Good luck! I got to day four before i had to give up because the smell and the texture were so foul that i couldnt diacard without gagging constantly. Ive a new respect for bakers after that 😂
@@melaniecastro5726 you can also go to your local bakery, any bakery worth its salt should give u a few grams of starter that you would just need to feed, instead of starting from scratch.
Thank you for this. You’ve given me confidence to rejoice in my much simpler, pared down sourdough routine. (Which I was already doing but didn’t want to tell anyone). It takes, little time, is ready when I am and produces great bread. I don’t measure, fuss or discard. Luckily I do get to make naan bread,crumpets, artisan loaves and any sort of sweet or savoury bread I have a fancy for. Minimalism at its best!
I found a recipe on “Mary’s nest” that is so simple. Flour, water, starter, and salt. Last loaf I made I added a tsp of oil and a 1/4 cup more starter than the recipe called for. No folds, I just let it rise for about 4 hours, and stuck it in the fridge over night. Baked it in a covered Dutch oven with a cookie sheet of water steaming beneath it, last 15/20 mins I baked it uncovered and the crust turned out so nice. Wasn’t too soft, but wasn’t to where you’d break a tooth either lol the inside was really nice too, like sandwich bread. I hope this helps 😊
Look for quality flour, otherwise almost impossible to fail. I just knead, then 5h bulk (without folds), then 10-12fridge and still great owen spring, ear and open crumb.
@@foxfire1112nothing. Nothing at all😂 I get amazing bread and I do zero folds and no pre shaping. I dump all the ingredients into a bowl the night before, and next morning I quickly shape into a round ball and bake right after shaping. Gives perfect results every time.
I did only one set of folds and the dough was stiffer because I had added flour (I didn’t know it was supposed to be quite wet). Then I let it rise in a 64F room overnight with a tea towel over it. The top dried out a bit. It didn‘t quite double. Then I halved it, refrigerating it all day. It then was formed into rolls and almost doubled after 2-1/2 hrs. I scored them then baked the rolls n a 400F oven. Sooo good! The rolls were a bit small and a lot chewy and DELICIOUS. My first sourdough starter, my first sourdough starter bread, and my first no knead dough; I used only unbleached all purpose flour and water , starter, and salt.
Thank you for this because I’ve been second guessing myself all day, in my head, because I’m going all the same things as you coincidentally and it’s soooo different than traditional bread making!
I tried, just throwing it in a loaf pan and putting a slit on it and it came out beautiful. No, it did not look like a traditional sourdough loaf, but it was very very delicious, rose up nicely, and was a wonderful loaf of bread. I also make traditional sourdough in the traditional shape, because I like to have that crust. But sourdough is just what everyone used years ago because they didn’t have store bought yeast so you can use any method you want to make any kind of loaf you like with your wild yeast.
In the old days people made the best sourdough breads and they didn't do all sorts of steps.. they just fitted it in between the other chores in the home .. so this totally make sense .
Late, but Autolyse is the process of letting the flour absorb the water. Apparently different kinds of flour absorb different amounts of water, and they can turn out overly wet or dry if you don’t give it time to absorb.
The wonderful thing about sourdough is how different bakers make it work for them. If some want to autolyse, fold and pre-shape, great. If others are satisfied with their results after skipping steps, good for them too!
I'm so glad that your content slipped into my feed! I have been following another content creators method and have done everything to the letter of her instructions and failed to get the results. So hearing you say you have your own process and comments here also say that means I should try my own process.
Well i like being hands on with my sd! I left my starter for a month when i was away in the fridge then took it out yesterday. Fed it twice, nice and bubbly this morning. Chose 2 parts wholemeal bread flour. Autolysed it, did 2 stretch-folds, needed to add more water as it was a bit dry kneaded it in, then more stretch-folds, each time rested in the oven with just the light on (its cold here), final stretch-folds and shapes about 3 times (!) It at least doubled, left it in the fridge overnight in banneton and will bake tomorrow. A challenge with so much wholemeal flour but i think you develop a relationship with your dough and learn to 'read' it and instinctively know what it needs. Im still learning. I think this loaf will be my best yet.
It's seriously not necessary to do all the hyped up steps you see from big name influences. They just want to make their content look seem more interesting or relevant. Sourdough is simple. Thanks for this vid!
I think something to keep in mind is that Mary lives in Australia which is like the perfect environment to make sourdough bread in. Sourdough will vary based on your geographical region and the season.
literally this, for my bread to be good, i need to spend 2 hours folding it and resting it, reshape then 30 minute rest and shape plus rest for an hour before cold fermenting. it’s the only way to ensure a light crust and airy crumb that my mom likes
I’ve been watching a million sourdough videos and shorts on all platforms and everyone seems to be doing it the exact same way. I’ve been wondering about skipping steps and simplifying it, also not making round loaves. This video gives me the strength to try. 😊
Hi. I autolyze my whole wheat dough for about 2 hours. Then just do 2 stretches and folds. The 2nd stretch and fold and shaping is done simultaneously. Then I let it proof for about 1 hour and bake it. Sometimes i skip stretches and folds. No kneading but some good mixing with a long handled wooden spatula.
