Seed Culture Phase 3 Day 4 Or Later Recipes

SEED CULTURE, PHASE 4 (DAY 6 OR LATER)

This starter comes together in two stages: first, you'll create the seed culture, then you'll convert it to a mother starter. In the first stage, you aren't making the starter that actually goes into your dough; you're making a starter (the seed) that makes another starter (the mother), from which you'll make your final dough. There are many ways to make a seed culture. The simplest is with just flour and water. This does work, but not always on a predictable schedule. I've seen methods on the Internet calling for onion skins, wine grapes, plums, potatoes, milk, buttermilk, and yogurt. These can all serve as fuel for the microorganisms, and all of them also work for making a seed culture. But ultimately, a starter (and bread itself) is really about fermented flour. So in this book the goal is to create the conditions in which the appropriate organisms can grow and thrive so that they can create great-tasting bread. The following method produces a versatile starter that can be used to make 100 percent sourdough breads as well as mixed-method breads (breads leavened with a combination of wild yeast starter and commercial yeast). However, if you already have a starter or used a different method to make a starter, feel free to use it. The starter can be made from whole wheat flour, unbleached white bread flour, or whole rye flour. (Rye bread fanatics tend to keep a ryeonly starter, but in my opinion a wheat starter works just as well in rye breads.) If you already have a finished starter, whether whole grain or white, it can be used as the mother starter for any of the formulas in this book, as directed in the various recipes. You may wonder about the inclusion of pineapple juice in the early stages of making the seed starter. Pineapple juice neutralizes a dastardly bacteria that can sabotage your starter (this bacteria, leuconostoc, has been showing up more often in flour and I have written about it extensively on my blog; see Resources, page 205). If you're the mad scientist type, as so many bread baking enthusiasts are, feel free to experiment with other acids, such as ascorbic acid or citric acid, as in orange juice or lemon juice. One final word of advice: If your seed culture doesn't respond in exactly the way described, on the exact schedule predicted, just give it more time. In most instances, the good microbial guys eventually prevail, allowing the seed to thrive and fulfill its mission.

Number Of Ingredients 3

Seed Culture, Phase 4 (Day 6 or Later) image

Steps:

Measure out 1/2 cup (4 oz / 113 g) of the Phase 3 culture and discard or give away the remainder (or save it for a second starter or as a backup). Add the new ingredients to the 1/2 cup Phase 3 culture and mix to form a soft dough. Again, cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until the culture becomes active. It should swell and double in size. It can take anywhere from 4 to 24 hours for the Phase 4 culture to become fully active. If there is still little sign of fermentation after 24 hours, leave it at room temperature until it becomes very active, continuing to aerate the culture at least twice daily. The seed culture should register between 3.5 and 4.0 if tested with pH paper. (Wipe a small dab on the paper and match the color against the guide.) When the culture has grown and smells acidic (somewhat like apple cider vinegar) or has a pH of 4.0 or lower, you can either proceed to the next stage or place the seed culture in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Ingredients

10 1/2 tablespoons (3 oz / 85 g) whole wheat flour, whole rye flour, or unbleached bread flour
2 tablespoons (1 oz / 28.5 g) filtered or spring water
1/2 cup (4 oz / 113 g) Phase 3 seed culture

MOTHER STARTER

Once you've established a seed culture, you need to convert it into a mother starter. This is the starter you'll keep in your refrigerator perpetually and use to build your actual bread dough. To convert a seed culture into a mother starter, you'll use the seed culture to inoculate a larger batch of flour and water to make a firm piece of starter with the consistency of bread dough. The seed culture is full of wild yeast and bacteria, but its structure has been weakened by the buildup of acids and the ongoing activity of enzymes breaking down both protien and starch. To make the mother starter strong enough to function in a final dough, you'll build it with three times as much flour as seed culture (by weight). This 3-to-1 process will give the mother starter about the same feel as a final dough. A little starter goes a long way, so the following instructions call for you to discard half of your seed culture or give it away. (This is great if you know another home baker who would like to avoid the work of making a seed culture.) Or if you'd prefer to keep a larger mother starter on hand, especially if you bake often or in large batches, you can convert the entire seed culture into a mother starter by doubling the weight of the new flour and water. (Some bakers like to split the seed culture into two mother starters, one wheat and one rye, but unless you are making a lot of rye bread on a regular basis, I think this is unnecessary.)

