Sourdough Insights


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So the games have started … with every bread questions come up … new information appears and this is a good place to collect it.

I am again impressed by how most of the information available seems to be overly complicated. You can easily get the impression that you need so many things to do this right. My motivation rejects this information as does my reality … I don’t even have a proper oven where temperature can be controller … I want solutions that are rocket-stove-able 🙂 So it is interesting to sift through the information and try to reject things which are too much and yet pick up tips and tricks that may be useful.

Also so much information is technical “do this and then this and then this and then this” instead of telling a story that can guide you as you gain experience.

First thing is the “fallen bread” symptom (when baking a bread without a form) Annelieke and I experienced both in Portugal and then I was able to replicate here at Bhudeva. Turns out that it is, most likely, from letting the dough rise for too long … and that yeasts eat through the gluten strands … and the bread falls. So you can’t just leave it over night, or if you do, better to leave it in refrigeration. When the dough starts to open and crack … bake it … or if you’ve gone past the optimal point knead it again and let it rise again. I also found this very thorough troubleshooting list for sourdough … how convenient 🙂

Another interesting disovery on how to store and transport (including in carry-on luggage) starter. Apparently if you spread a thin layer on baking paper and let it dry, you can collect the flakes, take them with you, send them wherever you want … rehydrate them and you are good to go!