Sourdough General

[Anonymous No.16076457]

Well, I bought 50 lbs of flour a year ago, and went through about half of it before giving up on my sourdough dreams.
It almost never rises, online recipes are almost always way to sticky, and adding almost 50% more flour while kneading doesn't change how sticky it is.
Nothing rises unless I turn the light on in the oven for a few hours an get it warmed up to about 90f. Room temp is 77.
I've had two decent loaves, but a dozen or more flat bricks.
I've done a little better with dry active yeast, but not much, and the flavor isn't nearly as good.
I did one loaf of Irish sodabread, but it's not my cup of tea.
I've tried yeast rolls, but the crust burned while the inside was still not done.

So I decided to try again, and it's just a nightmare.

Here's the recipe I'm using:
400g water
100g starter
500g flour
2 table spoons gluten
mix, cover, rest 1 hr in a warm place.
At this point it's a little sticky, but with wet fingers I can handle it. It's barely risen at all.
10g salt
10g water
mix by hand
stretch and fold 8 times
turn over, tuck edges
cover, rest 1 hr in a warm place.
By now, it's a hopeless sticky mass. It has risen a little, but not "double in size". I can't form or shape it all. Kneading it doesn't firm it up. Gradually adding about 3 cups of flour doesn't change a thing.
It's like my kitchen is in the Twilight Zone.

Since the oven was already pre-heated, Instead of throwing it away, I just dumped it into my dutch oven as beast I could.
It's had almost 25 minutes with the lid on. The recipe calls for taking the lid off at this point.
I'll let you know...

[Anonymous No.16076535]

>>16076457
Well, not a surprise, but absolutely no oven spring.
I'll let it finish baking, cool, then try it and (most likely) throw it away.

In my first post I didn't mention the oven is at 500f and I'm using bottled water in case my city tap water is an issue.

[Anonymous No.16076581]

>>16076535
p.s.: Internal temp of the loaf is now 210, but the thermometer comes out sticky.

[Anonymous No.16076671]

You could just go the store and buy bread instead of trying your little science experiment that cavemen figured out thousands of years ago. But then you couldn't post it on instagram.

[Anonymous No.16076675]

>>16076457
That's like 90 percent hydration. Reduce water to like 70 percent to have a decently workable dough. Let it rise 50% to make sure it's properly fermented. Don't trust timers, instead rely on volume expansion.

[Anonymous No.16076702]

>90% hydration recipe
>why's it so wet and sticky?
anon...

[Anonymous No.16077094]

>>16076675
>Let it rise 50%
Do you mean increase volume by 50%?
It never gets that far.

>>16076702
It wasn't that sticky until it apparently over fermented (somehow without rising).
But yeah, I just picked a youtube video at random, and her stuff never got really sticky.

[Anonymous No.16077116]

>>16076535
Get a thermometer for your oven.
I used to make awesome sourdough until I moved. At my new place bread would never turn out, no oven spring or anything.
The oven at my new place was a piece of shit that couldn’t even hit 425 reliably

[Anonymous No.16077172]

being successful at sourdough relies on understanding how the yeast colony growth accelerates through the process. I like to do a no-knead overnight rise style. it's key to have your starter active before you start, feed it 2:1 the night before. You need to keep the momentum of the growing yeast colony through the process of baking. i.e. you need to give it enough food, keep it in the right temperature range, and bake it off at the right time, before the yeast have exhausted their resources to grow (overproofing). I'll usually mix the dough by feel, using 1C starter and adding flour and water just to the point where the dough begins to flake. Let it sit overnight in a room temp spot, 12+ hours. It will turn all gummy, flour a surface and scoop the dough onto it as gently as possible. Roll in the flour and fold over a couple times. Continue to gently fold in flour until it will hold together on its own. Over with a floured cloth and transfer to a warm spot for proofing, let it go for 30-40 minutes or until you see some rise, then transfer to a preheated dutch oven in a 500F oven for best results. Also important to use a good quality unbleached bread flour as well as dechlorinated water, as either of these things can inhibit the yeast. good luck op

[Anonymous No.16078239]

>>16077172
I really appreciate the input, and if I try again, I might try your recipe.
I'm still discouraged though.
You're one of hundreds (thousands?) sharing their recipe/technique on the internet.
And I appreciate that.
But every attempt I've made has been based on something that works for someone else, but just doesn't work for me.
Super simple example: Most sourdough starter instructions say to start with 1:1 for the flour to water ratio, by weight.
That just can't be right. When I do that, I get play-dough, but everybody else gets something a little thicker than pancake batter.
When you say 2:1 for feeding, I'm guessing you mean 2 parts water to 1 part flour by weight?
I'm using bottled spring water, a proofing basket, all-purpose flour with gluten added (2 tablespoons per loaf), and a silicon sheet for working the dough.
My best present guess is that the dough gets over-fermented, even though it never rises, and I just don't know how that could happen.
And if 2 hours at 90 is getting me over-proofed, it's hard to imagine 12 hours at room temp isn't going to do the same.

Despite my frustration, I really do appreciate the effort. Thanks.

[Anonymous No.16078254]

>>16077116
>Get a thermometer for your oven.
I have an oven thermometer that hangs from the rack, and can confirm 500f.

[Anonymous No.16079732]

>>16078254
OK, some news on my new starter.
I'm just not getting this at all.
In the past, I've mixed flour and water to the consistency of something a little thicker than pancake batter, because that's what I see in every sourdough video on YouTube.
I could always get it to double after feeding, but only in a 90° environment.

When I use the 1:1 by weight ratio I get something a lot like play-dough.
And no wonder: an actual play-dough recipe I found is far wetter than the "standard" sourdough starter.
https://artfulparent.com/no-cook-versus-cooked-homemade-playdough-recipe/
2 cups of flour should be 240g
2 cups of water should be 473g

But never mind that. I'll try this ultra-dense version everybody seems to endorse.
After letting it sit overnight at 75°, I went to feed it this morning, and it's like bathroom tile caulk.
To discard half, I spooned some out, and each time I had to use a paper towel to get the starter out of the spoon.

Call me crazy, but I'm starting to think either my flour or my kitchen has some weird bacteria or yeast that is literally gumming up the works.

P.S. pic related is yesterday's failure.

[Anonymous No.16079769]

Just do Brunos French bread ez