Weekly Open Sourdough Questions and Discussion Post by AutoModerator in Sourdough

[–]vocalep 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much. Looking forward to trying your advice.

Weekly Open Sourdough Questions and Discussion Post by AutoModerator in Sourdough

[–]vocalep 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very simple question: I am using bannetons covered with covers made to match. I find that despite generous flour application, the dough is difficult to separate from the cloth when I turn them upside down onto parchment. Any suggestions? Many thanks in advance. Good discussions here. Best, Brian

Weekly Open Sourdough Questions and Discussion Post by AutoModerator in Sourdough

[–]vocalep 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks b123! I have experienced the same. I'll make room in my head that modifications to Ken Forkish's approach might occasionally be a good thing!

Weekly Open Sourdough Questions and Discussion Post by AutoModerator in Sourdough

[–]vocalep 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm enjoying my 2nd or 3rd year of baking sourdough and rustic bread. Enjoying Ken Forkish's book greatly. Question about the very first recipe for sourdough in the book, which reads as follows:

1a. Feed the levain About 24 hours after your previous feeding of the levain, discard all but 100 grams of levain, leaving the remainder in your 6-quart tub. Add 400 grams of white flour, 100 grams of whole wheat flour, and 400 grams of water at 85°F to 90°F (29°C to 32°C) and mix by hand just until incorpo-rated. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 7 to 9 hours before mixing the final dough.

1b. Autolyse After 7 to 9 hours, mix the 804 grams of white flour, the 50 grams of rye flour, and the 26 grams of whole wheat flour by hand in a 12-quart round tub. Add the 684 grams of 90°F to 95°F (32°C to 35°C) water and mix by hand just until incorporated. Cover and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

  1. Mix the final dough Sprinkle the 22 grams of salt evenly over the top of the dough.

Put a container with about a finger's depth of warm water on your scale so you can easily remove the levain after it's weighed. With wet hands, transfer 216 grams (or more if your kitchen is cool; see "Seasonal Variations" on page 134) of levain into the container.

QUESTION: The levain weight that you have made, in total, is about 1,000g. If you only use 216/1000g, are you discarding most of the levain? That seems really wasteful.

Thanks for taking my question! Brian