what a great teacher. thank you for breaking this down for me. i had the book for at least 4 years before I even attempted it. was fairly successful - somewhere better than a brick but not a true Tartine. I'm encouraged that this time will be different. And I'll keep at it til it is.
I am so grateful for your time in putting this series together. Like so many others, I started my sourdough journey during lockdown when we couldn't find yeast, and I have researched so many different recipes and articles - all saying different things - leaving me with so many questions. I mixed and matched recipes and flours trying to find something that worked for me with various degrees of success. I started with your bulk fermentation video and have now started on these ones. Learning so much (like the difference between starter and leaven) and having so many questions answered. Thanks again.
I did exactly what you did -- looked at a whole bunch of recipes and videos... and blogs... and books... etc., etc. , trying to figure out WHAT I should be doing or what I maybe did wrong that caused my bread not to look like the loaves pictured on the Internet. I used a piecemeal approach, picking from here and there, thinking I was selecting the best approach from the bunch. Not until I watched these videos did I realize how wrong that approach was. These are GREAT!!
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
i just found your videos after falling down the rabbit hole of sourdough information overload!!! UGH! Thank you for these awesome videos! So great for beginners like me! can't wait to watch them all!
A few corrections since this video was published... Based on the newer Tartine Bread Book (Book 3) and a more recent publication of the recipe in the New York Times, each of these versions of the Basic Country Loaf recipe, there have been a few corrections/clarifications: 1) REST BETWEEN ADDING SALT AND FIRST STRETCH AND FOLD - There should be a 30-minute rest between adding the salt and the first Stretch and Fold. This makes sense. It always seemed odd to do the first stretch and fold immediately after all the mixing of the salt. This rest time should be counted as the first 30 minutes of the recommended 3-4 total hours of bulk fermentation. 2) SIX STRETCH AND FOLDS - The recipes now call for 6 Stretch and Folds at 30 minute intervals, instead of the 4-5 as recommended in the original book and in this video. The last two sets should be more gentle to not de-gas the dough. In this video, it also took over 5 hours for the dough to reach the target 30% rise in bulk fermentation versus the recommended time of 3-4 hours. It is very easy to underproof when using this recipe if you go strictly by the clock, so I recommend watching the percent rise more closely than the clock. If your loaves are consistently underproofing, I recommending adding a 30-60 minute countertop proof after final shaping, before going into the refrigerator. Each time you bake, keep pushing your proofing times until you reach the edge of overproofing. This is a good technique for finding and learning where the dough is "fully proofed." I have published a new video series, "Tartine Bread: The Art and Alchemy," which addresses these changes (and more) in great detail.
@Bear I still recommend the original Tartine Bread book. It has the most detailed explanation of the steps and the process. The corrections are found on the Tartine Bakery website in a short version of the same recipe that can be found here. tartinebakery.com/stories/country-bread Tartine Book 3 has the corrections, but it is a very short version of the Country Bread recipe and omits many of the detailed tips included in Book 1.
I couldn’t catch the amount of water you add with the salt, 50 or 15? Also, do you now recommend waiting 30 minutes before the first stretch and folds?
Even though I’m only 7 min into video 2, these videos give me a sense of calm as I begin to realize where I went wrong and now understand where and how to fix my sourdough baking mistakes. Many thx 😊
This series of videos is amazing. Thank you for your generosity in putting this all together. In your part 4 of this series, where you do shaping, you said something that really cemented for me the whole shaping thing. You described dough/bread as being it's own little pressure cooker. That really created a great visual for me in terms of what I needed to do to shape my dough so that it has tension and its seams are closed. You are a very skilled instructor and again, thank you for these videos.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
Tom, please don’t listen to those who say that you talk too much. Everything you say is germane and I like a little humor but no jokes and silliness. Been baking sourdough successfully for a few years and have learned a few things. Great job!
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
I just discovered you and really enjoyed your videos. I look forward to seeing more. Great job explaining. If you are not an engineer, you conduct yourself like one 👍. Great job!!
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
This is a very helpful video. I liked watching you do the shaggy ball. I have never mixed mine that much. Now I have a better idea about shaggy. thank you
So I started a starter the way you showed three weeks ago and it’s doing great at least doubling every 6-8 hours at 70-71 f. I’m gonna try to bake this weekend I finally got my Dutch oven which I didn’t have before and my thermometers!!! So excited
yellowbird500 Also my ratio when creating my leaven is 40 grams starter :80 grams flour(40 grams all- purpose,40 grams dark rye) :80 grams filtered water @90 degrees Fahrenheit. That makes 200 grams (I use around 180)which after 4-5 hrs @ 78-82 degrees Fahrenheit . What I do is put in jar and mark with rubber band at 100% doubled, when it reaches the rubber band I then start to autolyse the rest of the dough. I continue to watch the leaven and when it has just stopped rising, I mix into the dough do a stretch and fold wait 30 minutes add salt do a few mor stretch and folds. Find “The Food Geek” and watch and learn from an expert. I am not using the Tartine method. I think you are over feeding so the yeast is not using all the flour efficiently, but it will in time. My recipe makes two 800 gram loafs.
These videos are great! Wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to tape these and explain what is going on. I've watched a number of other videos, but they go so fast and the explanation of what you are doing .... what you should and should not be doing, and WHY ... isn't provided like you do in these videos. I haven't had a chance to watch the entire series, but I will. I look forward to that. (You must be a science teacher -- either a h.s. science teacher or at the college level. (I have a bet going with my brother, who also is watching these now. ) Thanks again!
Thank you for the feedback! Contrary to popular opinion, I am not a science teacher, engineer or former astronaut (although I would have liked all of those).
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
just beginning my sourdough journey and love your tutorials, have learned so much. you need to know that i have a little dot in my "cave" where i've been taking your sourdough course and my alexa loves to answer your questions, adding to the fun. i think i'm going to try to listen to both alexas and see if they make identical responses! thanks
hi, great videos! One question, you indicated that the leaven called for in the book made 400g of leaven but all that was needed was 200g. Then you indicated that if we didn't need the extra leaven for starter that we could cut down the flour to 100g of 50/50 and 100g water. Do you also cut down the tablespoon of starter that is used to half a tablespoon?
Yes. If you are keeping your starter separately and just need to make a leaven for the loaves you can divide everything in half and make 200g instead of 400g. That is what many people do.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
About getting the leaven at 65 degrees overnight if the ambient temp is higher - Elly from Elly’s everyday in Brisbane recommends putting your leaven or dough in a cooler with a small ice pack. I recently did that on a very warm day (88 degrees) and my dough stayed at 74 degrees for the several hours that I needed to be out of the house during the bulk rise. Today is another hot day and as I’m watching your videos, I’m testing the cooler temp with a larger ice pack to see what temperature it creates inside the cooler. Thanks, Tom, for your excellent detailed videos - Ana in California.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
Can I freeze the 200 gm of extra leaven to use for my next bread Thank you so much for your very informative videos I was struggling with my starter but yours helps me a lot
I am from a tropical country southeast asia. Our temp ranges from from 28-32C. What do i do with the dough during fermentation to get the ideal temp of 25.5-27.8C?
