Bread

Fair. Apple autocorrect has fully shat the bed recently.

Anyone in north London want some bread flour...16/20kg size bags?

The turkish cash and carry on brantwood road is well stocked. No need for membership to join.

This morning's effort, last of the flour, sad times

Anyone has a recipe using wholemeal and rye?

So, like half the world, I wanted to make a sourdough starter while trapped inside. I only have access to Spanish supermarket flour, specifically white flour, wholemeal flour or strong flour.

I'v tried twice now, following this guide and this one, and they've both not got anywhere. Both times they've just stayed as a goo with a layer of acidic smelling water on top.

Any tips for what I might be doing wrong? The first time I used a tupperware covered with a tea-towel, the second a weck jar. Both on top of the fridge, where it is not too cool.

Might be the flour

I can post you some starter if you want?

Yeah, I suspected it might be this bag of flour as the first time died after I opened a new bag. I’ll try one more time.

Use wholemeal.
Get container, add 100g room temp water, 100g flour. Mix and leave uncovered.
Next day, and each subsequent day for the next week or so, add 25g each of water and flour.
If the container is getting too full, discard some of the mix before your daily top up. You should start to see some bubbles in less than a week.

The last loaf I posted was made with a starter that was barely a week old (and using white flour for the starter as that's all I have). Medium rye is my first choice for a starter, but I don't have any of that. Generally wholemeal flours seem to do a bit better/be more active.

Edit: are you in Spain? It might be that your tap water is particularly hard. Try using bottled water for your starter. If this makes a big difference, you'll want to bake with bottled water as well. A water filter might do the same.

Double edit: I've basically just repeated what the perfect loaf says.

Stale bread and butter muffins

2 Attachments

Cowpat on the outside, much better on the inside. Too much water in the dough.

FWSY suggests baking this uncovered for 15 minutes more, but last time I did that the crust was overly dark. You can see even here it's catching on the edges.

Looks great.

Maybe try turning down the heat a bit when the lid is off, then the loaf gets the full bake it needs without burning. All ovens are different so yours may be hotter than advertised! Or could you bake it at a lower level in the oven?

That looks spot on. How's the insides?

Strange question - but do you have an oven thermometer or do you rely on the numbers on the dial? If you don't have one, it is the single best thing that will improve your baking.

Good call, I think that's the next thing to purchase. My oven dial only goes up to 225C so I've been whacking it on full blast to try to hit 250 or 260 or whatever FWSY says. Maybe overkill.

Edit: something like this?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ThermoPro-Thermometer-Stainless-Step-Down-Countdown/dp/B018Q77AR4

I've got an instant-read probe thermometer but I can't leave that in the oven.

I'll have a look at lunchtime. :)

Even more basic than that.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KitchenCraft-Stainless-Steel-Oven-Thermometer/dp/B0001IWVD0/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1T9WC0Y3ZYBRY&dchild=1&keywords=oven+thermometers&qid=1585300933&s=kitchen&sprefix=oven+the%2Ckitchen%2C142&sr=1-3

Speaking of thermometers. I've started to measure my loaves with a thermapen, makes it much easier to judge when they're done. I bake to 97 for whiter loaves and 99 for more rye based ones

I've got a wee thermometer - just a cheapo dial one that sits inside the oven.

Oooh, I like that. Be really good for slow cooking/roasting too.

So much better than the tap that bottom test!

Will give this a try - got an infrared thermometer for the pizza oven that should work ey?

No idea, does that measure surface or inside? I think bread is like a steak, you want to core temp to at x, while the surface can get a lot hotter to create a good crumb

You need to measure core temp. Your infra red device measures surface temp

Buy a thermapen it’s great for cooking meat too

Check ebay / amazon for them. I got ours dead cheap a few years ago, think I paid around 15-20 for it

Duh 🤦‍♂️
I’ve got a probe thermometer that’ll work, it’s just a bit slow to react. I’ve got a shit oven, so need to avoid how long the door is open. I’m sure I’ll survive.