Comments on: Sourdough for sissies. http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/ Step-by-step recipes and baking tips from America's oldest flour company: King Arthur Flour Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:14:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: kimmyrose http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/comment-page-3/#comment-62662 kimmyrose Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:52:45 +0000 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/#comment-62662 This recipe has become essential in my family. However, I plop my dough into a bread pan and make a loaf out of it. My family likes to make everything from french toast to sandwiches on this yummy bread. Yesterday I was in the mood to experiment so I made a half recipe and allowed it to rise for about an hour. While it was rising I mixed big chunks of onion, garlic and herbs with some olive oil and allowed it to get happy on low heat. After my dough had risen, I brushed a muffin tin with some of my herby olive oil then tore off chunks of dough and rolled them into neat little balls. I allowed my dough to rise in the muffin tin until the balls of dough filled each slot completely then brushed once more with herby olive oil and baked for about 15 minutes at 350. They were delightfully crunchy on the outside and wonderfully soft on the inside. My family loved them so much they've requested them for Thanksgiving. <strong>Recipe success AND family approval.....then a request for Thanksgiving? Surely you've reached baking superstar status. Happy Holiday Baking! Irene @ KAF</strong> This recipe has become essential in my family. However, I plop my dough into a bread pan and make a loaf out of it. My family likes to make everything from french toast to sandwiches on this yummy bread. Yesterday I was in the mood to experiment so I made a half recipe and allowed it to rise for about an hour. While it was rising I mixed big chunks of onion, garlic and herbs with some olive oil and allowed it to get happy on low heat. After my dough had risen, I brushed a muffin tin with some of my herby olive oil then tore off chunks of dough and rolled them into neat little balls. I allowed my dough to rise in the muffin tin until the balls of dough filled each slot completely then brushed once more with herby olive oil and baked for about 15 minutes at 350. They were delightfully crunchy on the outside and wonderfully soft on the inside. My family loved them so much they’ve requested them for Thanksgiving.

Recipe success AND family approval…..then a request for Thanksgiving? Surely you’ve reached baking superstar status. Happy Holiday Baking! Irene @ KAF

]]> By: camilla http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/comment-page-3/#comment-62178 camilla Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:04:28 +0000 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/#comment-62178 I am making sourdough bread today from my KA starter and realize I am out of all purpose flour. Can I sub in my KA bread flour with some whole wheat? <strong> You can use the bread flour by itself or in combination with the whole wheat. If the recipe you are using calls for only white flour, you will need to increase your water amount by 1 tablespoon per cup of whole wheat flour added. ~Amy</strong> I am making sourdough bread today from my KA starter and realize I am out of all purpose flour. Can I sub in my KA bread flour with some whole wheat?
You can use the bread flour by itself or in combination with the whole wheat. If the recipe you are using calls for only white flour, you will need to increase your water amount by 1 tablespoon per cup of whole wheat flour added. ~Amy

]]> By: Jeanp51 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/comment-page-3/#comment-60646 Jeanp51 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:19:08 +0000 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/#comment-60646 Hi, I love the blog. I have a starter in my fridge that I feed weekly, but I don't know why when I need to use "fed" starter that I need to discard 1 cup, then feed it, let it sit and use that. I've made this bread using the 1 cup that I removed from the starter. I fed this cup of starter and let it sit overnight and used it and the bread was excellent. I am curious to know how different the bread would be if I followed the directions for using the "fed" starter. Thanks <strong>Great question. The reason for the discard in sourdough is to keep the levels of acidity in check. If a starter never gets divided, over time the acidity level will build and your starter will become sluggish, gray and thin. When you fed your starter and let it sit before using, that was "fed" starter. If you were to just take starter straight from the container and put it in your recipe, that is "unfed" starter. It would still perform, but not nearly as well. Just like Mom told us not to skip meals, it important for your starter to get fed properly to work its best. Hope this helps. ~ MaryJane</strong> Hi, I love the blog. I have a starter in my fridge that I feed weekly, but I don’t know why when I need to use “fed” starter that I need to discard 1 cup, then feed it, let it sit and use that. I’ve made this bread using the 1 cup that I removed from the starter. I fed this cup of starter and let it sit overnight and used it and the bread was excellent. I am curious to know how different the bread would be if I followed the directions for using the “fed” starter.