Hi Tom greetings from the island of Malta in the Mediterranean. Thank you very much indeed for the informative videos. I have been feeding the starter for 3.5 weeks and it doubles in size in 4 hours. I have now moved to baking bread and I prepared the leaven at 20:00 yesterday evening and at noon today it’s still a little runny and nowhere close to yours when you poured the 200g to start baking. The room temperature is 25C (77F) (summer is around the corner) and the internal leaven temperature is 24.5C. I now have absolutely no idea what to do. I will give it an hour or so and see. Thanks for any advice
Is it runny because it has peaked and fallen? If so, you can just add another 50g of flour and 50g of water without discarding (this is called a refresh) and wait about 2 hours for the starter to peak, then use it in the recipe.
The overnight leaven creation in the Tartine recipe assumes a very cool temperature (65F/18C) so your leaven probably peaked sometime in the evening if it was 25C.
In the future, it may be too warm for you to do the overnight leaven. So just mix up a batch in the morning and use it in the recipe when it peaks a few hours later.
Thank you for provide so many useful information. I learned a lot from your videos. Sometimes at the stage of stretch and fold, my dough appear longitudinal gluten like material, which tear apart the dough. I wonder if it is derived from the over-mixing or under-mixing when adding the salt. Is there any criteria to estimate whether the mixing is enough or not? Thanks a lot.
Thank you. Usually that is caused by over mixing or overproofing. I have not done any videos that demonstrate overmixing. I am planning to do one in the future. Thanks!
if you make just half of the leaven, would you use a whole tbs of starter and 100g flour and 100 grams water or would you use one-half tbs of starter. seems like its ok to use a whole tbs??
Half the leaven actually makes two loaves so you could double the flour water and salt and make 4 loaves. Or just cut the leaven in half. It has always been confusing why it calls for twice as much as required.
Hi Tom, amazing series! A perfect blend of art and science! I had one question - instead of stretch and fold technique for gluten development, can I use a stand mixer? I am planning to start a small artisanal bakehouse and we'll have to produce sourdough breads in bulk. Using a mixer requires far lesser manpower than stretch & fold.
Thank you. You would use a stand mixer for the initial mixing, but not the stereochemistry and folds. Most bakeries mix the dough in mixers, then transfer it to large tubs where they still do the stretch and folds (on much larger batches) during bulk fermentation. Check out these videos from Proof Bread. They show the entire process in a bakery setting. th-cam.com/video/C8PUlZrngZQ/w-d-xo.html
i wanted to try to bake a loaf this weekend and got all prepared but my starter doesn’t float yet. it’s about 20 days old now. i just decreased the feeding ratio to 1-1-1. hoping i can try again tmw.
To avoid having the dough go down the drain when I wash my hands (& utensils), I wash them over a rubber dishpan. I then slowly drain the pan and harvest the residue with a paper towel. It's like panning for gold.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
No. You can use a large flat bowl but the Tartine recipe recommends a tall, straight-walled vessel so it is easier to measure the percentage rise. It is difficult to measure the percent change in a larger, flatter bowl. But it still works.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
My levain meets smell test, rose 25-30%, but did not pass the float test. Dough is 66.3 degrees F at 11.5 hours overnight. I will try again at 12.5 hours, but if it won’t float, is it ok to use? I am literally following this method to the last detail!
The float test is not 100% reliable. Especially at 20-30% rise. As long as the leaven is clearly rising, you can proceed. I usually go a bit higher than 30% now.
Thank you for such a quick response…it is much more bubbly now (43 min later) still no float, and fruity. I will wait 15 min…9:00 am and proceed! Your videos are fabulous.
I’m mixing my leaven 1TB starter/200g water/200grams starter blend flour (gonna go to 100/100) at night before going to bed, say 10:00pm. It’s more than doubling over night til about 8:00am at about 70°F room temperature. It’s got lots of gluten strands and air bubbles but doesn’t pass the float test. Seems like it should float. Leaving it longer didn’t help. That’s way more rise than 20%. Should I ferment it in the fridge overnight to slow it down? Should I just proceed with it as is? Perhaps the institute had a video on this topic? Learning a lot from these videos but just trying to dial everything in for more consistent bakes. Working on controlling temps and just going by % rise, reading the r dough, etc.
@@thesourdoughjourney will do. Thanks! Looking at photo I took. I started out with ~1.5 cups and ended with ~3.5 cups. It’s pretty flat on top, not domed so maybe it had peaked. So should I use it while still rising and before the “dome” has collapsed, ie., in the most active phase? The dough rose fine during bulk fermentation but not much oven spring so I think I over proofed it, ran out of gas before baked. It also smells pretty sour and has very dense crumb so I probably should have declared bulk ferment done much sooner.
The Tartine recipe does not specify a time. It just says “overnight.” This video was one of my early bakes. I did not have enough experience to know at the time how long it should take.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
Hi Tom (and anyone else who is listening) - I made a test leaven (following the Tartine instructions) last night to test my starter. My room temp was closer to 75 than 65. Could that temperature difference lead to the leaven doubling (i.e. growing by 100% instead of 20%)? (Because it did).
Yes. That would not be uncommon. Mine routinely would double overnight at that temperature. It is difficult to replicate the Tartine method at 65F. I start mine as late as possible (midnight sometimes). You can also try starting with less starter. This will slow things down but is really difficult to time exactly so you need to remain flexible when starting your bake the next day.
The Sourdough Journey thank you so much, Tom! That makes me feel a lot better. Thanks again! Your videos are excellent. I greatly appreciate your precision and clear communication.
Thank you. If your leaven doubles overnight, you can still use it, but it might run out of energy in bulk fermentation so just watch for the 30% rise instead of the clock. It will get there but may take longer.
The Sourdough Journey it actually didn’t pass the float test. I can’t make bread today anyway because i am now at work, but I tried a couple of times this morning, and it did sink both times. The leaven was domed on the top, but didn’t quite seem to be at the point where it smelled like overripe fruit. I put it in the fridge before i left for work because I won’t be home tonight. Any other thoughts?
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
I have been watching your incredible videos for several months and thoroughly enjoy your scientific approach to sour dough baking! I would like to purchase the Tartine Method book by Chad Robertson, but there are 3 from which to choose - The 2010 edition, Tartine Revisited (2018) and Tartine Book #3. I am basically interested in his most up to date methods, not necessarily new recipes. Which edition of his book would you recommend? Thank you for your guidance.
Great videos Tom. One question please. If I make 200g of leaven instead of 400g as you suggest in this video, do I lower the starter to just 6 grams or use 12 grams as per recipe ? Thanks and I love your kitchen by the way.
