Growing Herbs, Fruit & Vegetables in a Warm Climate.

24 Chapter Ebook $10.00

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Sour Dough


I've been making sour dough bread as a hobby over the last few years. I love the taste and the look of a sour dough cob, like a work of art.
I've come across a method of making this bread that really does make it so easy you have to try it.
I'd been looking around Carnegie for a 20kg bag of flour to get back to making my own bread, buying in bulk make it a lot cheaper in the long run.
I was out shopping in coles one day and my wife (new I was looking for flour) suggested I buy a box of pre mix. Forever the purist I scoffed and said no way.
I then took a second look at pre mixed box made by Laucke and though I give it a try until a find some flour.

The box contained 4 600g packets of flour and yeast a German grain bread mix. I just opened the packet put the contents in the bread making machine added water and yeast, used the french bread setting and Wow! great bread.

I then decided to try the Barossa Sour Dough Rye. When I saw they had included bakers yeast I was disappointed. The thought then occurred to me to add my own sour dough starter.Which unbeknown to me the maker intended.
Great discovery! I just added one packet of flour mix to the bread making machine with my starter and water, put on the dough setting of the machine and left for 3 hours. I then took it out and placed in a round strainer lined with a well floured pillow case, left for another 3 hours. Put the oven on high turned over on a baking tray and slashed the top.
I've never seen my bread rise so well, the best oven spring! The result is just a great looking, great tasting loaf with really no hassle.Yes it looks a little over cooked but I'm still getting used to the power of a fan forced oven.
Ok so what is in this flour mix to make it spring in the oven and it has a non crumbly texture + it seems to stay moist over a long period of time - this is compared to bread I've made with just flour, yeast and water.
1.Gluten - Improves the texture, especially with bread with rye flour and whole wheat more than 50%. Makes the texture more elastic and less crumbly AHa! Helps hold it's shape after it's risen, also makes a better crust. Experiment by adding about 1-2 table spoons.

2.Soy Flour - Helps keep baked goods from becoming stale. It adds a rich color, fine texture, tenderness and moistness to baked goods. Since soy flour is free of gluten, which gives structure to yeast-raised breads, soy flour cannot replace all of the wheat or rye flour in a bread recipe. However, using about 15 percent soy flour in a recipe produces a dense bread with a nutty flavor and a wonderful moist quality. Just place two tablespoons of soy flour in your measuring cup before measuring all-purpose or other flour called for in the recipe. OK so 15% soy which is about 90g  in a loaf - I'll experiment around there.

3.Ascorbic Acid or Vitamin C - Creates an acidic environment for the yeast which helps it work better. It also acts as a preservative & deters mold and bacterial growth. With just a touch of ascorbic acid, your Artisan breads, the yeast will work longer and faster. Right just a pinch of that!

4.Emulsifier(E481)-Increase the springiness, toughness and gas-holding capability of dough, increase volume of the bread and steam bread and improve the organization and structure.

It can react with amylase to delay and prevent the food aging. Wo - I'm not sure how much?
There was also enzyme and the vitamins Thiamine and folic acid which I think need to be added by law.
And of course salt - non iodised - there may be a reason?




Works out to cost about $2.50 a loaf including power, but the results are great.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

DID YOU ADD THE "OTHER ITEMS" OR WERE THEY ALREADY IN THE MIXTURE WHEN YOU BOUGHT IT?

Barry Daly said...

They were in the mixture, I'm looking at making my own mixture. May not be able to get all the ingredients but I can get most. Much more economical in the long run.