Butter

[sammy.se]

I really don't know how/why you guys think Sourdough is difficult

My wife teaches Sourdough baking, and we have our own starter at home - mine has only ever died once in the last three years. I keep it in a regular jar with a loose fitting lid.

Perhaps it's some misunderstanding? The only time a starter is no good, is when it has mould on it - white fluffy mold like on cheese, the mould might sometimes have a colour.
If it has a brown liquid on the surface - that is fine, it's 'hooching' and needs more feeding (i.e. just add some flour). Whenever it hooches, feed it. Keep your starter in the fridge to slow down fermentation. If you end up with too much starter, cook with some of it. The more volume of starter you have, the more you need to feed it, so it's best to keep it small.

If you have a strong smell, it's usually fine - strong yeasty, alcoholic, or sour smells are fine. As it matures, the smell subsides...

I can ask my wife if you have any specific questions...

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I've followed instructions from half a dozen different sources including the the ones with the two commercial starters (One an Andrew Whiteley, the other a San Francisco) and got nowhere. Smell alcoholic or yeasty? You jest with me. Just putrid. The two I bought showed no sign of fermenting after several weeks. I shall try again when the weather warms, but I hold out little hope.

 

[John Brown]

I don't think it's hard. I edited my post so as not to upset Phil.P.

My brother-in-law, who was for a time the President of the American Guild of Bakers(or some such), can talk for four and a half days non-stop about sourdough, if you let him. Sometimes, I pretend to understand parts of what he is saying, just because I love him.

 

[Droogs]

Sourdough starter is really hard, impossible, in fact.
Whatever you do, it ends up as a foul smelling black mess.

This is called "Hooch" an is a major indicator that you are under feeding your starter. Drain it off and scoop out any dis-coloured parts. half your starter and using a 1:1::1 mix of starter/flour/water, remix and continue and you should be fine. REMEMBER use the same type of flour when you feed so if you start with x keep using x

hth

 

[Jonzjob]

For those in peril on the sourdough, have you seen this book?

Do/Sourdough?Slow bread for busy lives by Andrew Whitley.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Do-Sourdough-B ... 079&sr=8-1

It SWMBO's bible on the making of it and it seems to work.

 

[sammy.se]

I've followed instructions from half a dozen different sources including the the ones with the two commercial starters (One an Andrew Whiteley, the other a San Francisco) and got nowhere. Smell alcoholic or yeasty? You jest with me. Just putrid. The two I bought showed no sign of fermenting after several weeks. I shall try again when the weather warms, but I hold out little hope.

Hi Phil - you don;t need to buy any starter - just make your own! Add flour and water, and take it from there.
Having someone give you some starter is a nice shortcut to a mature starter, but you can just make your own, and it will use the bacteria in your local environment...

 

[sammy.se]

Sourdough starter is really hard, impossible, in fact.
Whatever you do, it ends up as a foul smelling black mess.

This is called "Hooch" an is a major indicator that you are under feeding your starter. Drain it off and scoop out any dis-coloured parts. half your starter and using a 1:1::1 mix of starter/flour/water, remix and continue and you should be fine. REMEMBER use the same type of flour when you feed so if you start with x keep using x

hth

+1

(Although I have used different flours to feed it, and I have sometimes not drained the hooch... I'm sure there are lots of different opinions on this, but this is my experience)

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Hi Phil - you don;t need to buy any starter - just make your own! Add flour and water, and take it from there.

Yes, I've done it several times and got nowhere.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Sourdough starter is really hard, impossible, in fact.
Whatever you do, it ends up as a foul smelling black mess.
Nobody has ever produced a loaf of bread using sourdough, it's a giant conspiracy theory, like the moon landing.
Chorleywood process is the only true way!

Ho ho. You are a wag. :roll:

 

[bourbon]

Don't know anything about sourdough or it's starter. But I do know that freshly made butter tastes superb on freshly made rolls first thing in the morning, But we did it with a twist, In the middle of a field in a totally medieval authentic way!

 

[whiskywill]

Probably too tasty for those of you who like the bland French stuff.
https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/webapp/wcs ... r2X%2Bg%3D

Made from the whey left over from cheesemaking and worth the rather high price.

 

[Jonzjob]

I do believe that you will find that not of all any countries butter is bland just as not all is good. But as they say "generalisations are always wrong".

I once heard say, on a Radio 4 programme that the speaker knew why Siansbury's existed, that it was to keep the riff raff out of Waitrose.

By the way we normally shop in Waitrose 8) 8) 8)

 

[whiskywill]

I do believe that you will find that not of all any countries butter is bland just as not all is good. But as they say "generalisations are always wrong".

I once heard say, on a Radio 4 programme that the speaker knew why Siansbury's existed, that it was to keep the riff raff out of Waitrose.

By the way we normally shop in Waitrose 8) 8) 8)

I think if you read my post again you will find I said "the bland French stuff". I know they also have tasty butter just as some of their cheeses are bland and some are tasty.
p.s. Is Siansbury's a Welsh shop?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

For those in peril on the sourdough, have you seen this book?

Do/Sourdough?Slow bread for busy lives by Andrew Whitley.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Do-Sourdough-B ... 079&sr=8-1

It SWMBO's bible on the making of it and it seems to work.

I have -
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bread-Matters- ... 1-fkmrnull - an excellent book.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Curiously, I've never had any problem with Hermans. :?

 

[whiskywill]

I have -
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bread-Matters- ... 1-fkmrnull - an excellent book.

I also have that book. I wonder how many vegans know that commercial bread can contain enzymes made from chicken feathers.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Treat yourself to this one -
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bread-Bakers-A ... way&sr=8-1

 

[Phil Pascoe]

First excellent loaf of sourdough this afternoon, it even passed the wife and daughter test. Thanks whiskywill. Apologies Steve for the thread drift.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Not at all. I've been given some soughdough starter. 13 years old, so no pressure then.
I've currently eating a loaf of 75% spelt, 25% rye, dried yeast and it is not upsetting my biorhythms, so we'll see if the soughdough can get me back onto wheat.

 

[flying haggis]

thanks to Steves earlier post, this

turned into this

it took about twenty minutes churning in the kenwood and because I was called away to the phone ,and didnt keep my eye on the mixer when the buttermilk and butter separated we ended up with the buttermilk on the worktop, the floor,in the mixer!! as the butter was going round in the mixer it was sloshing the buttermilk out .butter is nice though(bit more salt next time) and because the cream was on offer in Lidl (yes the price sticker on the lid is correct!) it worked out nice and cheap. both the containers of butter are about 10oz