No Knead, Sour Dough Oat bread

[achookwoman]

Cookie, how do you go making bread in a hot climate?    I was wondering if I might have a go at developing the American ftidge bread for people in hot climates.   It uses yeast and has only one rise after taking it out of the fridge,also you can keep it in the fridge for 2 weeks.

[cookie1]

No problems really. I do need to keep an eye on it otherwise it rises and goes everywhere.  I either put it under the air con vent or near or away from it.  Depending on how long I want it to rise.  I have more problems in the winter and usually have to resort to the oven.

[achookwoman]

Great Cookie,  all under control.

[Amanda]

Oooh, goody!!
I just tidied up the top of a bookcase in the kitchen and found the freeze dried pkt of San Francisco sourdough starter that i bought some months ago and then promptly lost!
A salutary lesson in domestic management, perhaps.

[achookwoman]

Oooh, goody!!
I just tidied up the top of a bookcase in the kitchen and found the freeze dried pkt of San Francisco sourdough starter that i bought some months ago and then promptly lost!
A salutary lesson in domestic management, perhaps.

     Good Amanda, what a nice Christmas present.    Go for it.   The San Francisco sour dough has the best flavour, it has tang but not too sour.     We all would love to hear how you go.

[Thermomixer]

Just posting a pic here from Chookie's blog showing the final result

[Tebasile]

Is there no salt in your dough Chookie?

[achookwoman]

I use a pre-mix,  by Laucke.  It has salt, sugar and improver included.  No preservatives.  If you use Bakers (bread) flour,  add what you would normally add when making bread,  based on the flour amount.

[Katya]

I've been given a starter by a friend and have been looking after it even more tenderly than I look after OH.

I've tried the recipe she gave me and it was an unmitigated disaster so I'm going to have a go at this.  I've got a couple of questions

- I don't have an Australian cup measure.   Would a US one give about the same amount?  I am guessing that the exact amount of starter isn't crucial but probably the water is more so.

- Have you tried baking it loose rather than in a container?  If so, does it cook for less time?

I'd be really grateful for any help with this.  I'm determined to conquer sour dough baking as I love the taste and texture.
 

[Cornish Cream]

Katya American cups and Australian cup measurements are different.An American cup is 8oz and the Australian cup is 250mils. Confusing isn't it because of the metric and imperial measurements.I am afraid I can't help you with the other problems, you will have to wait for the sour dough "guru" chookie to respond.

[Katya]

Thanks CC.   If Chookie reads this, perhaps she could tell me the approx weight of the starter....   

[Ceejay]

It will depend on the density of your starter... mine is around 200g for an Aus cup measure of starter.

Hope that helps a bit. 

[achookwoman]

Katya,  ceejay is right about the density of the starter.  For my recipe, the consistency should be like a thick pancake batter,  and make sure it is active.  Feed the starter with flour and water,  (rain or filtered water),  leave on the bench for about 7 hours,  (it should have bubbles on the top), and smell like beer.T.hen follow the recipe.

With the cup measurements,  the American cup is a bit smaller,   so I would say 1 1/4 American cups of starter and water,  to the amount of flour.   

You can cook the loaf in free form,  the reason that I suggest that you make a 'tent" of foil,  is the steam created gives bounce to the dough and a better rise.  If you want a free form loaf I suggest that you cover the loaf with a oven proof basin or cake tin.

I retested this recipe yesterday,  following the directions as printed,  and produced a good loaf.  The only difference being that the 2nd. rise took 4 hours.   This is probably because it is so cold here at the moment,  and I am experimenting with feeding the starter once in two weeks,  so the starter may have been a bit sluggish.

Good luck , keep trying and don't give up because the end result is worth the effort.

[Katya]

Thanks everyone for all your help.   My starter is fermenting as we speak and I hope to see bubbles soon.   I will report back once I've baked it tomorrow.

We have no problem with rising here at the moment as it is unusually hot for a British summer - and I'm not complaining (much  )

[achookwoman]

Katya,  are you in USA OR ENGLAND?  I am Australian so cup measurements are similar to English.