Thank you. Good question. Yes, but 6 grams is such a small amount I probably use about 10g for a half batch. The starter measurement is the one that does not need to be exact. Even in the book, Robertson is inexact and calls for a “tablespoon” of starter to make the leaven. Which I always interpret as a “big spoonful.” So for half the leaven recipe use “half of a big spoonful.”
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
Question for you sir. The recipe calls for a thousand grams of water, but the only water I’ve seen used is the 700 grams in the leven, and the little bit with the salt. If only this amount is used, why measure out the 1000 grams in the beginning?
It uses 1,000g flour and 750g water. 50g is reserved for when you add the salt. These do not count the flour and water used in the leaven, which is 100g each.
@@thesourdoughjourney ok gotcha, my recipe right now that I’m on my third stretch and fold probably has 200 more grams of water then it should then. Not good. Any remedy or just play it out and see how it goes?
@@thesourdoughjourney I added it. 200 grams bread flour, 66 grams whole wheat. Definitely more shaggy. 👍🏼 what do you think about a little longer on the bulk fermentation since I added more flour later. Dough temp is on point, right at 80.
The lowest I could get my temperature was about 71 due to warm weather. The next morning 7-8 hours later it had risen over 20% (more like 30-40) and passed the float test but it didn't smell sweet or vinegary, just yeasty. I wasn't really sure what to do as the book doesn't cover that. Would that be due to the warmer temperature and faster rise?
Good question. It is ok if it rises faster, as long as it doesn’t rise and fall and look spent. It is difficult to get an overnight temp at 65F. I usually just mix it later at night (10pm) to make sure it does not go more than 12 hours before morning. You are basically doing a 20 to 1 feeding of your starter, so it should be fine at 8-10 hours in the low 70s.
@@SantaHul I think I am familiar with that. If it still smells like flour, it may not be ready. If it has risen and passes the float tests but does not smell vinegary, I believe that is the "young leaven" that C. Robertson is looking for in the method.
@@thesourdoughjourney Ok well thanks for your help, I really appreciate your long and detailed videos. I think, for my sins, I've been punished with an inaccurate probe thermometer but I would have struggled to tell if it wasn't for your video showing me what it should look like at each stage.
Update on my comment above, the dough failed again (this is close to my tenth failure now with lots of different recipes). As has happened previously, the dough increased in volume satisfactorily and I could see a lot of gas production but it didn't have structure and when I poured it onto the counter it pancaked again. I've been doing some research though and, contrary to my previous understanding, my water provider (Thames Water) apparently uses chloramine. I've tried a new batch with bottled water and the leaven smells much sweeter, it's totally different from anything I've previously made. So just for the record in case it's useful for anybody else, if there's chloramine in your water it can still support a starter, you will still get gas production and increased volume but you won't get proper gluten development or structure, the dough will still look shiny and wet and you won't get the sweet smell from the leaven. You will still be able to make standard bread with commercial yeast from the water.
So this is my second attempt at making this bread I’ve tried to soup my starter up this week and get it better. It was peeking in five hours at 75°F two days in a row so we’re gonna try. I had too much water and added 1000 g instead of the 700 g to my leave and flour, so I added some more flour to get it to the consistency and I’m just gonna hope for the best😢
Yes., I have not done it but others do. You really want to be on the side of under-mixing vs. over. The mixer can heat up the dough from friction and can tear the gluten strands. I’d suggest starting light and working your way up each time you bake, until you find the sweet spot between under and over mixing. Look at some of the hand mixing videos and try to produce the same results with the mixer.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
Almost all other recipes call for levain to rise double or even triple, while Tartine recipe 20% only. I understand that temperature, length of time, the rise % and time for bulk fermentation later, as well as other variables tie everything together with the rise %. However, I refer to the SAME temperature and the length of time between other recipes and Tartine's. What might be the reasons for Tartine's only calls for 20% rise for the levain??? Thanks
Thanks. Good question. C. Robertson prefers a "young" leaven. It is very low acidity and very mild flavor. Also, when he does the initial mix of dough, he uses very warm water and does a warm fermentolyse (with no salt) so that jump starts the leaven during that first 30-40 minutes. In some ways I think of that as still "rising" the leaven.
Also, some of these recipes are part happenstance. Based on C. Robertson's baking schedule and cool overnight temperatures, it may just be the way the process worked (successfully) for him, so he codified it in his recipe. I see aspects of that in many recipes. My leaven often increases about 50% overnight, but I'm careful not to let it go more than 50% because of the warm fermentolyse. That step really supercharges the leaven in the initial mix.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
But… when you just made a big leaven with just a spoonful of starter and the rest flour/water… what’s left wouldn’t be a strong starter? Did I understand the previous vid correctly? Why would I dry this to keep?
@@thesourdoughjourney well, usually you feed 1:1:1 and when feeding more like 1:5:5 for instance you weaken the starter, did I get that right? So when a leaven is made with a spoonful of starter and that much water and flour, I’d think it’s a very weak leaven (and what’s left a weak starter)?
Thanks for clarifying. The higher feeding ratios only weaken your starter if you discard and refeed before it peaks. If you let your starter fully peak after the higher feeding ratio, it will be as strong, or stronger than at a lower feeding ratio, it just takes longer to consume all the food. The discarding before peak is what weakens your starter.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
Hi Tom - I inadvertently made my leaven in the same jar - although only using a tablespoon - as my starter. So, I decided to start over this morning and put 1T of the starter in a new clean bowl and added the 200gm each H20 & 50/50 flour mix. I thought I could do the bulk fermentation tonight. The book isn’t really clear about how to accomplish this. I can mix the flour with 65 degree water to slow fermentation down. But, do I put it in the fridge and wait till morning to do the “turns”? Do I warm the dough up to 78-82 degrees first? Can you please shed any light on how this should work? Otherwise, I’ll be back to starting all over, yet again, tomorrow. Thank you! Jody Bucci
Doing the bulk fermentation overnight is incredibly tricky because you need to keep the dough temperature low overnight (below 70F). And you can do the stretch and folds in the middle of the night. It will work and is a different approach. You can bulk ferment overnight but keep the dough temp low, and skip the stretch and folds. The dough should rise about 60% overnight, then do Preshape and final shape in the morning. The tartine recipe and process is not easily adaptable to an overnight rise but it will work if you keep the dough temp low.
