August 29, 2010 - 1:54pm
Sourdough Blob
OK I am totally new at bread baking. I have quite a bit of experience with other baking-biscotti are my specialty. I am venturing out into the world of artisan breads. I got a Goldruch sourdough starter and followed the direction. It looked & smelled as it should (acording to the plethora of info i've read on here) Used some to TRY to make a sourdough. I have a blob, won't hold shape, not rising much. I will post pics when i'm done. I am still going to bake and see what happens. Any thoughts on why (my only guess is not enough flour) but I weigh everything whenever I bake and have not had a problem before. Slightly frustrated, but more motivated to get it right.
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Welcome to a great forum. Biscotti knowledge! Wonderful! One of the avenues I want to explore!
There are so many variables to your situation that it could be causing your difficulty. I need more info to narrow down the possibilities for you.
Tell us about your starter (how long since you activated-what was the activation method? I assume it was a dried starter? Is it meant to be a long term starter or just for this loaf, there are several different kinds of starter, including "starter-flavor" or "starter mix". I'm not familiar with the "Goldrush" brand)
How often have you been feeding and how does it behave when you do? (Does it double? How long does it take to double?)
What recipe did you use for your first loaf? How long did you let it rise? What kind of flour? Room temp rise?What is your usual room temp? Stretch and fold?
Give us more info so you cn be helped. Lots of collective knowledge here.
Thank you clazar123 for your help, but I figured out what happened. I decided to try one starter first, then after reading more wanted to try a second one. One with rye flour (hopefully will make a wonderful pumpernickle) and another one a week later fed with only AP. I have those plastic graduated food storage tubs and wisely labeled them with stickers reminding me when to feed. So feeding time comes around and I accidentally switched the lids. Doh! I tryed to make it with a two day starter instead of the 10 day starter. Now that I've feed them a while I realize I should have noticed the difference. Oh well, We got a really good laugh and acually it made a nice frisbee. Hours of entertainment. LOL I guess this is part of the learning curve.
I would be happy to share my biscotti knowledge. I make it often and sell it around the hloidays to friends and co-workers. Where would be the best place to post such things?