Plum Yeast Sourdough

I have recently had a phase of making bread using a no-knead, slow rise technique and fancied trying to make a sour dough starter (also called a leaven or sponge) using  this particular suggestion. It says to just leaving your water and flour mix for yeast to naturally find it but I had just foraged some plums and decided to kick it off by adding a couple. The silvery grey covering on fruit such as plums is actually yeast.

 

I was hoping for a quick win and got it, I was rather excited to find that there were a small amount of bubbles that had been generated literally overnight.

Reading the article again I duly fed this entity and after several days it was not only actively generating bubbles but also changing physically too. The aroma was subtly changing from a doughy smell to a noticeable sour twang which is, of course, what it should be. 

An so to using it to start a loaf off. It makes a pleasing and biddable dough and is prepared much like a 'standard' loaf with proving and knocking back.

It was baked with a tray of water in the oven with it and came out with a superb crispy crust. The bubbles were big, like sour dough should be, but not as widespread as I'd hoped which may be a lack of effort on my part during the kneading process (my usual slow rise dough doesn't get kneaded).

The taste was a noticeably robust sourness (like over-ripe Brie) which was initially a big hit on my palate, but once I became used to it was OK. Sour dough off the bucket list thanks to plums but a little strong to be kept as a sourdough starter for everyday use due to the rather dominant ammonia taste and I kicked the sourdough adventure into the long grass having achieved my 'plum loaf'.

I decided to re-visit sourdough some time later and used another fruit, albeit a shop purchased one, to make another starter. Whilst it isn't exactly an Outdoor Traditionalist fruit I used a Cotton Candy grape from Waitrose in an equal mix of bread flour and water this type of bread has been around for thousands of years and the flavour comes from both yeast and lactobaccili bacteria.

I've read up a lot on the techniques of making sourdough and whilst I am still experimenting I have found the following works:-

300 g strong flour and a little for dusting (I often use a 2:1 mix of white and brown)

150 g freshly fed starter

120 ml water

5 g fine salt

Oil for greasing (not one with a strong taste)

Semolina (optional)

This  starter took around a week to establish itself. Charge your established starter the night before you need it by clearing out most of the jar and adding equal amounts of flour and water (g/ ml). When not baking keep the starter in the fridge but if baking leave it in the kitchen.

Add all the ingredients gather and knead for around ten minutes and either leave it for around three hours to prove or overnight in the fridge in a covered and lightly oiled bowl.

Once it's proved (and sourdough doesn't puff up like shop brought yeast powered doughs) knock it back and shape it and let it have a second rise in a floured rising basket or a glass bowl that is lined with a floured cloth.

Place on a flour dusted tray, sprinkle a little optional semolina on the top for texture and appearance and cook it in a pre heated 230 degree oven for 25 minutes with a tin of boiling water in with it for 10 minutes which helps to develop the crust. Top the bottom of the cooked loaf to see if it sounds hollow and then cover with a cloth as it cools. As sourdough has lactic acid produced by the lactobacilli it can last longer than a usual loaf.

Also, after attending this Kevan Palmer lacto-fermentation workshop I tried a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast) which yeilded a decent loaf with big bubbles..