Comments on: Five Things You Thought You Knew About Sourdough http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2008/04/22/sourdough-stories-myth/ Notes from my kitchen, in which I bake bread and raise a few other matters Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:31:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Susan http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2008/04/22/sourdough-stories-myth/#comment-3294 Susan Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:25:00 +0000 http://www.wildyeastblog.com/?p=540#comment-3294 Thanks, Anita! Good luck with your starter. Elizabeth, if you call yourself a purist them I guess I am... an adulteress? But actually, I consider myself a purist too -- purely in favor of purely good bread ;-) It should be possible to make bread leavened only with sourdough that does not tatse like battery acid. Opinions vary on how to make sourdough less or more sour. TFL has lots of banter about this. Tanna, aMEN to that! Lori, you're welcome. Good luck with your starter too. Thanks, Anita! Good luck with your starter.

Elizabeth, if you call yourself a purist them I guess I am… an adulteress? But actually, I consider myself a purist too — purely in favor of purely good bread ;-) It should be possible to make bread leavened only with sourdough that does not tatse like battery acid. Opinions vary on how to make sourdough less or more sour. TFL has lots of banter about this.

Tanna, aMEN to that!

Lori, you’re welcome. Good luck with your starter too.

]]> By: Lori http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2008/04/22/sourdough-stories-myth/#comment-3293 Lori Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:16:20 +0000 http://www.wildyeastblog.com/?p=540#comment-3293 I must say that after my reading I was under the impression that SF sourdough was indeed SF sourdough and could not be duplicated in other places. This made me seriously bum and give up on sourdough starter. Having said that I am happy to see your post. It gives me renewed interest in making a starter. Thanks for your article. I must say that after my reading I was under the impression that SF sourdough was indeed SF sourdough and could not be duplicated in other places. This made me seriously bum and give up on sourdough starter. Having said that I am happy to see your post. It gives me renewed interest in making a starter. Thanks for your article.

]]> By: MyKitchenInHalfCups http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2008/04/22/sourdough-stories-myth/#comment-3198 MyKitchenInHalfCups Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:07:52 +0000 http://www.wildyeastblog.com/?p=540#comment-3198 I guess maybe I'm too easy. It seems to me, if it works for you then it's a success and call it what you like. Hard and fast rules seem only to make bloody heads and aren't worth the bother. I'm happy with what works for anybody and it's ok if something else works for you and me. So let's hang out all the myths!! I guess maybe I’m too easy. It seems to me, if it works for you then it’s a success and call it what you like. Hard and fast rules seem only to make bloody heads and aren’t worth the bother.
I’m happy with what works for anybody and it’s ok if something else works for you and me.
So let’s hang out all the myths!!

]]> By: Elizabeth http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2008/04/22/sourdough-stories-myth/#comment-3188 Elizabeth Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:24:07 +0000 http://www.wildyeastblog.com/?p=540#comment-3188 Ah, I love to see Myths shattered! That's particularly interesting that many German bakers make new starters every so often to keep them fresh. I also like to hear that Calvel allows for the use of a small amount of commercial yeast. However, being a purist, I don't think that the resulting bread, even if it uses a tiny amount of commercial yeast, can really be called wild yeast bread - tamed wild yeast bread maybe - or domesticated wild yeast bread. Let me hasten to add that that doesn't mean I think that bread would be incorrect! It's just a semantic thing. Hearing about Calvel's idea to add commercial yeast to sweeten wild yeast bread is very interesting. Because I'm STILL fighting with my starter to try to make less sour bread. In fact, I may pack it in altogether and use commercial yeast only from now on. I'm not sure I can take the disgruntled "does it have to be this sour?" comments from other parts of the household. Ah, I love to see Myths shattered! That’s particularly interesting that many German bakers make new starters every so often to keep them fresh.