A better way to dissolve the starter into your water is to use a regular whisk. Invest in a Swedish dough whisk to mix your flour with the water and starter.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
I'm very new (haven't started yet) just watching so many videos before I give this a go. I see so many videos but never see what people do to keep the starter going. Once you pull your 20 grams out of the starter (first jar) what did you do with the starter jar? Does it go in the fridge? Do you keep using it until it's almost gone? How do you keep it going to always be able to make bread? I always hear discard and that's what people use to actually make things from? No one ever talks about that first jar that started it all. I am so confused and I just don't think this should be a hard thing to do. What am I missing to make this click? Also, you said people throw away that other 200g from that 400g. Couldn't you just make 2? What do you do if you go on vacation and can't feed it? So many questions - lol - TIA
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
No. You can make salt-free breads. Some Italian country loaves are made without salt. The salt does slow down the fermentation process and impacts gluten development so if you want to make a salt-free loaf I recommend finding a recipe specifically tailored for that.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
Thk you Tom for yr detailed video, at last found some of my answers fr yr video. Appreciate your efforts n time. As its warm over here, abt 27 to 32C, M thinking of reducing the starter (not sure how much?). N if I reduce the amount of starter, do I need to change the weight of the others? (flour, water, salt?) Thanking you in anticipation. :)
Thank you for the feedback. I have not experimented with warm temperature bakes yet. You can definitely reduce the starter or leaven to slow down the process. The fermentation process is non-linear, but I’d suggest starting with half the recommended amount and that should roughly double the fermentation time (maybe not quite double). If it is still too fast, reduce it again next time. Sorry I don’t have a more specific recommendation.
Thk you, appreciate yr fast response, , so when I reduce the amt of Levain , I donot need to change/adjust the wt of the other ingredients ( ie flour, salt n water ?)
@@izivvw26 no. By reducing the starter but leaving all the other ingredients the same it will slow down the fermentation. The smaller amount of starter needs to work much longer to rise the dough so it will take more time. If you reduce all the ingredients proportionally, the fermentation time will remain unchanged from the full recipe. Sorry If I misunderstood your initial post. I assume you are trying to slow down the fermentation due to the warm temperature?
Yes, you are correct. I am trying to slow down the fermentation due to warm climate. Will try to reduce only the Levain by 1/2. Sorry, I am a newbie to sourdough baking. Am very glad that you've answered the questions that have been bugging me for awhile. Thks again : )
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
Testing pH is not essential for making sourdough. I began testing pH of my starter and dough about 2 years ago. It is a helpful data point but not materially better than using the other observable criteria. A good quality lab meter is also expensive for home bakers. I’ve done a review of the popular meters, and I still use them in my kitchen. I’ll create a video on how to use pH meters sometime later this year.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
Yes, I learned that the hard way in the video. By the time I got to bulk fermentation I switched to a vessel with volume measurements on it. And in a subsequent video, The Mystery of Bulk Fermentation, I have a whole segment on selecting the right vessel for measuring percentage rise. Thank you for watching my videos and providing feedback!
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
You can try working the dough by hand a little more than I am doing here when you add the leaven, then again when you add the salt. That can help develop weak dough.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
Why would you let your leaven go down in temp to 65 degrees. You should put your leaven in an area that is above 72 degrees. I put in my oven with light on and door cracked which stays at around 78-80 degrees. My leaven takes around 4-6 hrs and it triples in volume, very active. You need to do more research. Your taking to much time. The over night is the fermentation of the actual dough.
Great question. The Tartine recipe, which I am following here, specifically calls for that temperature for developing the leaven overnight. Based on Rule #!1, I always follow the recipe exactly. If you read the book, there are two reasons for the low temperature. 1) Convenience - unless you want to get up at 4 am to be ready to bake at 8am, the only way you can time your Leaven to be ready in the morning, if you start it in the evening, is to slow down the process with a lower temperature, and 2) Chad Robertson specifically tries to use a "young" Leaven with very low acidity. By keeping the leaven at that low temperature, it favors yeast development over lactic acid bacteria development. So you end up with a "strong" but not "sour" leaven. But it is a great question. I ask myself that question all the time because I keep my starter very warm (76-78F) and am always concerned it won't know how to behave at 65F. But it always does.
How does one get a leaven or starter to triple in volume in such a short time? The best I can achieve is double the volume. I feed it 1:5:5 twice a day.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content: How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com Please check it out!
You are the Bob Ross of starters
Thank you! I love Bob Ross and take that as a high compliment!
what a great teacher. thank you for breaking this down for me. i had the book for at least 4 years before I even attempted it. was fairly successful - somewhere better than a brick but not a true Tartine. I'm encouraged that this time will be different. And I'll keep at it til it is.
Thank you. Good luck! All of my videos are based on the Tartine recipe, so there are lots of tools here and on my website.
I am so grateful for your time in putting this series together. Like so many others, I started my sourdough journey during lockdown when we couldn't find yeast, and I have researched so many different recipes and articles - all saying different things - leaving me with so many questions. I mixed and matched recipes and flours trying to find something that worked for me with various degrees of success. I started with your bulk fermentation video and have now started on these ones. Learning so much (like the difference between starter and leaven) and having so many questions answered. Thanks again.
I'm happy you are finding these videos helpful! Thank you so much for the feedback.
I did exactly what you did -- looked at a whole bunch of recipes and videos... and blogs... and books... etc., etc. , trying to figure out WHAT I should be doing or what I maybe did wrong that caused my bread not to look like the loaves pictured on the Internet. I used a piecemeal approach, picking from here and there, thinking I was selecting the best approach from the bunch. Not until I watched these videos did I realize how wrong that approach was. These are GREAT!!
@@carrenjstika1506 Thank you for the feedback.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
@@thesourdoughjourney and I’m gonna watch everyone!!!
I sure wish I saw your videos before I started. So good
Thanks.
i just found your videos after falling down the rabbit hole of sourdough information overload!!! UGH! Thank you for these awesome videos! So great for beginners like me! can't wait to watch them all!
Thank you. Good luck. Also check out my website at thesourdoughjourney.com. Lots of good info there too.
@@thesourdoughjourney of course I will!!!!!!
A few corrections since this video was published...
Based on the newer Tartine Bread Book (Book 3) and a more recent publication of the recipe in the New York Times, each of these versions of the Basic Country Loaf recipe, there have been a few corrections/clarifications:
1) REST BETWEEN ADDING SALT AND FIRST STRETCH AND FOLD - There should be a 30-minute rest between adding the salt and the first Stretch and Fold. This makes sense. It always seemed odd to do the first stretch and fold immediately after all the mixing of the salt. This rest time should be counted as the first 30 minutes of the recommended 3-4 total hours of bulk fermentation.
2) SIX STRETCH AND FOLDS - The recipes now call for 6 Stretch and Folds at 30 minute intervals, instead of the 4-5 as recommended in the original book and in this video. The last two sets should be more gentle to not de-gas the dough.
In this video, it also took over 5 hours for the dough to reach the target 30% rise in bulk fermentation versus the recommended time of 3-4 hours. It is very easy to underproof when using this recipe if you go strictly by the clock, so I recommend watching the percent rise more closely than the clock. If your loaves are consistently underproofing, I recommending adding a 30-60 minute countertop proof after final shaping, before going into the refrigerator. Each time you bake, keep pushing your proofing times until you reach the edge of overproofing. This is a good technique for finding and learning where the dough is "fully proofed."
