How to make Tartine Bread Starter

I have taken my baking to the next level. Kind of like an over-eater or alcoholic I'm obsessed. Now I have made Sourdough in the past and been satisfied but now it is a battle with myself. My original sourdough turned out ok if you ask me. The rye bread well how do I put it boring but good rye.

So now I set off for Bread Alley my own kitchen. Yesterday I did try to make a loaf and one stuck to the pan. The other is good and tasty but the size of a half cantaloupe.


Do not get me wrong I have made some delicious bread's but I am a girl who wants better than the last attempt. Does that make sense?

So here we are day two the starter is back out of the refrigerator. I do make a mean loaf of Country Bread from a book I purchased in San Francisco called Tartine Bread. I bought it on one of my visits to  my daughter "Ms.Independence" on the Island of Oakland.


This is my Tartine Adventure in Bread Baking thank you for joining me.


Well by now it is day three I have spent most of the morning reading a website Azelia's Kitchen the site is brilliant and just a wee bit more understandable yet I must be a word dork. I am really making my starter by smell and bubbles. She has gotten me closer to an understanding but again I have both my starters out now. Her website breaks it down so you completely understand the making as well as the science.

So with everything ready here I go. Here is the Recipe to get your starter going. You need two Quart wide mouth mason jars or comparable plastic or glass no issue. I just do as much stuff with glass. Not big on plastic but that is another post.

Tartine Starter from the Book!

To make a Starter you need Culture. No not personal Culture Starter Culture. The Culture is created by flour and water being combined.  The combination of the wild yeasts and bacteria present in the flour, the air and your hands begin the fermentation immediately. After this all begins you just need to feed your Starter.





I have made starter from powder San Francisco starter I sent for to try all ways and it to turned out great. You will need 5 pounds of flour this seems like a lot but you are going to use it to build the starter and feed it.  Half all purpose flour and half whole wheat flour mixture.

Alright to get started you will mix in a quart wide mouth mason jar or a small clear container that you can see through. Fill halfway with warm water.



Now add a hand full of your 50/50 flour mix to the water and mix  to achieve the consistency of a thick pancake batter with no lumps.

Use a dough spatula to clean the clumps off  the sides of the container. Cover the container with a kitchen towel and put it in a cool, shady spot for 2 to 3 days. After 2 or 3 day's you should have some bubbles like the picture to the right. If not give it a few more day's.

After 2 or 3 day's check and see if any bubbles have started to form around the sides and in the middle.  If not let it sit for a couple more days. Stir it



 

Once the starter has a film on the top and you pull it back and it is bubbly and smells like stinky cheese and has a sharply acid taste you are ready to start feeding your starter. Fermentation has started your ready for Lift Off!

To feed the starter you will need to remove 80 % of it. Replace it with equal amounts of warm water to the 50/50 flour mixture.
Do not worry about the quantities in these feeding you want a thick batter. Like a good thick bubbly pancake batter.

You want to repeat this process every 24 hours  As the volume of the batter increases you will notice the batter becoming bubblier and thicker. Your bacteria is growing.

This process is daunting but worth the effort. In the end you will have a starter you an use for years to come. You can also share it with other like minded baker people. The picture to the left is a beautiful starter and yes it is mine! Proud Mother Starter!





Well the next post will take you through the Making of the Leaven and the Dough

Look  at the pictures they look pretty darn good. But just not good enough for me! If you are a baker you know what I am talking about. I have many a satisfied eater but it is like at Thanksgiving and someone says "You carve the turkey you do it so well" what you meant to say was "You carve the turkey because no one else wants to do it"

Old School Country Bread from your Sourdough Starter

Making bread from your starter could not be easier. I have put years of time and challenges toward my own bread making and it has taken a long time to get it just right for my family and friends. As you begin to make bread from your starter you will have good and bad results it just goes with the way the season is, your starter and to be honest your patience with regards to bread. It is not in any way a easy rise yeast recipe. It is the old fashion water, flour and fermentation. Like your grandma use to do. You can make all kinds of bread and baking stuff from your starter.
My first starter has made many a fine loaf, pizza, pancakes and many a mistake see pictures at the bottom of this post!  I have decided to take it to the next level.



