yeast and starters

[roon]

I need some help!

I love breakmaking. I don't pretend to be any kind of an expert (and in fact, reading through many of these threads, I feel very unknowledgeable!!!- so many terms I have never heard of!) but I enjoy being in my kitchen and making bread.

Without going into detail why (it would take me a while to explain) I would like to find some alternatives to using yeast in bread. I'm aware of sourdough starters, but (and I'll probably be called a heathen for this! ) I can't stand sour bread. Mild sourdoughs are tolerable, but anything stronger I don't like.

Is it possible to use a sourdough starter without making the bread "sour"? Would adding honey or other sweeteners help? I'd rather get some advice on this as opposed to making lots of bread that I (and my family!) won't eat.

Thank you!

[Svadhisthana]

There are a few books you could look into:

Breads From the Le Brea Bakery

The Bread Baker's Apprentice

Crust and Crumb

Amy's Bread

The Bread Bible


We do have a local "expert" here at chef talk, his website is www.kyleskitchen.net

[roon]

Wow! That site looks great. I'll have to peruse it more thoroughly- thank you!

[thebighat]

The long and short of it is you can control the sourness by controlling the consistency of your mother culture. Thin and batterlike, more sour. Thicker and more doughlike, sweeter. Really sour sourdough can approach a pH of 4.

[KyleW]

Hey! With The Big Hat on the prowl ya can't be callin' me no expert

roon- the answer to your question is yes, you can make non sour tasting breads with "sourdough" starters. Any one of the books that Svad mentioned would be a good place to start. My personal choice would be to buy a copy of The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart. He and TBH taught me everything I know! In the book he guides you through all kinds of bread baking including wild yeast.

[roon]

Hooray!! I knew there had to be a way to make "sweet" sourdough bread. I will definitely have to check out some of those books. I have The Bread Bible, though it didn't address my specific question here.

Thanks all! Now it's off to try some starters of my own. Wish me luck!

[mudbug]

Here is a wonderful site with professional baking information:

Baker Boulanger

Check the directory and archives and search for whatever you want to learn.

There is also an extensive list of recipes for you to browse.

[KyleW]

I have The Bread Bible as well and agree that it does not provide very satisfying information on naturally leavened bread. I think the Reinhart, in The Bread Baker's Apprentice, provides the clearest information around. He is a teacher by profession and it shows in the book.

[Risa]

I got hooked onto sourdough bread making due to this site. Like you, I don't like sour breads. In fact, I prefer my breads quite sweet since I tend to eat bread plain. To add to what Big Hat and Kyle have said, Bread Baker's Apprentice has all sorts of comments on how to tweak your bread to suit your taste. The whole book is a very good read.

P.S. Maybe we should be getting a commission for recommending this book so much?

[roon]

All right, that's it. I'm going to have to buy this book! Thanks for the recommendation- but now I'm nervous! I always get nervous about buying a book that's been recommended to me. I get these expectations and then I worry that my expectations won't be met.

But being recommended from two people so highly- and one of them who doesn't like sour bread! I will just have to give it a try.

Yippee!!

[Risa]

It's not just two people who have recommended the book. I think it's also recommended in the Book section of ChefTalk. Also, the book has lots of other recipes other than just sourdough breads.

The cheapest price I found from a trustworthy source is on www.ecookbooks.com. I bought it for $21, but I think it's now $24. That's still 30% off from regular price.

[Ruth]

La Brea yes the bread book did you know she has a line of frozen par baked items

[Kimmie]

Yes Ruth. She has a website Click here for LaBrea