I have published a new video series, "Tartine Bread: The Art and Alchemy," which addresses these changes (and more) in great detail.
.
@@thesourdoughjourney What is the most current version of this book which includes these corrections? Thank you. Your videos are really well done.
@Bear I still recommend the original Tartine Bread book. It has the most detailed explanation of the steps and the process. The corrections are found on the Tartine Bakery website in a short version of the same recipe that can be found here. tartinebakery.com/stories/country-bread
Tartine Book 3 has the corrections, but it is a very short version of the Country Bread recipe and omits many of the detailed tips included in Book 1.
I couldn’t catch the amount of water you add with the salt, 50 or 15? Also, do you now recommend waiting 30 minutes before the first stretch and folds?
Even though I’m only 7 min into video 2, these videos give me a sense of calm as I begin to realize where I went wrong and now understand where and how to fix my sourdough baking mistakes.
Many thx 😊
Thank you for the feedback!
Thanks!
Thank you!
This series of videos is amazing. Thank you for your generosity in putting this all together. In your part 4 of this series, where you do shaping, you said something that really cemented for me the whole shaping thing. You described dough/bread as being it's own little pressure cooker. That really created a great visual for me in terms of what I needed to do to shape my dough so that it has tension and its seams are closed. You are a very skilled instructor and again, thank you for these videos.
Thank you so much for the feedback.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
Tom, please don’t listen to those who say that you talk too much. Everything you say is germane and I like a little humor but no jokes and silliness.
Been baking sourdough successfully for a few years and have learned a few things. Great job!
Thank you for the feedback.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
I just discovered you and really enjoyed your videos. I look forward to seeing more. Great job explaining. If you are not an engineer, you conduct yourself like one 👍. Great job!!
Thank you.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
Thanks for your videos and your humor.
Subscribed!
Thank you! If you appreciate my unique sense of humor, you may like my video "50 Ways to Kill Your Starter." It is a comedy.
I did! And you are right! Unbelievably fun.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
This is a very helpful video. I liked watching you do the shaggy ball. I have never mixed mine that much. Now I have a better idea about shaggy. thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Another excellent overview of these two critical ingredients: time and temperature.
Thank you!
So I started a starter the way you showed three weeks ago and it’s doing great at least doubling every 6-8 hours at 70-71 f. I’m gonna try to bake this weekend I finally got my Dutch oven which I didn’t have before and my thermometers!!! So excited
My starter floats btw if that counts for anything
Good luck!
I tried heating up two smooth rocks in my oven and alternated them in the microwave to keep my dough at correct temp. Worked fairly well.
yellowbird500 so you have answered your own question.
yellowbird500 Also my ratio when creating my leaven is 40 grams starter :80 grams flour(40 grams all- purpose,40 grams dark rye) :80 grams filtered water @90 degrees Fahrenheit. That makes 200 grams (I use around 180)which after 4-5 hrs @ 78-82 degrees Fahrenheit . What I do is put in jar and mark with rubber band at 100% doubled, when it reaches the rubber band I then start to autolyse the rest of the dough. I continue to watch the leaven and when it has just stopped rising, I mix into the dough do a stretch and fold wait 30 minutes add salt do a few mor stretch and folds. Find “The Food Geek” and watch and learn from an expert. I am not using the Tartine method. I think you are over feeding so the yeast is not using all the flour efficiently, but it will in time. My recipe makes two 800 gram loafs.
Thanks for sharing
These videos are great! Wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to tape these and explain what is going on. I've watched a number of other videos, but they go so fast and the explanation of what you are doing .... what you should and should not be doing, and WHY ... isn't provided like you do in these videos. I haven't had a chance to watch the entire series, but I will. I look forward to that. (You must be a science teacher -- either a h.s. science teacher or at the college level. (I have a bet going with my brother, who also is watching these now. ) Thanks again!
Thank you for the feedback! Contrary to popular opinion, I am not a science teacher, engineer or former astronaut (although I would have liked all of those).
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
just beginning my sourdough journey and love your tutorials, have learned so much. you need to know that i have a little dot in my "cave" where i've been taking your sourdough course and my alexa loves to answer your questions, adding to the fun. i think i'm going to try to listen to both alexas and see if they make identical responses! thanks
Thanks! Good luck. 👍
hi, great videos! One question, you indicated that the leaven called for in the book made 400g of leaven but all that was needed was 200g. Then you indicated that if we didn't need the extra leaven for starter that we could cut down the flour to 100g of 50/50 and 100g water. Do you also cut down the tablespoon of starter that is used to half a tablespoon?
Yes. If you are keeping your starter separately and just need to make a leaven for the loaves you can divide everything in half and make 200g instead of 400g. That is what many people do.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
These videos are a great resource- I love the thourough, scientific approach. Makes me wonder what you do as a day job. Engineer? Chemistry professor?
Thanks! I am retired now. I was in business and finance, but always loved science.
1:45 if you want to avoid the crust, you could splash some water (keep an amount for the end) on top of the levain.
Yes, I also could have sealed it a bit more tightly with the plastic wrap. I've learned a lot since this time!
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
About getting the leaven at 65 degrees overnight if the ambient temp is higher - Elly from Elly’s everyday in Brisbane recommends putting your leaven or dough in a cooler with a small ice pack. I recently did that on a very warm day (88 degrees) and my dough stayed at 74 degrees for the several hours that I needed to be out of the house during the bulk rise. Today is another hot day and as I’m watching your videos, I’m testing the cooler temp with a larger ice pack to see what temperature it creates inside the cooler. Thanks, Tom, for your excellent detailed videos - Ana in California.
Thank you. That is good idea. One of my upcoming videos will be on warm weather baking techniques. I will test this out.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
I admire your empirical approach to deal with a simple process to a complex biological reaction
Thank you. I appreciate the feedback.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
Can I freeze the 200 gm of extra leaven to use for my next bread
Thank you so much for your very informative videos I was struggling with my starter but yours helps me a lot
Freezing your leaven will weaken it a bit, but it should still work.
@@thesourdoughjourney It stands to reason that refrigerating the leaven overnight will also weaken it, right?
I am from a tropical country southeast asia. Our temp ranges from from 28-32C. What do i do with the dough during fermentation to get the ideal temp of 25.5-27.8C?
Mix with cold water, and cut back the fermentation time slightly if your dough exceeds 28.C.
Hi Tom greetings from the island of Malta in the Mediterranean. Thank you very much indeed for the informative videos. I have been feeding the starter for 3.5 weeks and it doubles in size in 4 hours. I have now moved to baking bread and I prepared the leaven at 20:00 yesterday evening and at noon today it’s still a little runny and nowhere close to yours when you poured the 200g to start baking. The room temperature is 25C (77F) (summer is around the corner) and the internal leaven temperature is 24.5C. I now have absolutely no idea what to do. I will give it an hour or so and see. Thanks for any advice
Is it runny because it has peaked and fallen? If so, you can just add another 50g of flour and 50g of water without discarding (this is called a refresh) and wait about 2 hours for the starter to peak, then use it in the recipe.