Thanks
Great question. The reason for the discard in sourdough is to keep the levels of acidity in check. If a starter never gets divided, over time the acidity level will build and your starter will become sluggish, gray and thin.
When you fed your starter and let it sit before using, that was “fed” starter. If you were to just take starter straight from the container and put it in your recipe, that is “unfed” starter. It would still perform, but not nearly as well. Just like Mom told us not to skip meals, it important for your starter to get fed properly to work its best. Hope this helps. ~ MaryJane

]]> By: dsx2 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/comment-page-3/#comment-60338 dsx2 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 18:00:29 +0000 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/#comment-60338 Question: When shaping the loaves for the rustic or tangy sourdough, are you doing a gluten cloak first or just shaping it after plopping it out on the parchment? I made the extra tangy yesterday (tasted great BTW) but the dough was SO wet and sticky that I just patted it into a log shape, sort of. Wasn't the prettiest loaf I've ever made; I'm used to doing the envelope fold, etc. and getting a nice tight "cloak" on it. I did get lovely holes inside; I imagine if I add more flour the holes will diminish. <strong>I do the gluten cloak if it's firm enough to do so; otherwise, just plop it out. Consistency of dough varies with the weather and season. And yeah, the holes may diminish a bit with more flour. Your best bet is to try shaping it with a lot of flour; in other words, don't add a lot of flour when you mix the dough, but shape it on a well floured surface. You can sometimes work a gluten cloak that way where you wouldn't be able to if you didn't have so much flour on your work surface, and thus on the surface of the dough. Good luck - PJH</strong> Question: When shaping the loaves for the rustic or tangy sourdough, are you doing a gluten cloak first or just shaping it after plopping it out on the parchment? I made the extra tangy yesterday (tasted great BTW) but the dough was SO wet and sticky that I just patted it into a log shape, sort of. Wasn’t the prettiest loaf I’ve ever made; I’m used to doing the envelope fold, etc. and getting a nice tight “cloak” on it. I did get lovely holes inside; I imagine if I add more flour the holes will diminish.

I do the gluten cloak if it’s firm enough to do so; otherwise, just plop it out. Consistency of dough varies with the weather and season. And yeah, the holes may diminish a bit with more flour. Your best bet is to try shaping it with a lot of flour; in other words, don’t add a lot of flour when you mix the dough, but shape it on a well floured surface. You can sometimes work a gluten cloak that way where you wouldn’t be able to if you didn’t have so much flour on your work surface, and thus on the surface of the dough. Good luck – PJH

]]> By: clelumom http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/comment-page-3/#comment-59982 clelumom Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:45:17 +0000 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/#comment-59982 I've been baking with sourdough for 25 years now, with starter that was carried on the Alaskan gold rush trail, passed down through my family for generations. I've only today found this sourdough blog, although I love all of PJ's other blogs. I have read everyone's experiences and am glad there are so many people enjoying sourdough. Sourdough is very forgiving, it does like to be fed each week, but if you can't get to it for awhile, it will not die. I have taken some sponge out and put it in the freezer as a backup, in case something happens to my fridge starter. When you use the freezer starter, you will need to feed it once or twice before you are able to use it in a recipe. Life happens, I have accidently gone for weeks/months without feeding it and it always comes back. Unlike KA, I do find that any metal will kill the sponge/starter, so I do not use any metal utensils or bowls to work up the dough or batter. When baking break I knead it with my hands, keeps my hands strong. :) I use warm milk with flour to feed it instead of water. Like the blogger from the southwest experienced, when you feed the sponge, it will grow, so you shouldn't feed it in the crock, but it in a different bowl, then move it to the crock for storage. Starter needs air to breathe, it shouldn't be kept in an airtight container in the fridge either, use a crock, a jar, etc. not tupperware. <b>I am so impressed your starter is so old. That is such a great thing! And what a great idea to keep a bit in your freezer just in case. Resilient it is. I am happy you found our blogs on sourdough. Elisabeth</b><b> </b> I’ve been baking with sourdough for 25 years now, with starter that was carried on the Alaskan gold rush trail, passed down through my family for generations. I’ve only today found this sourdough blog, although I love all of PJ’s other blogs. I have read everyone’s experiences and am glad there are so many people enjoying sourdough. Sourdough is very forgiving, it does like to be fed each week, but if you can’t get to it for awhile, it will not die. I have taken some sponge out and put it in the freezer as a backup, in case something happens to my fridge starter. When you use the freezer starter, you will need to feed it once or twice before you are able to use it in a recipe. Life happens, I have accidently gone for weeks/months without feeding it and it always comes back. Unlike KA, I do find that any metal will kill the sponge/starter, so I do not use any metal utensils or bowls to work up the dough or batter. When baking break I knead it with my hands, keeps my hands strong. :) I use warm milk with flour to feed it instead of water. Like the blogger from the southwest experienced, when you feed the sponge, it will grow, so you shouldn’t feed it in the crock, but it in a different bowl, then move it to the crock for storage. Starter needs air to breathe, it shouldn’t be kept in an airtight container in the fridge either, use a crock, a jar, etc. not tupperware.
I am so impressed your starter is so old. That is such a great thing! And what a great idea to keep a bit in your freezer just in case. Resilient it is. I am happy you found our blogs on sourdough. Elisabeth