I can believe this, because I do what I feel is a pretty lazy sourdough, and consistently have great results to the point of having many requests for it per week by family, neighbors, my husband’s coworkers… etc. I almost always use discard from starter that’s fed once or twice per week depending on how much baking I do, and is kept in the fridge. It’s a huge jar with about 600 grams of starter. I never autolyse, only 3 sets of folds 15 minutes apart, and sometimes let my dough cold ferment for up to 4 days. I use a standard bread loaf pan, and after scoring, it’s baked at 425 for 45 minutes. It’s the best sourdough I’ve ever had, and since others have told me the same thing, I guess I’m doing something right. 🤷🏻♀️
Same I use the cheap normal all purpose flour and keep the starter in the fridge. I don't do cold fermentation either and the bread turns nice and good looking. I'm no expert though 😅
Baker here. The reason you form the bread is to apply a even shape for even proofing. If ensures control, even shapes and weight means that once you shape the bread you can procces a entire batch at the same time. Sourdough is different as you want the bread to bake wildly. Shaping it can be done but with the 'wild' baking propperties of sourdough its common here to make rough cuts on the surface to get that rough and thick crustations alot of people like.
RU-vid rec rly be comforting me rn fr 😅😅 i tried to do more complex steps of bread making and i swear everything has been going wrong at every steps (ive always done it the more simple way and its alwyas came out great, i just wanted to try something new)
And two years of it making sourdough, I've made so many basic mistakes and guess what? The bread has always come out good in the end so I'm beginning to think it's a little bit bulletproof. Good on you for not projecting perfection. Thanks
I mean.. I appreciate the spirit of what you're describing but I don't feel like it's the best advice. It seems there's a lot of newer bakers here, and so to advocate for skipping (usually) pretty crucial steps probably isn't great..? I imagine people might be thinking "I don't understand why I should do folds so can I just not..?", but it's only in understanding the processes can you then know if or when you can take any shortcuts. Sorry to say, but sourdough isn't the easiest thing to pickup. Getting consistent results takes some practice and research.
If you click on her profile and keep scrolling, you should find a ton of little tutorials and there's even a reposted video from the ABC news breakfast show on this channel. Hope that helps!❤
As long as you have a strong starter and you’ve fermented just right, your bread will be fine. It’s getting the starter right and the bulk fermentation times right that’s the hardest
Just skipped most of the folding today because I didn't have time. My starter was out and busting at the seems so Im excited for the results. All did was shape and drop in the banneton after I realized I forgot to fold it earlier. :-)
I use fresh ground hard white wheat berries for my flour plus each cup gets 1 TBSP vital wheat gluten. I am going to sift out the outer bran though as it actually slices the dough up! Finally got a Dutch oven and often use a bread machine to do the mix, knead, rest & first rise. Then fold shape and long cool ferment overnight in fridge. Think next time I may use half bread flour. Just to see. Not super successful thus far so may also do a loaf from bread flour only to compare. Thanks!
I still fold the dough but not crazy like some people,,, Like just a few times to help the gluten build a nice crust. I still do autolyse for like 30 min, I think it helps take out the lumps. other than that,, Its all I do, oh and I like Semolina on the bottom, It helps with the sticking
I think too many people purposely over complicate things to try and make them look more skilful in some way. I was a chef for 24 years, in professional kitchens it’s all about getting the very best quality as simply as possible.
For sourdough bread I don't do any stretch and fold or autolyse. It isn't needed if you have a stand mixer and a scale. Throw the ingredients in a bowl to the gram, run the stand mixer for 6-8 minutes, cover and let rise. I do put the dough in the fridge for a cold proof and unless you're using a bread pan you want to shape the dough too to make it rise higher. Autolyse is needed for very high hydration dough. High hydration increases the crumb size, which is nice if you want that, but I prioritize flavor not huge holes. I don't want butter falling through the bread. Stretch and fold is necessary if you don't kneed the dough much or have a stand mixer to knead it. It's just more kneading and isn't necessary if you use a machine. I do bulk ferment at room temperature because my fridge is too cold to ferment my dough fully, but I do have a dry age rig I could instead use if I wanted to skip this step.
Me too - it's been going on since ancient Egypt, do we think they had, fridges, thermometers etc etc. It the most forgiving process, the bacteria know how...
Hi! I have been loving your videos! I also love baking bread but have never made sourdough and you have inspired me to do so! Where do you buy your bread baskets?😊
Do you have starters? Can you send me a starter? I will pay for a styrofoam shipping container that can have cold packs and will pay for overnight shipping?
