let sit covered for 6-8 hours or overnight in oven. Turn the light on and off to maintain the 78-80 degrees temp. (this is called proofing)
This will be used for recipe in step 2 below.

*Since you took a cup of starter out of your jar, you must give back. Add a cup of flour and 3/4 cup water to the stock jar. Mix and let sit out out for 1-2 hours on counter and then return to fridge. This is now ready to use any time you make bread.*

Step 2:
Proofed starter from step 1
3 cups water
6-7 cups flour (7th cup for kneading)
1 Tablespoon sea salt

Mix all together and knead dough using the 7th cup. place in oiled bowl and let proof (just like in step 1) for 6-8 hours.

Step 3
Shape dough into rolls or loaves. place in oiled pans. Let rise for 1-2 hours on oven with light on. Remove form oven. Preheat oven to 425. Bake risen bread for 20-30 minutes.

A note on Whole Wheat flour. I recommend using ww flour from the hard white wheat berry. Most bags of ww flour are from the red berry. Red will make a dense bread. White berry is a whole grain, but is lighter. Soft white wheat is even lighter, but your bread will not rise well. Let ne know if you try this and how it goes. I would give you some starter if you were in NY.