]]> By: Anna. W. http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/comment-page-3/#comment-59592 Anna. W. Mon, 27 Jun 2011 03:48:10 +0000 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/#comment-59592 I made a fantastic loaf with KA starter. My German friend says it tastes like the "real bread" he's used to in Germany--and he's tried some pretty high quality American-made sourdough bread, including Zingerman's. He thinks it tastes so "real" because I used spelt flour. Here's my recipe: Ripening starter: 1/3 cup refrigerated starter 1/3 cup water 2/3 cup KAF all-purpose flour Mix together and let sit at room temp for 4 hours. Loaf: 1 cup ripened starter 1 1/2 cups luke-warm water 1 3/4 tsp salt 2 2/3 cup KAF all-purpose flour 2 cups whole spelt flour 5 Tblsp wheat gluten (Tip: I measure my flour by spooning into a measuring cup and then leveling off with a knife.) Mix together flours and gluten. Reserve 1/2 cup of the flour mix in a little bowl. Put the lukewarm water in a mixing bowl and add the starter and 3 cups of the flour mixture. Beat on medium/high speed for 2 minutes. Beat in the salt. If you have a sturdy stand-up mixer, beat in the remaining flour (except for the 1/2 cup reserved); if your mixer is hand-held, it might work better to stir in the remaining flour. Knead the dough until smooth but soft (about 7 minutes), using a bit of the 1/2 cup reserved flour to dust the surface (I use a Silpat). Use the rest of the reserved flour during kneading if the sticky dough starts to drive you crazy. Don't knead in extra flour! The hydrated dough is part of the reason the bread turns out so well. Form the dough into a ball and put it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a towel. Let it rise at room temp for 5 hours. The dough should look "puffy." DO NOT PUNCH DOUGH DOWN. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Gently turn the bowl upside down onto the parchment paper. Very gently shape the dough into one large batard or two small boules. Make sure to create enough surface tension so that the loaf has an easier time holding its shape. Do not "pop" the dough during this process--you want to keep as much puffiness from the first rise as possible. If there are a couple of large bubbles right at the surface of the dough, it's OK to gently pop them with a toothpick. Make sure that the shaped loafs are sitting on the parchment paper with the seam-side down. Cover the loaf with a kitchen towel and leave alone for two hour. You can prepare the oven during the second rise. Put one rack on the bottom rung, and put the other rack on the next rung up. Set a large baking stone or large/long iron griddle on the topmost rung (my pizza stone is two small for this loaf so I use a griddle). Put an iron skillet on the rung below the stone/griddle. The oven should be preheated to 450 F for 1/2 hour. This is important! You want to make sure that the sides of the oven, the baking stone/griddle, and the skillet all have time to fully heat up. The high heat is what helps the bread to rise high. When the two hours is up, set some water to boil. Uncover the loaf. It should be a bit bigger than when you shaped it. It's OK if it's squashed out sideways; the intense heat from the stone/griddle will cause it pop right up. Carefully score the bread with an x-acto knife or lame (I use an x-acto knife; it works wonderfully). Score it with three diagonal slashes for the batard, or with a tic-tac-toe pattern if you made two boules. I score the dough twice. The first score breaks the surface tension of the dough, and the second score goes a bit deeper. This allows the dough to rise very high during baking. Mist the dough thoroughly with a spray bottle filled with water. Measure 1/2 cup boiling water and set it in an easy-to-grab spot by the oven. Carry the cookie sheet over to the oven. Working quickly, open the oven and pull the parchment paper (with loaf on top) onto the stone/griddle (I don't know what the flash point of parchment paper is, but mine DID NOT ignite at 450 F). Pour the 1/2 cup boiling water into the skillet on the bottom rack, and then close the oven door as quickly as possible. Bake the bread for 10 minutes at 450 F (it should spring very high during this first 10 minutes--you might be very surprised at how high it pops up!). Then, remove the skillet from the oven, and replace it with a room-temp skillet that has been filled with 1/2 cup hot/boiling water. Cover the loaf with aluminum foil. Lower the temp to 400 F and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for a few extra minutes, or until golden-brown. Remove the bread from the oven and cool completely before cutting. The resulting bread should have a crust that is very chewy. The interior should be moist, yet soft, fluffy, and slightly chewy, and have medium-to-large irregular holes. The flavor should be well-developed, but not overly sour. <strong> We always appreciate when our customers are willing to share special recipes with us. Please feel free to post this on our community site as well if you wish. ~Amy</strong> I made a fantastic loaf with KA starter. My German friend says it tastes like the “real bread” he’s used to in Germany–and he’s tried some pretty high quality American-made sourdough bread, including Zingerman’s. He thinks it tastes so “real” because I used spelt flour.