I also like to hear that Calvel allows for the use of a small amount of commercial yeast. However, being a purist, I don’t think that the resulting bread, even if it uses a tiny amount of commercial yeast, can really be called wild yeast bread - tamed wild yeast bread maybe - or domesticated wild yeast bread. Let me hasten to add that that doesn’t mean I think that bread would be incorrect! It’s just a semantic thing.

Hearing about Calvel’s idea to add commercial yeast to sweeten wild yeast bread is very interesting. Because I’m STILL fighting with my starter to try to make less sour bread. In fact, I may pack it in altogether and use commercial yeast only from now on. I’m not sure I can take the disgruntled “does it have to be this sour?” comments from other parts of the household.

]]> By: Anita http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2008/04/22/sourdough-stories-myth/#comment-3184 Anita Thu, 24 Apr 2008 22:51:35 +0000 http://www.wildyeastblog.com/?p=540#comment-3184 Excellent post!! I really enjoyed reading about these myths - very educational. One of these days (sooner than later) I'll make my first sourdough starter. Thank you! Excellent post!! I really enjoyed reading about these myths - very educational. One of these days (sooner than later) I’ll make my first sourdough starter.
Thank you!

]]> By: Susan http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2008/04/22/sourdough-stories-myth/#comment-3177 Susan Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:03:13 +0000 http://www.wildyeastblog.com/?p=540#comment-3177 Cora, despite Alton Brown's cheese factor I like him, I just think he missed the mark a bit with his wild yeast episode. Those who know more about cooking than me tell me most of his information is spot-on. Jeremy, the question as I see it is not whether you can technically call a bread that contain baker's yeast "sourdough," but whether a bread that contains both yeast and sourdough culture can ever be a worthy bread. In addition to Calvel, Hamelman, Reinhart, Lepard, Silverton, Leader, and others have included such recipes in their books. If you get a result you want using both, why not do it? Cora, despite Alton Brown’s cheese factor I like him, I just think he missed the mark a bit with his wild yeast episode. Those who know more about cooking than me tell me most of his information is spot-on.

Jeremy, the question as I see it is not whether you can technically call a bread that contain baker’s yeast “sourdough,” but whether a bread that contains both yeast and sourdough culture can ever be a worthy bread. In addition to Calvel, Hamelman, Reinhart, Lepard, Silverton, Leader, and others have included such recipes in their books. If you get a result you want using both, why not do it?

]]> By: Jeremy http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2008/04/22/sourdough-stories-myth/#comment-3176 Jeremy Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:01:03 +0000 http://www.wildyeastblog.com/?p=540#comment-3176 Susan, I just touched on how I made a sourdough with potatoes recently at work.Story #4 I hasten to add is still being fought over by some purists, but I have to agree with them that adding yeast to the sourdough should then make the baker call it hybrid dough, yeast is an foreign matter when it is used as an add in, especially when your using it and calling the bread 100% sourdough. It's a topic my friends over at www.sourdough.com.au are discussing quite a lot, with the help and guidance of John Downes amongst us home bakers. Susan,
I just touched on how I made a sourdough with potatoes recently at work.Story #4 I hasten to add is still being fought over by some purists, but I have to agree with them that adding yeast to the sourdough should then make the baker call it hybrid dough, yeast is an foreign matter when it is used as an add in, especially when your using it and calling the bread 100% sourdough. It’s a topic my friends over at http://www.sourdough.com.au are discussing quite a lot, with the help and guidance of John Downes amongst us home bakers.

]]> By: Wild Yeast on Sourdough Myths. http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2008/04/22/sourdough-stories-myth/#comment-3169 Wild Yeast on Sourdough Myths. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:07:23 +0000 http://www.wildyeastblog.com/?p=540#comment-3169 [...] link. [...] [...] link. [...]

]]> By: Cora http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2008/04/22/sourdough-stories-myth/#comment-3162 Cora Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:46:58 +0000 http://www.wildyeastblog.com/?p=540#comment-3162 There it is in black and white. These things just had to be said! Love the observation about sock puppets. There it is in black and white. These things just had to be said! Love the observation about sock puppets.

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