The overnight leaven creation in the Tartine recipe assumes a very cool temperature (65F/18C) so your leaven probably peaked sometime in the evening if it was 25C.
@@thesourdoughjourney thank you so much. I will 50g of flour and 50g of water and hope for the best
In the future, it may be too warm for you to do the overnight leaven. So just mix up a batch in the morning and use it in the recipe when it peaks a few hours later.
How did it work out?
Thank you for provide so many useful information. I learned a lot from your videos. Sometimes at the stage of stretch and fold, my dough appear longitudinal gluten like material, which tear apart the dough. I wonder if it is derived from the over-mixing or under-mixing when adding the salt. Is there any criteria to estimate whether the mixing is enough or not? Thanks a lot.
Thank you. Usually that is caused by over mixing or overproofing. I have not done any videos that demonstrate overmixing. I am planning to do one in the future. Thanks!
if you make just half of the leaven, would you use a whole tbs of starter and 100g flour and 100 grams water or would you use one-half tbs of starter. seems like its ok to use a whole tbs??
Yes. I’d use a whole tbsp. I actually weigh it now. I use 10g starter, 100g flour and 100g water.
? Could one make two loaves since the recipe calls for only half the leaven? Thanks for this great series!
Half the leaven actually makes two loaves so you could double the flour water and salt and make 4 loaves.
Or just cut the leaven in half. It has always been confusing why it calls for twice as much as required.
Hi Tom, amazing series! A perfect blend of art and science!
I had one question - instead of stretch and fold technique for gluten development, can I use a stand mixer? I am planning to start a small artisanal bakehouse and we'll have to produce sourdough breads in bulk. Using a mixer requires far lesser manpower than stretch & fold.
Thank you. You would use a stand mixer for the initial mixing, but not the stereochemistry and folds. Most bakeries mix the dough in mixers, then transfer it to large tubs where they still do the stretch and folds (on much larger batches) during bulk fermentation.
Check out these videos from Proof Bread. They show the entire process in a bakery setting. th-cam.com/video/C8PUlZrngZQ/w-d-xo.html
@@thesourdoughjourney Thanks a lot!
i wanted to try to bake a loaf this weekend and got all prepared but my starter doesn’t float yet. it’s about 20 days old now. i just decreased the feeding ratio to 1-1-1.
hoping i can try again tmw.
If it’s consistently peaking in 4-6 hours after feeding; I don’t worry too much about the float test.
@@thesourdoughjourney awesome, thank you.
To avoid having the dough go down the drain when I wash my hands (& utensils), I wash them over a rubber dishpan. I then slowly drain the pan and harvest the residue with a paper towel. It's like panning for gold.
Thank you. That is a good suggestion!
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
Thank you a lot for these video lessons! May I ask, if it is necessary to make bulk fermentation in a small jar?
No. You can use a large flat bowl but the Tartine recipe recommends a tall, straight-walled vessel so it is easier to measure the percentage rise. It is difficult to measure the percent change in a larger, flatter bowl. But it still works.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
Can I replace the water in the starter with whey from making Greek yogurt?
Some people have done that but I’ve not tried it.
My levain meets smell test, rose 25-30%, but did not pass the float test. Dough is 66.3 degrees F at 11.5 hours overnight. I will try again at 12.5 hours, but if it won’t float, is it ok to use? I am literally following this method to the last detail!
The float test is not 100% reliable. Especially at 20-30% rise. As long as the leaven is clearly rising, you can proceed. I usually go a bit higher than 30% now.
Thank you for such a quick response…it is much more bubbly now (43 min later) still no float, and fruity. I will wait 15 min…9:00 am and proceed! Your videos are fabulous.
I’m mixing my leaven 1TB starter/200g water/200grams starter blend flour (gonna go to 100/100) at night before going to bed, say 10:00pm. It’s more than doubling over night til about 8:00am at about 70°F room temperature. It’s got lots of gluten strands and air bubbles but doesn’t pass the float test. Seems like it should float. Leaving it longer didn’t help. That’s way more rise than 20%. Should I ferment it in the fridge overnight to slow it down? Should I just proceed with it as is? Perhaps the institute had a video on this topic? Learning a lot from these videos but just trying to dial everything in for more consistent bakes. Working on controlling temps and just going by % rise, reading the r dough, etc.
Proceed. It can be well past 20%. As of as it hasn’t fallen past peak, it’s ok to proceed.
@@thesourdoughjourney will do. Thanks! Looking at photo I took. I started out with ~1.5 cups and ended with ~3.5 cups. It’s pretty flat on top, not domed so maybe it had peaked. So should I use it while still rising and before the “dome” has collapsed, ie., in the most active phase? The dough rose fine during bulk fermentation but not much oven spring so I think I over proofed it, ran out of gas before baked. It also smells pretty sour and has very dense crumb so I probably should have declared bulk ferment done much sooner.
Why does the levin have an unspecified time when from your description it could be controlled and replicated if you use same time/temp/water/flour?
The Tartine recipe does not specify a time. It just says “overnight.” This video was one of my early bakes. I did not have enough experience to know at the time how long it should take.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
At 13:10 you meant 700g water, correct? So when we add salt we’re adding 50g to create 75% hydration, correct?
Thx again for your great content 👍🏼
Yes. That is correct. Thank you.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
Hi Tom (and anyone else who is listening) -
I made a test leaven (following the Tartine instructions) last night to test my starter. My room temp was closer to 75 than 65. Could that temperature difference lead to the leaven doubling (i.e. growing by 100% instead of 20%)? (Because it did).
Yes. That would not be uncommon. Mine routinely would double overnight at that temperature. It is difficult to replicate the Tartine method at 65F. I start mine as late as possible (midnight sometimes). You can also try starting with less starter. This will slow things down but is really difficult to time exactly so you need to remain flexible when starting your bake the next day.
The Sourdough Journey thank you so much, Tom! That makes me feel a lot better. Thanks again! Your videos are excellent. I greatly appreciate your precision and clear communication.
Thank you. If your leaven doubles overnight, you can still use it, but it might run out of energy in bulk fermentation so just watch for the 30% rise instead of the clock. It will get there but may take longer.
The Sourdough Journey it actually didn’t pass the float test. I can’t make bread today anyway because i am now at work, but I tried a couple of times this morning, and it did sink both times. The leaven was domed on the top, but didn’t quite seem to be at the point where it smelled like overripe fruit. I put it in the fridge before i left for work because I won’t be home tonight. Any other thoughts?
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
I have been watching your incredible videos for several months and thoroughly enjoy your scientific approach to sour dough baking! I would like to purchase the Tartine Method book by Chad Robertson, but there are 3 from which to choose - The 2010 edition, Tartine Revisited (2018) and Tartine Book #3. I am basically interested in his most up to date methods, not necessarily new recipes. Which edition of his book would you recommend? Thank you for your guidance.