Here’s my recipe:
Ripening starter:
1/3 cup refrigerated starter
1/3 cup water
2/3 cup KAF all-purpose flour

Mix together and let sit at room temp for 4 hours.

Loaf:
1 cup ripened starter
1 1/2 cups luke-warm water
1 3/4 tsp salt
2 2/3 cup KAF all-purpose flour
2 cups whole spelt flour
5 Tblsp wheat gluten

(Tip: I measure my flour by spooning into a measuring cup and then leveling off with a knife.)

Mix together flours and gluten. Reserve 1/2 cup of the flour mix in a little bowl. Put the lukewarm water in a mixing bowl and add the starter and 3 cups of the flour mixture. Beat on medium/high speed for 2 minutes. Beat in the salt. If you have a sturdy stand-up mixer, beat in the remaining flour (except for the 1/2 cup reserved); if your mixer is hand-held, it might work better to stir in the remaining flour. Knead the dough until smooth but soft (about 7 minutes), using a bit of the 1/2 cup reserved flour to dust the surface (I use a Silpat). Use the rest of the reserved flour during kneading if the sticky dough starts to drive you crazy. Don’t knead in extra flour! The hydrated dough is part of the reason the bread turns out so well.

Form the dough into a ball and put it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a towel. Let it rise at room temp for 5 hours. The dough should look “puffy.”

DO NOT PUNCH DOUGH DOWN. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Gently turn the bowl upside down onto the parchment paper. Very gently shape the dough into one large batard or two small boules. Make sure to create enough surface tension so that the loaf has an easier time holding its shape. Do not “pop” the dough during this process–you want to keep as much puffiness from the first rise as possible. If there are a couple of large bubbles right at the surface of the dough, it’s OK to gently pop them with a toothpick. Make sure that the shaped loafs are sitting on the parchment paper with the seam-side down.

Cover the loaf with a kitchen towel and leave alone for two hour.

You can prepare the oven during the second rise. Put one rack on the bottom rung, and put the other rack on the next rung up. Set a large baking stone or large/long iron griddle on the topmost rung (my pizza stone is two small for this loaf so I use a griddle). Put an iron skillet on the rung below the stone/griddle. The oven should be preheated to 450 F for 1/2 hour. This is important! You want to make sure that the sides of the oven, the baking stone/griddle, and the skillet all have time to fully heat up. The high heat is what helps the bread to rise high.

