I like to use a glass bowl so I can see that I’ve mixed the components well (no unincorporated flour) and so I can watch the rise. You need a bowl that can handle at least twice the volume of the ingredients, but not much more. I often use a four-cup Pyrex measuring cup which has the added benefit of markings that easily indicate how the starter is rising. Until the starter “catches,” you will not have much rise. Once it starts really bubbling, you may need to move up to a larger container. You can use any type of flour. I use all-purpose.
I always add a couple of tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs and one tablespoon of grated Parm. I also always use light beer instead of water. These additions make a very flavorful loaf that you can vary each time you try.
For anyone new to bread baking, or who cannot find yeast or don’t have a sourdough starter–
King Arthur Flour has many of its bread mixes back in stock: Brioche, Alaskan Sourdough, Pizza Crust, Potato Rolls, Pumpernickel. Multigrain, Honey Whole Wheat, Dinner Rolls, Scottish Toasting Bread, Cinnamon Swirl, plus several gluten free options
There’s limit of 2 mixes of each kind per customer.
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I have yeast and flours so I’m baking 9 grain rolls for dinner. I’ll be having grilled branzini and sautéed baby kale.
I sort of, kind of, made the bread recipe up as I worked. Wanted a lighter roll so added more white bread flour plus used water from cooking mashed potatoes from 2 days ago, added barley malt syrup for sweetness and better browning. I ended up with enough dough for 2 loaves of bread. Will bake one and freeze the other.
SAF red label yeast in one pound packs does seem to be available at some web mail order places. If you search for it, many of the listings are at vendors that are sold out, but you will probably eventually find it in stock at a vendor on the third or fourth page of search results.
Price is typically not much ($4-8), although shipping will probably be more than the yeast (but even with shipping, costs less per ounce than typical yeast found in 0.75oz packets or 4oz jars).
I haven’t read all 7 pages, sorry. I will second, third and fourth making sourdough, including the starter. My D made starter about four weeks ago. We are still using it and gave several tubs of starter to friends. We’ve had fantastic loaves, sourdough pancakes, and sourdough pizza.
We are rationing yeast, using half the amount and letting it rise longer when we make yeasted breads and pizza dough. Also, if you want to reduce raising time for whole wheat breads, subbing in some white flour will reduce raising time a bit. We put a half bag of hazelnut flour in a whole wheat loaf, took out the same amount of whole wheat. It was great. We are experimenting with all kinds of flours.
Happy to report that my inventive recipe for 9 grain rolls turn out delicious. Lighter than pure whole wheat, but still flavorful and filled with seeds. Put the second half of the recipe in the freezer soI can pull it out and bake a loaf at some later date.
I’ll probably use the rolls for ham & cheese sandwiches since I bought a half of a spiral cut ham for Easter and have plenty of ham left in the freezer.
My bread mixer is dead for now (I’ll have it fixed when the quarantine is over - and in my state, I doubt that will be soon) so I’m experimenting with other recipes. Today I tried this recipe where you mix the dough in a food processor. This makes one loaf. I used half white flour and half freshly milled whole wheat flour. Husband and son liked it. I thought it was fine but it’s not my fav recipe. This is a good sandwich bread recipe.
@bookreader , you can make bread without a mixer. I started making it as a teen and didn’t get my Kitchenaid until I was 30. It takes more work, but think of it as exercise getting those glam arms.
Start incorporating the liquid with a spoon , but switch to your hands as it gets hard going. Kneading bread dough is so satisfying and puts you in touch with bakers from the dawn of civilization.
But the food processor method is great too. I have used it for pizza crust as well.
I’m the bread mixer at my house, lol. The first time D made dough, she doubled the recipe, not realizing the recipe was already doubled. She had the holes the bowl down while I kneaded. It was exhausting!
@dragonmom - yes I know that bread can be kneaded by hand but I started using a mixer from the beginning because I started with a recipe that made 5 loaves of bread (and used 5lbs of flour). Kneading that quantity of bread dough was not going to happen - ever. I had 4 young children in the house at the time so anything that saved me time was a blessing.
I started a starter yesterday using rye flour. Day 2 today it is already growing. I discarded part of it and added all purpose flour today. I’m using the method on the King Arthur site. I’m so excited.
@ChoatieMom or anyone else who has experience with sourdough starter…I got my starter going using the King Arthur Flour directions…took about 12 days. Then I fed it one more time, let it get going for a few hours, and then put it in the refrigerator. I’m planning to feed it once a week. It’s been in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days, and I want to make bread with it tomorrow. I’m not clear on the sequence of steps for taking it out of the fridge, feeding it, and using it. Do I
Take what I need from it for the bread as soon as I take the starter out of the fridge? or
Take it from the refrigerator, let it sit at room temp for several hours, then take out what I need for my recipe?
or
Take it from the refrigerator, let it sit at room temp for several hours, then discard and feed and THEN right away take what I need for my recipe?
or
Take it from the refrigerator, let it sit at room temp for several hours, then discard and feed and THEN let it get going for a while before I take what I need for my recipe?
Or some other sequence of steps ? I understand that I will need to feed it after I take what I need…and that after the feeding I should let it get going for a few hours before refrigerating again…but I’m not clear on when in the process I take what I need for the bread recipe.
Thanks!
@nichols51: Stir down the starter as soon as you take it out of the fridge. Separate what you need for your bread in a separate bowl and add whatever liquid your recipe calls for to make a “sponge.” Mix well and let sit at room temp for a couple of hours or until the sponge “wakes up” and starts bubbling (cold causes the starter to slow way down). Proceed with your bread recipe.
Refresh the remaining starter per your starter instructions (King Arthur=1/2 cup starter, 1/2 cup water, one scant cup flour) and leave out for a couple of hours or until it starts to bubble/rise, then return to fridge. You can toss or save any discard from the process. I have a separate container for discard that I just continue adding to until I want to make something with it (waffles, pizza dough, etc.). The KA website has a lot of good discard recipes.
I am really slapdash about how I use and feed and it is working great so don’t worry too much about being religious. There is no discard after you get your starter done, you just use half for your bread, top up and pop back in the fridge. I usually get mine out on the counter for an hour before I start making bread, but it is warm here. I take out my xx volume for bread making, top up, leave out for a bit an then bung back in the fridge. I don’t measure or anything but I guess keep my fridge portion at about 3 or 4 cups volume with bubbles. I use half for each batch of bread.
I’m starting to think this “starter” business isn’t for rule followers! I want EXACT instructions, amounts, process, etc. CONSISTENCY. But that’s why I haven’t started anything yet -every recipe, every person, every success or fail is different! To a newbie all these variations are super confusing! Just as @nichols51 demonstrated with her/his? post!!! There is too much free to interpret!!!
@abasket I’m another big rule follower. I figure I’m Home so I my as well try it. I did get a lb of Saf yeast at a local coffee house but I’ve been curious about the starter. The King Arthur instructions are very exact. What to do with it after it’s established is where I’m unsure of how to proceed and what to do with the discard. I’m on day 2 and it’s growing!