Thanks. The original book Tartine Bread, is still the best. I have all of them.
Great videos Tom. One question please. If I make 200g of leaven instead of 400g as you suggest in this video, do I lower the starter to just 6 grams or use 12 grams as per recipe ? Thanks and I love your kitchen by the way.
Thank you. Good question. Yes, but 6 grams is such a small amount I probably use about 10g for a half batch. The starter measurement is the one that does not need to be exact. Even in the book, Robertson is inexact and calls for a “tablespoon” of starter to make the leaven. Which I always interpret as a “big spoonful.” So for half the leaven recipe use “half of a big spoonful.”
@@thesourdoughjourney Thanks Tom. Understood.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
Question for you sir. The recipe calls for a thousand grams of water, but the only water I’ve seen used is the 700 grams in the leven, and the little bit with the salt. If only this amount is used, why measure out the 1000 grams in the beginning?
It uses 1,000g flour and 750g water. 50g is reserved for when you add the salt.
These do not count the flour and water used in the leaven, which is 100g each.
@@thesourdoughjourney ok gotcha, my recipe right now that I’m on my third stretch and fold probably has 200 more grams of water then it should then. Not good. Any remedy or just play it out and see how it goes?
Try to incorporate more flour (266g).
@@thesourdoughjourney I added it. 200 grams bread flour, 66 grams whole wheat. Definitely more shaggy. 👍🏼 what do you think about a little longer on the bulk fermentation since I added more flour later. Dough temp is on point, right at 80.
Try to push it a little longer than usual, but to too much. Things move quickly at 80F.
The lowest I could get my temperature was about 71 due to warm weather. The next morning 7-8 hours later it had risen over 20% (more like 30-40) and passed the float test but it didn't smell sweet or vinegary, just yeasty. I wasn't really sure what to do as the book doesn't cover that. Would that be due to the warmer temperature and faster rise?
Good question. It is ok if it rises faster, as long as it doesn’t rise and fall and look spent. It is difficult to get an overnight temp at 65F. I usually just mix it later at night (10pm) to make sure it does not go more than 12 hours before morning. You are basically doing a 20 to 1 feeding of your starter, so it should be fine at 8-10 hours in the low 70s.
@@thesourdoughjourney Thanks for the quick reply. It was mainly the smell that threw me off really. It definitely wasn't sweet but not vinegar either.
@@SantaHul I think I am familiar with that. If it still smells like flour, it may not be ready. If it has risen and passes the float tests but does not smell vinegary, I believe that is the "young leaven" that C. Robertson is looking for in the method.
@@thesourdoughjourney Ok well thanks for your help, I really appreciate your long and detailed videos. I think, for my sins, I've been punished with an inaccurate probe thermometer but I would have struggled to tell if it wasn't for your video showing me what it should look like at each stage.
Update on my comment above, the dough failed again (this is close to my tenth failure now with lots of different recipes). As has happened previously, the dough increased in volume satisfactorily and I could see a lot of gas production but it didn't have structure and when I poured it onto the counter it pancaked again. I've been doing some research though and, contrary to my previous understanding, my water provider (Thames Water) apparently uses chloramine. I've tried a new batch with bottled water and the leaven smells much sweeter, it's totally different from anything I've previously made. So just for the record in case it's useful for anybody else, if there's chloramine in your water it can still support a starter, you will still get gas production and increased volume but you won't get proper gluten development or structure, the dough will still look shiny and wet and you won't get the sweet smell from the leaven. You will still be able to make standard bread with commercial yeast from the water.
So this is my second attempt at making this bread I’ve tried to soup my starter up this week and get it better. It was peeking in five hours at 75°F two days in a row so we’re gonna try. I had too much water and added 1000 g instead of the 700 g to my leave and flour, so I added some more flour to get it to the consistency and I’m just gonna hope for the best😢
You did the right thing. Google luck.
Tom, can we use stand mixer instead of hand mix?
Yes., I have not done it but others do. You really want to be on the side of under-mixing vs. over. The mixer can heat up the dough from friction and can tear the gluten strands. I’d suggest starting light and working your way up each time you bake, until you find the sweet spot between under and over mixing. Look at some of the hand mixing videos and try to produce the same results with the mixer.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
Almost all other recipes call for levain to rise double or even triple, while Tartine recipe 20% only. I understand that temperature, length of time, the rise % and time for bulk fermentation later, as well as other variables tie everything together with the rise %. However, I refer to the SAME temperature and the length of time between other recipes and Tartine's. What might be the reasons for Tartine's only calls for 20% rise for the levain??? Thanks
Thanks. Good question. C. Robertson prefers a "young" leaven. It is very low acidity and very mild flavor. Also, when he does the initial mix of dough, he uses very warm water and does a warm fermentolyse (with no salt) so that jump starts the leaven during that first 30-40 minutes. In some ways I think of that as still "rising" the leaven.
Also, some of these recipes are part happenstance. Based on C. Robertson's baking schedule and cool overnight temperatures, it may just be the way the process worked (successfully) for him, so he codified it in his recipe. I see aspects of that in many recipes. My leaven often increases about 50% overnight, but I'm careful not to let it go more than 50% because of the warm fermentolyse. That step really supercharges the leaven in the initial mix.
@@thesourdoughjourney Thank you Tom, as always, you are the best and thorough with replies. Best of the best TH-camrs
How do I store my dehydrated starter? In the fridge? On the counter?
Good question. Some people freeze it in a ziploc bag. I keep mine in an airtight jar in my pantry.
@@thesourdoughjourney Thank you!
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
But… when you just made a big leaven with just a spoonful of starter and the rest flour/water… what’s left wouldn’t be a strong starter? Did I understand the previous vid correctly? Why would I dry this to keep?
Not sure I understand the question.
@@thesourdoughjourney well, usually you feed 1:1:1 and when feeding more like 1:5:5 for instance you weaken the starter, did I get that right?
So when a leaven is made with a spoonful of starter and that much water and flour, I’d think it’s a very weak leaven (and what’s left a weak starter)?
Thanks for clarifying. The higher feeding ratios only weaken your starter if you discard and refeed before it peaks.
If you let your starter fully peak after the higher feeding ratio, it will be as strong, or stronger than at a lower feeding ratio, it just takes longer to consume all the food. The discarding before peak is what weakens your starter.
@@thesourdoughjourney Right, thank you so much for this clear answer. Now I understand. Thanks again, Tom. 👍🏻
Do you think they did all of this back in the pioneer days ?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Wish I could try some of that 4500 year old starter they found in Egypt.
👍
Very well explained. But did you forget to add the salt? Could it have been blended with the flours and then added?