When the two hours is up, set some water to boil. Uncover the loaf. It should be a bit bigger than when you shaped it. It’s OK if it’s squashed out sideways; the intense heat from the stone/griddle will cause it pop right up. Carefully score the bread with an x-acto knife or lame (I use an x-acto knife; it works wonderfully). Score it with three diagonal slashes for the batard, or with a tic-tac-toe pattern if you made two boules. I score the dough twice. The first score breaks the surface tension of the dough, and the second score goes a bit deeper. This allows the dough to rise very high during baking.

Mist the dough thoroughly with a spray bottle filled with water.

Measure 1/2 cup boiling water and set it in an easy-to-grab spot by the oven. Carry the cookie sheet over to the oven. Working quickly, open the oven and pull the parchment paper (with loaf on top) onto the stone/griddle (I don’t know what the flash point of parchment paper is, but mine DID NOT ignite at 450 F). Pour the 1/2 cup boiling water into the skillet on the bottom rack, and then close the oven door as quickly as possible.

Bake the bread for 10 minutes at 450 F (it should spring very high during this first 10 minutes–you might be very surprised at how high it pops up!). Then, remove the skillet from the oven, and replace it with a room-temp skillet that has been filled with 1/2 cup hot/boiling water. Cover the loaf with aluminum foil. Lower the temp to 400 F and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for a few extra minutes, or until golden-brown. Remove the bread from the oven and cool completely before cutting.

The resulting bread should have a crust that is very chewy. The interior should be moist, yet soft, fluffy, and slightly chewy, and have medium-to-large irregular holes. The flavor should be well-developed, but not overly sour.
We always appreciate when our customers are willing to share special recipes with us. Please feel free to post this on our community site as well if you wish. ~Amy

]]> By: Sar and Lil http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/comment-page-3/#comment-55174 Sar and Lil Sat, 22 Jan 2011 14:01:08 +0000 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/#comment-55174 We love every KAF sourdough recipe we come across. We did this one with a bit of whole wheat flour in place of the all purpose. Check it out: http://theupperyeastside.blogspot.com/2011/01/rustic-sourdough.html <strong> Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful photos, the bread looks wonderful and I am so glad you are enjoying our recipes. ~Amy @KAF</strong> We love every KAF sourdough recipe we come across. We did this one with a bit of whole wheat flour in place of the all purpose. Check it out:
http://theupperyeastside.blogspot.com/2011/01/rustic-sourdough.html
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful photos, the bread looks wonderful and I am so glad you are enjoying our recipes. ~Amy @KAF

]]> By: Itsalulu http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/comment-page-3/#comment-54754 Itsalulu Fri, 07 Jan 2011 04:28:22 +0000 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/#comment-54754 Hi, I just received my sourdough starter and followed the directions to feed it and discard half, then feed again, let sit and refrigerate, however, I notice on the website’s online tips, it says that I should be doing this 3 times, not just 2…I really want to get it right because this is my second try at baking with sourdough and KAF’s starter. (I tried a few years ago but couldn’t get it right…My dough was too slack and my loaves didn’t get any height…) Sorry, I just re-read my directions and see that I missed the third feeding mentioned on them! Luckily, KAF has this wonderful website to reference or I might have missed my mistake entirely! :) But I have two more questions: do you always feed your starter with lukewarm water AND do you feed it in the crock or take it out and mix it, then use the crock to store it? Thanks, Lucia <strong>Lucia, I use lukewarm water; and unless I have a very large crock, I take it out to feed it, then put it back. This also gives me an opportunity to scrub out the crock, which can get quite crusty after a few months... :) PJH</strong> Hi, I just received my sourdough starter and followed the directions to feed it and discard half, then feed again, let sit and refrigerate, however, I notice on the website’s online tips, it says that I should be doing this 3 times, not just 2…I really want to get it right because this is my second try at baking with sourdough and KAF’s starter. (I tried a few years ago but couldn’t get it right…My dough was too slack and my loaves didn’t get any height…)

