The Best Flour for Sourdough Starters: An Investigation

  • 📰 seriouseats
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 95 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 41%
  • Publisher: 53%

United States Headlines News

United States Latest News,United States Headlines

Sourdough diaries: two weeks in the life of five starters, all in the pursuit of better bread.

There are plenty of recipes out there for sourdough starters, and there's a mountain of literature that you can read to understand how they work. Almost all of these resources try to answer one central question: Is there anThe answers aren't simple.

*Added gluten protein does not necessarily mean that a starter has greater leavening power in the strictest definition . Even though a starter made with bread flour might rise higher in the jar than a starter made from all-purpose flour, both starters could have similar levels of microbial activity and fermentative power. It would be technically incorrect to say that the starter made with bread flour is more “active” solely because of the height difference.

Of course, in the nascent stages of a starter’s life, there is no way to know what peak is. For my tests, I would have to closely monitor the rising and falling of my samples, and adjust both feeding ratios and feeding schedules to maintain peak activity. I started my tests with a 24-hour feeding cycle, eventually switching to a 12-hour period, then finally a six-hour period.

There’s not much to look at here, but notice the difference in textures below. Rye formed a stiff mixture, and whole wheat flour was slightly less so. All of these samples smelled…like flour. The rye sample had a slightly earthy aroma, while the whole wheat flour sample was nuttier and more mustier. The all-purpose flour sample smelled plain, inert, and faintly of dairy.After 48 hours, I noticed some activity in my starters.

Below were the samples by day 11, with a rubber band to reference the starting points. The starters don’t look as active, which might seem discouraging. But keep in mind: The starters were adjusting to a 12-hour feeding cycle at 1:3:3—a higher dilution which slows down fermentation. All samples were at least doubling in volume, which was promising.With the exception of 100% rye, the starters were inching closer and closer to tripling in volume within a 12-hour period.

The all-purpose starter was by far the most pleasant and mild smelling, with attractive dairy and sour cream notes.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 410. in US

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

The 7 Best Powder Sunscreens for People Who Hate Thick, Goopy SunscreensPractice safe sun.
Source: ELLE Magazine (US) - 🏆 472. / 51 Read more »

Whether You're a Kook or Pogue, There's No Denying Madison Bailey Has the Best SwimsuitsWhy yes, Madison Bailey from OBXonNetflix has the cutest swimsuit collection ever. 😍
Source: POPSUGARFashion - 🏆 28. / 68 Read more »

Rihanna’s 10 Best Singles Ranked: ‘Umbrella,’ ‘Diamonds’ and MoreUs Weekly attempted the impossible by rounding up the 10 best singles of Rihanna’s career thus far and ranking them — see the list
Source: usweekly - 🏆 390. / 55 Read more »

The Best Twitter Reactions to Pixar's First Short With an Openly Gay Lead CharacterOn Friday, Pixar released Out, the first of its shorts that features an openly gay lead, on Disney+.
Source: ELLE Magazine (US) - 🏆 472. / 51 Read more »

Best Beauty Instagrams of the Week: Kehlani, Serena Williams, and MoreSee the best beauty moments this week, featuring pops of color, big, beautiful hair, and self-care abounded.
Source: voguemagazine - 🏆 715. / 51 Read more »

Why Iran has the world’s best-performing stockmarketIran has struggled with one of the worst outbreaks of covid-19. Despite this, its stockmarket is booming Now that's what we call a financial unicorn Who’s ur source! 🤔 Sounds just like US's president.
Source: TheEconomist - 🏆 6. / 92 Read more »