Thursday 5 May 2016

A Fortuitous Mistake

Sometimes we make mistakes that turn out to be a really good learning curve and I made one of them inadvertently this week when I was getting ready to bake some sourdough loaves. I ALWAYS add the ingredients in the order given in Celia's Sourdough White Sandwich Loaf (although I have been adding Atta wholemeal flour instead of all the OO flour in the recipe to add more fibre) but this time I was keen to add 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup psyllium and 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds which Chris had added in her 3 Seed Sourdough Bread tutorial although I didn't have any linseed on hand so used psyllium instead. However, after I had added all the ingredients I saw a bowl of starter sitting on the bench and thought that I must have forgotten to add it as the first ingredient so added that last. Then I looked around for the leftover starter I always have and which I usually put in the fridge straight after I weigh out the required 200g. It was nowhere to be found and then it dawned on me that I had added ALL the starter I had been feeding. Was this going to be a disaster? I had no idea.



 


 I really don't like eating white bread and have been experimenting with the last few loaves by adding 1/4 cup psyllium and was quite pleased with the results. The loaves above were quite delicious although I probably got a bit too excited with the Staysharp knife when I was slashing them :-) Just as long as I don't slash my fingers as the knife is extremely sharp.




 I mixed up everything together and  it was looking really moist so I decided to follow the advice Chris gave in her sourdough tutorials and added more flour....




....until I thought the dough was a better consistency. Chris kneads her dough first before adding the seeds but I just added them with everything else as an experiment to see how it turned out. On her blog Chris shows the differences between tacky doughs and wet ones.  Take a look if you are interested in making sourdough as it is very informative. I am really only a beginner and am still learning all the tips while having fun along the way.


 


 Then I put Gertrude's shower cap on and a few hours later the dough had risen to the top and was pushing her cap off :-) It looked like it was going to work out thankfully so the dough was kneaded and put into two bread pans to rise again before being put in the oven.


 


 It rose much higher than my previous loaves so I am going to use all the starter in future.



   
I was so pleased that my mistake had turned out to be actually beneficial in my sourdough baking journey. I still don't know about hydration so I guess one of these days I will have to do some reading up on it. In the meantime though I am happy to learn from the experience of others like Chris who are willing to share their knowledge and recipes.  


My grandson's rag quilt is finished at last. When I took this photo there were a couple of edges that hadn't gone raggy so I washed and dried it again tonight so that should have done the trick. Now I just need to pick off any rogue threads and pack it ready for the flight tomorrow. 

The next time you hear from me I should be in the great Australian Outback! 

Have a great weekend everyone. 








14 comments:

  1. Well done with both the bread and the quilt. Have a wonderful time with your grandchildren Chel.

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    1. Thanks Sherri. I am sure I will....if I can stay awake ;-)

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  2. Your breads look gorgeous Chel. I will give making a starter a go next week.

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    1. Barb, I can bring you some on the 21st if you like. Just let me know.

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  3. Marvellous results. They really look quite scrumptious. You are the master sourdough baker, now.

    I learned how to make sourdough via a tutorial which has since been removed (unfortunately). It didn't focus on exact ratios for hydration, and spoke only of rough quantities, conditions to prove in, and the texture you were looking for. So I'm not so good at teaching exactness via grams. ;)

    But it worked for me, and the important thing is learning what works in your kitchen. So this wonderful mistake, turned into a wonderful loaf, and a new way of doing things. Well done. :)

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  4. Your tips were a great help, Chris.

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    1. You're welcome, and I'm glad you're turning out some scrumptious loaves. :)

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  5. The bread looks delicious, a very happy accident indeed! Your quilt looks great, I'm sure it will be very appreciated. Have a great flight :)

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  6. your bread & quilt look wonderful!
    have a great holiday with the family
    thanx for sharing

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    1. Thanks Selina. We are doing a bit of knitting.

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  7. Great looking bread. I'm new to the home bread baking regime myself. Although I'm often puzzled as to why a lot of the recipes are called 'insert name's easy bread making recipe, when we know that there is no easy way to create such complex magic. Well done.

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  8. Thanks for this great post Chel, and also the links to good places for other advice and guidance for making sourdough. I found I had to defer making sourdough bread during the humid summer months, because the result was always a heavy and flat loaf. I made one last weekend as the weather had cooled and the air was dry, and had a terrific result. Is this my imagination or have you and others found that the result is not so good in humid weather?
    Kind regards,
    Jo
    www.josimplywill.org

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  9. Jo, we live inland so don't have as much humidity as thise nearer the coast. I only started making sourdough in the warmer months so am not sure how it will turn out in winter. All I know is that the process will take longer.

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