Number Of Ingredients 3

Mother Starter image

Steps:

Combine all of the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on slow speed for 1 minute. Or, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and use a large spoon or your hands to mix until the ingredients form a rough, slightly sticky ball. Transfer the starter to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 2 minutes, until the starter is fairly smooth and all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Place the mother starter in a clean, lightly oiled nonreactive bowl, crock, or plastic container large enough to contain the starter after it doubles in size. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a lid (don't tighten the lid, as the carbon dioxide gas will need to escape). Leave the starter out at room temperature for 4 to 8 hours (or longer if needed), until it doubles in size; the timing will depend on the ambient temperature and the potency of your seed culture. Once it's doubled, the starter should register 4.0 or less if tested with pH paper and have a pleasant acidic aroma.
When the starter is fermented, degas it by kneading it for a few seconds, then form it back into a ball, cover tightly, and refrigerate. After a few hours in the refrigerator, vent any carbon dioxide buildup by briefly opening the lid or plastic wrap. The mother starter is now ready to use and will be good for up to 5 days. To use it after 5 days, you must refresh all or part of the mother starter, as described below.
Whenever the mother starter gets low, rebuild it (also called feeding or refreshing it) using 4 ounces (113 g) of the old starter and repeating the instructions above. You can even start with as little as 1 ounce (28.5 g) of mother starter and rebuild it in increments over a number of feedings, using the same ratios as for a 4-ounce (113 g) batch. For example, after a few weeks in the refrigerator, the protein and starches will break down, giving the starter a structure or consistency of potato soup. This is okay; the microorganisms are still viable, though fairly dormant (and maybe even a little drunk on the alcohol they've produced, which rises to the top and looks like gray water).
To rebuild your mother starter, use 1 ounce (28.5 g) of mother starter and add 3 ounces (85 g) of flour and 2 to 2.25 ounces (56.5 to 64 g) of water. This will produce about 6 ounces (170 g) of starter. You can then build all or part of that into a larger piece using the same ratios: 100 percent flour, 33.3 percent starter, and 66 to 75 percent water. So for 6 ounces (170 g) of starter, use 18 ounces (510 g) flour (6 multiplied by 3) and 12 to 13.5 ounces (340 to 383 g) water (18 multiplied by 66 percent or 75 percent-lower hydration for all white flour, higher hydration for all whole grain flour). As you see, you can build a small piece of starter into a large piece very quickly.

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups (12 oz / 340 g) whole wheat flour, whole rye flour, or unbleached bread flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (9 oz / 255 g) filtered or spring water (or 8 oz / 227 g if using white flour)
3/4 cup (4 oz / 113 g) Phase 4 seed culture (approximately half)

SOURDOUGH STARTER

This is an adaptation of the instructions for making a starter outlined by Peter Reinhart in his "Artisan Breads Every Day." It takes a little more or less than a week of mixing flour with liquid - Mr. Reinhart starts with unsweetened pineapple juice (though you could also use orange juice or apple cider), then switches to water - to achieve a vigorous, living starter. Once it is bubbling and fragrant, with a light yeasty-boozy scent, you can use it and feed it daily with a cup of flour and a half-cup of water. Or put the starter in the refrigerator and feed it weekly, always discarding (or using!) a cup of the original when you do. (All measurements are by weight.)