Sorry, I just re-read my directions and see that I missed the third feeding mentioned on them! Luckily, KAF has this wonderful website to reference or I might have missed my mistake entirely! :) But I have two more questions: do you always feed your starter with lukewarm water AND do you feed it in the crock or take it out and mix it, then use the crock to store it?
Thanks, Lucia

Lucia, I use lukewarm water; and unless I have a very large crock, I take it out to feed it, then put it back. This also gives me an opportunity to scrub out the crock, which can get quite crusty after a few months… :) PJH

]]> By: caitlynwhittle http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/comment-page-3/#comment-53958 caitlynwhittle Sun, 12 Dec 2010 01:38:41 +0000 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/#comment-53958 Hello again, Three sourdough loaves later and I think I'm getting the hang of things... still not the puffiness I was hoping for, but I think practice will make perfect. Question - when substituting whole wheat for AP flour, do you substitute a cup for a cup, or 4.25 oz for 4.25 oz? Thanks! caitlyn <strong>Good question, Caitlyn. I substitute 4 ounces of whole wheat for 4 1/4 ounces of AP, but cup-for-cup should be just fine - you don't need to be very exact in the case of substituting ww for AP or vice versa. And you realize, right, that the more ww you substitute, the less puffy your bread will be? You might try adding some <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/vital-wheat-gluten-16-oz" rel="nofollow">vital wheat gluten</a> for added "lift." Enjoy - PJH </strong> Hello again,

Three sourdough loaves later and I think I’m getting the hang of things… still not the puffiness I was hoping for, but I think practice will make perfect. Question – when substituting whole wheat for AP flour, do you substitute a cup for a cup, or 4.25 oz for 4.25 oz?

Thanks!
caitlyn

Good question, Caitlyn. I substitute 4 ounces of whole wheat for 4 1/4 ounces of AP, but cup-for-cup should be just fine – you don’t need to be very exact in the case of substituting ww for AP or vice versa. And you realize, right, that the more ww you substitute, the less puffy your bread will be? You might try adding some vital wheat gluten for added “lift.” Enjoy – PJH

]]> By: Caitlyn W. http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/comment-page-3/#comment-53820 Caitlyn W. Thu, 09 Dec 2010 23:03:20 +0000 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/09/10/sourdough-for-sissies/#comment-53820 I might be coming a little late to the party, but I just received my starter and am embarking on making this bread recipe - it is sitting in the first rise as I type. I am wondering what the difference is between the recipes listed on this blog and those under the "Recipe" heading on the site. Some of those listed and in the 200th Anniversary book call for making a "sponge" and don't mention starter... What's the difference?? Thanks, c <strong>Sponges and starters are both ways of giving the yeast in a bread dough a head start; the extra time lets the yeast multiply and develop lots of flavor. A sponge can be made from scratch with a part of the liquid, flour, and a pinch of the yeast in the recipe; they often spend at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours working before being used to make the bread. A starter, especially in the recipe you're looking at, refers to a sourdough culture that's been recently fed and is active. When you look at it, you should see bubbles coming to the surface and popping, ever so slowly. That tells you it's ready to do the job of raising your dough. Susan at KAF. </strong> I might be coming a little late to the party, but I just received my starter and am embarking on making this bread recipe – it is sitting in the first rise as I type. I am wondering what the difference is between the recipes listed on this blog and those under the “Recipe” heading on the site. Some of those listed and in the 200th Anniversary book call for making a “sponge” and don’t mention starter… What’s the difference??

Thanks,
c
Sponges and starters are both ways of giving the yeast in a bread dough a head start; the extra time lets the yeast multiply and develop lots of flavor. A sponge can be made from scratch with a part of the liquid, flour, and a pinch of the yeast in the recipe; they often spend at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours working before being used to make the bread. A starter, especially in the recipe you’re looking at, refers to a sourdough culture that’s been recently fed and is active. When you look at it, you should see bubbles coming to the surface and popping, ever so slowly. That tells you it’s ready to do the job of raising your dough. Susan at KAF.

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