[compostqueen]

I wonder if the softness is down to the flour. I used a fresh bag of organic W*itrose strong white bread flour

It will be great toasted, like bruscetta I suppose, and make great pizza base

[Scribbler]

More likely moisture released by the olives and tomatoes when being baked. Mine was lovely and soft too. Pleased it went well. Wasted on the builders though! 

And eat it quickly remember...

[allotmentann]

Hope mine works out, it is on its first rise at the moment.

[compostqueen]

It all went today! They had lunch on it    Two good sausages on each sarni with slow cooked red and brown onions. The bread was slightly toasted first.  The builders like good food and I think they work better if they're happy 

Here's today's loaf.  The sandwich loaf made with a malted granary flour from our good local shop

[allotmentann]

Yes, I definitely think it pays to keep workmen well fed! Your latest loaf looks lovely, I am struggling with my baking at the minute. I think the switch to new recipes with sourdough is the problem. They all keep saying don't add extra flour, but every recipe I do (except weirdly the sundried tomato and thyme , which was on the dry side and I added water) is far too wet, more like ciabatta dough. I know that they are meant to be high hydration doughs, so I have been religiously working the doughs with no extra flour, but I am beginning to think that as the problem is so consistent, my flour must not be absorbing as much water and I should trust my instincts and add a little more. I weigh everything, including the water, on an accurate digital scale so I don't think that it is a measuring problem.

[Scribbler]

Don't despair!!!

I had a look at the DVD that comes with Richard Bertinet's Crust book. His dough is very wet when he starts working it. And I mean really wet. But after five or ten minutes it stops sticking to the surface - and to his fingers - and turns into this magical, light, soft fluffy substance. A scraper is very useful here. It's a joy to watch.

Also shows that I've been doing it all wrong too!!! 

[compostqueen]

It should be wetter rather than drier. If it's dry, and you know from the feel of it, just add little bit more water.  As soon as I've brought the dough together I leave it alone,covered, for five minutes to let the dough absorb the liquid.  Leaving it to do so then let's you know if you need to add a bit more liquid at that stage before you start kneading. 

It is a sticky mess for a bit, and your hands are covered in gloop, but it's ok it really is.  You just have to go with it 

[allotmentann]

Oh! it is wet all right! My problem is that no amount of stretching and folding or time leads to anything capable of holding its shape! I am quite happy working with very wet dough, but if it is still 'pancaking' by the time of baking and is not overproofed, (which it can't be as I still get good oven spring), I am going wrong somewhere. I have to get it right as I love sourdough and do not want to go back to ordinary yeasted bread. There is going to be a lot of baking going on in this house I think!

[Scribbler]

I think the right scraper is key to handling wet dough. Really difficult without one.

[allotmentann]

I have a scraper and love it, I would be lost without it. I think I might try reducing the hydration of my starter a little bit. I have just used some discarded starter to make a yeasted loaf that I have done several times and I am having the same problem, so perhaps the starter for whatever reason (the flour I guess), does not need quite so much water. I have been scrupulously weighing both the flour and water to keep it at 100% but I am going to have to start experimenting I think.

[Scribbler]

I don't measure flour and water any more when feeding my starter. Just get as thick a paste as I can and then stir this in. It does take some stirring in though. Also, when it all settles and water builds up on the top, I decant this to mix flour into, and then return to the jar.

My big problem is that I can't throw it away so end up with a Kilner jar almost full.

Made two loaves this morning. A normal white sourdough and one made 50/50 wholemeal and white. Moving away from loaf tins to 'free standing' loaves at the moment.

Also, normally use Allinson or similar 'strong white flour' but today used their 'very strong white flour.' Very different dough texture - seemed to be drier and needed more water. Overall I'm trying to add more water than recipes say so the dough is slacker. This inspired by Mr Bertinet's DVD.

Don't we have a mother and daughter on this thread? if so the DVD could be loaned/borrowed. Seem to remember some familial reference earlier on.       

[Scribbler]

I've "been advised" by Mrs Scribbler to get fit and lose some avoirdupois between now and going to Spain a week on Monday. So half of the starter is in the fridge, the rest in the freezer. No more lovely bread until we get back, apart from the remains of the 50/50 white and wholemeal loaf I'm finishing now.

B*gger!

[allotmentann]

Aw! No! You  have my most sincere sympathies! I m totally hooked on sourdough now, everything else tastes quite bland in comparison. Surely it is what goes on or with the bread that makes it fattening, not the bread itself? I find sourdough so tasty that I would happily eat it on its own!

[compostqueen]

I agree! It's not the bread that's making you fat Scribbler. I practically live on bread but I'm not fat 

[mumofstig]

My starter has been going for 7 days now - and it smells just like my raspberry vodka 
Is it ok to use it now?

It is frothy and overflowed yesterday, but the smell today surprised me!