Provided by Oliver Strand

Categories dinner, lunch, project

Time P8D

Yield 2 pizza recipes and leftover starter

Number Of Ingredients 3

Sourdough Starter image

Steps:

Make seed culture: Combine 1 ounce of the flour and 2 ounces pineapple juice in a large glass or small nonreactive bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature, stirring with a wet spoon twice a day. Bubbles should appear after 24 to 36 hours. After 48 hours, add 1 ounce flour and remaining pineapple juice, stirring to incorporate. Re-cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature, stirring with a wet spoon twice a day. When it is foamy, in 1 to 4 days, combine 2 ounces flour and 1 ounce filtered or spring water in a medium nonreactive bowl. Add seed culture, stirring to incorporate, and re-cover with plastic wrap. Stir twice a day to aerate.
When mixture has doubled in bulk, in 1 to 2 days, convert it into a starter: Combine 12 ounces flour and 9 ounces filtered or spring water in bowl. Add 4 ounces of seed culture mixture (discard the rest, or use to make a second starter) and mix until fully incorporated. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes. It should have the consistency of bread dough. Transfer to a nonreactive bowl and let rest at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 4 to 8 hours. Knead lightly, then store in container with tight-fitting lid (container must be large enough to let starter triple in bulk). Store in refrigerator.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 424, UnsaturatedFat 1 gram, Carbohydrate 89 grams, Fat 1 gram, Fiber 3 grams, Protein 12 grams, SaturatedFat 0 grams, Sodium 6 milligrams, Sugar 2 grams

Ingredients

16 ounces flour
3 ounces pineapple juice
10 ounces filtered or spring water

SEED CULTURE, PHASE 2 (DAY 3)

This starter comes together in two stages: first, you'll create the seed culture, then you'll convert it to a mother starter. In the first stage, you aren't making the starter that actually goes into your dough; you're making a starter (the seed) that makes another starter (the mother), from which you'll make your final dough. There are many ways to make a seed culture. The simplest is with just flour and water. This does work, but not always on a predictable schedule. I've seen methods on the Internet calling for onion skins, wine grapes, plums, potatoes, milk, buttermilk, and yogurt. These can all serve as fuel for the microorganisms, and all of them also work for making a seed culture. But ultimately, a starter (and bread itself) is really about fermented flour. So in this book the goal is to create the conditions in which the appropriate organisms can grow and thrive so that they can create great-tasting bread. The following method produces a versatile starter that can be used to make 100 percent sourdough breads as well as mixed-method breads (breads leavened with a combination of wild yeast starter and commercial yeast). However, if you already have a starter or used a different method to make a starter, feel free to use it. The starter can be made from whole wheat flour, unbleached white bread flour, or whole rye flour. (Rye bread fanatics tend to keep a ryeonly starter, but in my opinion a wheat starter works just as well in rye breads.) If you already have a finished starter, whether whole grain or white, it can be used as the mother starter for any of the formulas in this book, as directed in the various recipes. You may wonder about the inclusion of pineapple juice in the early stages of making the seed starter. Pineapple juice neutralizes a dastardly bacteria that can sabotage your starter (this bacteria, leuconostoc, has been showing up more often in flour and I have written about it extensively on my blog; see Resources, page 205). If you're the mad scientist type, as so many bread baking enthusiasts are, feel free to experiment with other acids, such as ascorbic acid or citric acid, as in orange juice or lemon juice. One final word of advice: If your seed culture doesn't respond in exactly the way described, on the exact schedule predicted, just give it more time. In most instances, the good microbial guys eventually prevail, allowing the seed to thrive and fulfill its mission.

Number Of Ingredients 3

Seed Culture, Phase 2 (Day 3) image

Steps:

Add the new ingredients to the Phase 1 seed culture and stir with a spoon or whisk to distribute and fully hydrate the new flour. (The liquid can be cold or at room temperature; it doesn't matter.) Again, cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours, stirring with a wet spoon or whisk to aerate two or three times each day. There should be signs of fermentation (bubbling and growth) during this period. When the culture becomes very bubbly or foamy, continue to Phase 3. This phase could take anywhere from 1 to 4 days. As long as you aerate the seed culture regularly, it will not spoil or develop mold.

Ingredients

3 1/2 tablespoons (1 oz / 28.5 g) whole wheat flour, whole rye flour, or unbleached bread flour
2 tablespoons (1 oz / 28.5 g) unsweetened pineapple juice, filtered water, or spring water
All of the Phase 1 seed culture (3 oz / 85 g)