The Bread Thread!

[Beekissed]

All this talk about sour dough: old fashioned vs. buying a culture has me wanting to so a SD culture here, just to say I've succeeded. Bee, would you advise me to try with the white flour I have on hand (it's not very fresh) or buy some organic WW flour at my health food store? And, once I get my culture going, does it matter whether I use white or WW to feed it? My typical forays into bread products are usually about 3/4 white, and I add 1/4 heavier grains. Typically WW, oats, corn, or 6 grain (usually a combination of those).

Typically they suggest not using any bleached or highly processed white flour, but a regular, unbleached all purpose white flour is what many use. I've made one using that and it went well enough.

The organic whole wheat would likely be quicker as it tends to have its own yeasts already captured on the grains themselves before you even grind them. The least processed the grain, it seems the closer one is to making a good starter.

They say to continue with the one you started with, but I didn't, as I haven't ground any new flour yet...my grinder is having a small malfunction. I had one cup to get it started and then fed it with the all purpose.

 

[Mini Horses]

I've never heard of Carbalose flour

Me either...now, I have to do research

I tried making a starter from the "yeasts in the air" when we moved out to Wyoming. Those yeasts are nasty! It was pink and smelled bad within a week.

Sorry -- BUT

 

[Marianne]

I had made a good sourdough starters many times before attempting it in Wyoming. It was just the one attempt that went so wrong. Somehow I just caught the wrong yeast on that attempt.

I am going to attempt to use the starter I have now on homeground whole wheat and see if I can get some sourdough whole wheat bread that is edible. I would like ot be able to make bread from whole wheat without using any white flour. Right now, my attempts are producing a very, very heavy loaf.

Have you tried adding some vital wheat gluten? My all whole wheat loaves were pretty dense, the wheat gluten helped lighten the loaf.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

This reminds me of a beer that Rogue Brewery tried making... using the yeasts in the brewmeisters beard! LOL it worked... he's been in the brewery for so many years. If you happen across it, it's called Beard Beer, and it's surprisingly good considering its weird inception.

Glad I've had breakfast.

@Beekissed , what do you use for a grinder? I've been thinking it would be great to get one. Knowing that whole grains have a very long shelf life, and immediately start to oxidize when the seed coat is breached.

 

[Beekissed]

@Lazy Gardener ....here's a link to the kind of mill I use, on Ebay. This is a GREAT price for a grain mill like this. Or just about any grain mill that has the capabilities that these do. I'd make them an offer and go up from there...you never know how much they will take less than the advertised price.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Magic-Mill...197716?hash=item46938cef14:g:B4EAAOSwVZ1crpJz

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I've heard of folks hooking a drill up to a hand crank grain mill. If I buy a mill, I think I would look at this option. Then, if the electrical system crashed (we've been w/o power for 13 days during an ice storm) I would still be able to use it, AND, I could run it with the drill to save wear and tear on my arm. I've been keeping my eyes and ears open for a while, but not ready to spend the money yet. I have a Kitchen Aid mixer, wonder if there's a mill attachment for that???

Yep, there is. Any one have experience with this?:

 

[Lazy Gardener]

When I'm getting serious about buying a grain mill, that might be the best option, if it is rated well.

 

[sumi]

Nothing beats a good cookbook! Love that the girls got to do that, ground flour, bake bread... Wonderful!

 

[wyoDreamer]

@baymule That is the place we bought our grain mill from. We have the Country Living Grain mill - we bought it with the motor. I love that mill.

I love that the girls got to look through the cookbook and select their bread recipe the old fashioned way, lol.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

That focaccia recipe sound absolutely delicious.

I see you've just joined - WELCOME - from Tx.