For now for my beginner's here is the basic recipe for your Leaven

Recipe to make leaven for your dough from your Starter

1/2 cup of active starter
1 cup of water- luke warm
1/4 cup whole wheat
1/2 cup white all purpose flour





1. In a small mixing bowl add the culture from the jar.  Mix with culture with the flour's and mix well.  Add luke warm water so the mixture has the texture of a thick pancake mix. And with in moments become bubbly. 


Cover and let it sit overnight or at least 6 to 8 hours.







Your culture should double in size and be light and bubbly.







The next morning you should be ready to get your loaves ready to bake later in the day. First thing ant is to get all your ingredients and tools together.

Large mixing bowl
2 measuring cups
strong spatula or bench knife

You will need a very large bowl to mix your batter.

Ingredients for Crusty Country Loaf x 2

1 cup culture
2 cups warm water - 80 degrees F
1 cup whole wheat flour
6 to 7 cups white all purpose flour

Put your warm water into the bowl and add you cup of starter. It will float this is a good thing it means your starter is active.

Stir this together and start to add your flour one cup at a time. Add the whole wheat first then the white. Stir between each addition.






Mix this until there are no bit's of flour left. Your dough should Not stick to the side of the bowl and is but not dry. Hard to explain but you will get it once you get the idea. Or come over and I will help you I make baking house call's.

Cover the dough with a towel over it and let it rest for 25 to 40 minutes. All the rest periods are important.

In the same bowl sprinkle the salt approximately 2 tablespoon on top of the dough.  Now pour a half cup of warm water on top.  Incorporate the mixture by squeezing the dough between your fingers until it is incorporated completely.

The plastic container to the right is the one I got one at my local hardware store to use for the final rest! Cheap and it works. 

Now it is time to put the dough into the plastic container.
This stage is called the Bulk Rise/Fermentation.

The dough is going to rest in this container for at least two hours. Each half hour you will dampen your hand and turn it over. Just put your hand in palm side in and take it and turn it over. Be gentle the dough should be getting billowy and lighter. When you start this process the dough is going to be thick and heavy as it goes through the bulk fermentation it will lighten up you will notice it that is when you are being more gentle to the dough.





It should double in about 2-3 hours.  It should double in size and be much lighter. Now you will empty the dough out on to the lightly floured surface.
At this point you want to incorporate as little flour as possible.This batch that you see in the container is a litte dry the more I learned the more moisture and less flour I used. Remember this is a learning curve.



Once your dough is on the cutting board area split in in half and make two loaves of that. Yopu want to strech and pull up and own and shape it into a taunt ball. Smooth side down spribnkle a little four on the top and cover for 20 to 30 minutes. While the loaves are resting you cna prepare your bowl,s. You need two large bowls with smooth cotton kitchen towels liningthe bowl. You will neeed a mixture of 50/50 b;end. That is haldf rice floyur and half wheat floru this is going to line the bowls. On the towels you are gpoing to sprinkle the flour mixture so they dpn't stick to the towels when you roll them on to the pot for baking.

Once the loves have rested for 30 mintues uncover them and do a second strech and pull taunt exercise. Then put them into the towel and flour lined bpowls for the final rise. this will take appriximently and hour or so. They should double in size. Once they have made the final rise they will; be ready to bake. You need your oven hopt so crank it up to 500 degr4ee's. I use a case iron double pan. this keep the heat in for the first 30 mintuies then once that is done I remove the top and let it bake for an aditrional 25 minites at 350 degrees. 














5. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 for 40-45 minutes, or start with a cool oven set at 375 and cook for 50-55 minutes. Look it took a long time to perfect the bread from a natural yeast mixture but worth every mistake. And your starter will last forever. Good luck and I'm here if you have any questions.

My first eee but tasted good!

Mistake yet delicious loaf

This one looks like a dinosaur foot

Yes next try it looked like a dinosaur foot

And finally got it perfected it took a longggg time !

I just ordered a book to take this to the next level and am very excited....Good luck