I add the salt separately at 35:50.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
Hi Tom - I inadvertently made my leaven in the same jar - although only using a tablespoon - as my starter. So, I decided to start over this morning and put 1T of the starter in a new clean bowl and added the 200gm each H20 & 50/50 flour mix. I thought I could do the bulk fermentation tonight. The book isn’t really clear about how to accomplish this. I can mix the flour with 65 degree water to slow fermentation down. But, do I put it in the fridge and wait till morning to do the “turns”? Do I warm the dough up to 78-82 degrees first? Can you please shed any light on how this should work? Otherwise, I’ll be back to starting all over, yet again, tomorrow. Thank you! Jody Bucci
Doing the bulk fermentation overnight is incredibly tricky because you need to keep the dough temperature low overnight (below 70F). And you can do the stretch and folds in the middle of the night. It will work and is a different approach. You can bulk ferment overnight but keep the dough temp low, and skip the stretch and folds. The dough should rise about 60% overnight, then do
Preshape and final shape in the morning.
The tartine recipe and process is not easily adaptable to an overnight rise but it will work if you keep the dough temp low.
A better way to dissolve the starter into your water is to use a regular whisk. Invest in a Swedish dough whisk to mix your flour with the water and starter.
Great recommendation. I have since switched to a normal whisk for dissolving the starter into the water. I will consider a danish dough whisk.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
I'm very new (haven't started yet) just watching so many videos before I give this a go. I see so many videos but never see what people do to keep the starter going. Once you pull your 20 grams out of the starter (first jar) what did you do with the starter jar? Does it go in the fridge? Do you keep using it until it's almost gone? How do you keep it going to always be able to make bread? I always hear discard and that's what people use to actually make things from? No one ever talks about that first jar that started it all. I am so confused and I just don't think this should be a hard thing to do. What am I missing to make this click? Also, you said people throw away that other 200g from that 400g. Couldn't you just make 2? What do you do if you go on vacation and can't feed it? So many questions - lol - TIA
All the answers are here in the various starter chapters. thesourdoughjourney.com/encyclopedia/
Newbie here! The leftover 200 grams of leaven, can’t you just make another loaf of bread?
Yes.
Can you halve the recipe and only make one loaf?
Yes. Divide all the ingredients in half. The process remains the same. I’ve also done 1/3 and 1/4 recipes.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
Why make a levain instead of using 200g of starter?
You can do that too. The leaven is a high feeding ratio (1:10:10) that produces a less acidic version of the starter. But very similar.
Beside taste, is salt required in sourdough/bread
No. You can make salt-free breads. Some Italian country loaves are made without salt. The salt does slow down the fermentation process and impacts gluten development so if you want to make a salt-free loaf I recommend finding a recipe specifically tailored for that.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
Thk you Tom for yr detailed video, at last found some of my answers fr yr video. Appreciate your efforts n time. As its warm over here, abt 27 to 32C, M thinking of reducing the starter (not sure how much?). N if I reduce the amount of starter, do I need to change the weight of the others? (flour, water, salt?) Thanking you in anticipation. :)
Thank you for the feedback. I have not experimented with warm temperature bakes yet. You can definitely reduce the starter or leaven to slow down the process. The fermentation process is non-linear, but I’d suggest starting with half the recommended amount and that should roughly double the fermentation time (maybe not quite double). If it is still too fast, reduce it again next time. Sorry I don’t have a more specific recommendation.
Thk you, appreciate yr fast response, , so when I reduce the amt of Levain , I donot need to change/adjust the wt of the other ingredients ( ie flour, salt n water ?)
@@izivvw26 no. By reducing the starter but leaving all the other ingredients the same it will slow down the fermentation. The smaller amount of starter needs to work much longer to rise the dough so it will take more time. If you reduce all the ingredients proportionally, the fermentation time will remain unchanged from the full recipe. Sorry If I misunderstood your initial post. I assume you are trying to slow down the fermentation due to the warm temperature?
Yes, you are correct. I am trying to slow down the fermentation due to warm climate. Will try to reduce only the Levain by 1/2.
Sorry, I am a newbie to sourdough baking.
Am very glad that you've answered the questions that have been bugging me for awhile. Thks again : )
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
Why are we not checking Ph. Awaiting for advice.
Testing pH is not essential for making sourdough. I began testing pH of my starter and dough about 2 years ago. It is a helpful data point but not materially better than using the other observable criteria. A good quality lab meter is also expensive for home bakers. I’ve done a review of the popular meters, and I still use them in my kitchen. I’ll create a video on how to use pH meters sometime later this year.
A great trick to get dough off your hands is put some flour in your hands and rub. Works every time
Thanks. Great idea.
Well duh!! What about oil??
You use mouthwash as laundry detergent? Lol. Just kidding. Thanks for these very detailed vids!
Thank you!
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
If your bowl has a curved surface you can't tell how much it raised in percentage
Yes, I learned that the hard way in the video. By the time I got to bulk fermentation I switched to a vessel with volume measurements on it. And in a subsequent video, The Mystery of Bulk Fermentation, I have a whole segment on selecting the right vessel for measuring percentage rise. Thank you for watching my videos and providing feedback!
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
My dough is not so stift. My flower is 14% protein but is not god.
You can try working the dough by hand a little more than I am doing here when you add the leaven, then again when you add the salt. That can help develop weak dough.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!
Why would you let your leaven go down in temp to 65 degrees. You should put your leaven in an area that is above 72 degrees. I put in my oven with light on and door cracked which stays at around 78-80 degrees. My leaven takes around 4-6 hrs and it triples in volume, very active. You need to do more research. Your taking to much time. The over night is the fermentation of the actual dough.
Great question. The Tartine recipe, which I am following here, specifically calls for that temperature for developing the leaven overnight. Based on Rule #!1, I always follow the recipe exactly. If you read the book, there are two reasons for the low temperature. 1) Convenience - unless you want to get up at 4 am to be ready to bake at 8am, the only way you can time your Leaven to be ready in the morning, if you start it in the evening, is to slow down the process with a lower temperature, and 2) Chad Robertson specifically tries to use a "young" Leaven with very low acidity. By keeping the leaven at that low temperature, it favors yeast development over lactic acid bacteria development. So you end up with a "strong" but not "sour" leaven. But it is a great question. I ask myself that question all the time because I keep my starter very warm (76-78F) and am always concerned it won't know how to behave at 65F. But it always does.
How does one get a leaven or starter to triple in volume in such a short time? The best I can achieve is double the volume. I feed it 1:5:5 twice a day.
I’ve recently published some great NEW content:
How to Read a Sourdough Crumb: Underproofed or Overproofed? th-cam.com/video/JzvZ6vMxHcw/w-d-xo.html
The 10 Secrets of Sourdough Success th-cam.com/video/XRqHQzd3WTM/w-d-xo.html
Experimenting with Bread Flours th-cam.com/video/dkHiXyPBr4w/w-d-xo.html
I’ve also created a NEW SOURDOUGH WEBSITE at thesourdoughjourney.com
Please check it out!