Treat it like an unwanted step child; only giving it attention when you feel like it, adding only water or only flour if you think it needs it and/or you feel like it. I half-heartedly made some last year, got bored after a week of pampering it, put the lid on and stuck it in the fridge. A year later (2 days ago), I felt like making SD bread again. Took it out the fridge, feed it twice and it literally bubbled into life within about 8 hours. People tend to over complicate things in order to make themselves seem special...
You just gotta be patient tbh, the starter i use at home i don’t even measure it :v just grab a spoon of starter add water and flour till it’s an ok consistency and discard the rest. Even if you’re not precise with it it’ll be fine most of the time.
Me tooooo! When I first started trying out sourdough I don’t know who I followed but I was able to make the starter bubble out of the jar. I made three amazing loaves. I fed the starter then put the starter in the fridge. Ever since then - ugh! I can get it nice and bubbly but making a loaf? Sticky mess!! Lots of waffles and crackers. Don’t try the brownies! They are addicting and you will gain weight!🤣
I'm glad you support the notion that there's more than one way to skin a cat. I make my bread my way, It's not like anyone else I've seen. I've spent years experimenting and just figured out what works for me. It addresses the issues that kept me away from breadmaking for decades, primarily, that I can do it without making a big mess. I've figured out how to make my bread in a bowl. The only time it comes out of the bowl is to get shaped and thrown in a bread pan (or a banneton). No kneading. I love autolyse. But I've also figured out how to work the dough with without having to spend 30 minutes at the sink getting dough out of every nook and cranny. And finally, I've figured out how to do it such that I can be lazy and not have to measure anything. I eye everything and, unless I over-ferment (happens. I get distracted sometimes and forget.), I get a pretty consistent loaf that I'm super-happy with. Glad there are so many ways to do it.
Follow the rules. Religiously. Until you don’t have to anymore. Eventually you’ll get the instinct and contextual experience to break them effectively.
I missed buying your book. When I went to Amazon it had already sold out. Are you going to do a future printing? I really wanted to buy your cookbook. USA
Sourdough starter is so hardy, really. I watch another channel called culinary exploration and he put his starter in the fridge for 50 days, I fed. Then he fed it and made a loaf and it was fine! I am going to try my normal sourdough recipe but without the folds. Just going to let the baby ferment
Once you mix water, flour, salt & yeast babe you'll get there even if you do nothing or know nothing, however the result depends much on the consumer/eater's preference
I wish I had the skills and confidence to skip steps! I just followed a recipe perfectly and my bread came out looking like an ancient hockey puck 😂 trying to figure out what went wrong so one day I can plop and roll my dough and still have perfect loaves lol
I make bread in a similar way and even sell it. The only thing for me that is dofferent is the look of it, it’s not as pretty. But the taste is still excellent and that matters most when you stop looking at it and actually eat it (I’ve had “prettier” sd bread that tasted more bland or felt gummier than mine, so…).
Everyone has a choice, but be educated about your decisions: Autolyse, which comes from the Greek word for "self-digestion", is a technique that involves resting sourdough dough after mixing it with flour and water but before adding starter and salt. This resting period allows the flour to hydrate, which can improve the bread in several ways: Gluten development Autolyse helps gluten bonds form, which is essential for the bread's structure. This can also reduce kneading time. Softer crumb Autolyse can help produce a softer, lighter crumb, especially when using whole grains or whole wheat flour, which can otherwise yield a denser crumb. Better flavor Autolyse can create a richer flavor profile and help carotenoid pigments remain intact, which can improve the bread's color and aroma. More elastic dough Autolyse can lead to a more stretchy dough that's easier to shape and expands more easily in the oven, resulting in better oven spring. Slower fermentation Autolyse can allow fermentation to proceed more slowly, which can lead to better flavor development and keeping quality. Releasing enzymes Autolyse can release enzymes that make sugars more available when you add the starter.
Man idk how I follow every step and still end up with a dense Frisbee of a loaf. Or if it does rise a good amount its still dense on the inside (no nice air pockets and bubbles). How do you get your dough to not be so sticky, you picked that huge one up and plopped it on the table no problem! Mine are always soooo sticky its almost impossible to work with! I'm in the Caribbean so I'm starting to wonder if the time tables I'm following just don't work with how hot it is all day/night- but I always seem to find my dough doesn't double in size as fast as the instructions which I would think would be the opposite thanks to the constant 85+°F heat
I would look at the recipe your using. Maybe less water and make sure if your starter is doubleing then your bread should rise. Its super hot where you are so your dough could proof to quick. Keep a eye on your starter, if it has a dome then its still rising but when it stops having a round dome on top and it starts to dip then you need to use it or feed it again cause its ate all the good bacteria the flour provied and its hungry. I hope this helps. I live some where sunny too, My recipe is 300g water 450g flour 100g starter 10g salt Starter ratio 10g starter 50g flour 50g water Takes 6-8 hours to rise. This will produce 100g for the recipe and leave you with a tbsp left of starter to put back in the fridge or feed for another loaf.
