That was interesting and fun. I can say that because my last 3 attempts at making a Sourdough starter failed. I was clueless as to why, turns out I was using bleached flour and tap water. I have a healthy starter now which is actually fun! I was rooting for the old starter.
@baked-with-bry6 ай бұрын
Hey, thanks so much for watching and the comment! The old starter definitely has a cool story to it. I ended up dehydrating it after the experiment and its sitting in my freezer for another day! Just because its hard for me to maintain more than one starter at a time. I really am glad to hear that you figured out your starter! Those can be pretty sensitive and frustrating if not working right. Bleached flour and tap water (if its treated with chlorine) can definitely cause problems!
@durzoblint9806 ай бұрын
after watching all of your experiment videos the most impressive thing to me is how consistent your bread always is. you really got a good process down.
@baked-with-bry6 ай бұрын
That’s a really nice compliment. Thanks a lot!
@kiwimary56367 ай бұрын
Motivated to keep up with bread making and have my kids inherent my starter. I think it is cool!
@baked-with-bry7 ай бұрын
I love that! Such a cool thing to pass on. Thanks for watching KiwiMary! 😁
@drewwolke28477 ай бұрын
I was pulling for Picard the whole video! Love the intertwined story aspect with the scientific method experimentation - I always learn a lot when i watch. Fun video, thanks for putting it together!!!
@baked-with-bry7 ай бұрын
Thanks for watching! It was a lot of fun to make. Picard is my boy, and that was surprising. A little disappointing even. Dont worry, hes hitting the gym this week!
@jeanneknight47917 ай бұрын
Thank you for doing this experiment. How fun! I was amazed the 7 day-old-starter did as well as it did. I was really surpised at the amount of rise in room fermentation, cold retard fermentation and the oven spring from the 170 year-old starter. I have to add that I have never understood why people look for the tall (always burnt) ear as if it is a good thing by which to judge a bread. Frankly, I think the ear is ugly so the old starter wins the beauty contest, too! Oh, and I wonder if shelf placement in the refigerator could have contributed to the difference in rise ultimately. Was Picard on the top or bottom shelf?
@baked-with-bry7 ай бұрын
I am so glad you liked it, thank you for watching, Jeanne! I really appreciate your time. I was surprised by the results too. Good observation on fridge placement, its possible it could have had something to do with it. Picard was on the upper shelf. I did check the temperature of my fridge throughout certain points of the evening and morning and it all read the same, but you never know! It could have had an impact! I do agree that the old starter had the prettiest result. The preference for an ear, really does vary among bakers. Some see it as a sign of vigorous oven spring and a well-developed crust, but I completely understand your point about aesthetics and practicality. Its become kind of a habit of mine at this point to judge the ear. Its also kind of like how it is a little extra crispy, adds a unique flavor to that bite of bread, haha.
@ourrootedhomestead97047 ай бұрын
This was very interesting, thank you! I always wondered if it old starters live up to the “hype”. Could you share your sourdough recipe? I’d love to try incorporating whole wheat into mine.
@baked-with-bry7 ай бұрын
Thank you for watching and for the comment! I appreciate it. Yeah, it is kind of interesting. I think my biggest takeaway is that what you should use really depends on the story you like the most. Some people really like carrying on the legacy of an ancient starter, while some might really like having a starter they created on their own and can pass down. And of course there are some that don't care about that at all and just want something that works which is totally fine. :) This is my every day bread formula: 500g Bread Flour (King Arthur's) 100g White Whole Wheat Flour (King Arthur's) 400g warm water 12g salt 120g regular starter One thing I have noticed is that using whole wheat really sucks up a lot of hydration, so I try to keep it above 70% hydration whenever using wheat. I also notice that the more wheat I use the more of a stereotypical "sourdough" flavor emerges because of the bran and germ in there. I like the balance of using mostly bread flour with a smaller portion of whole wheat. My kids do not like the strong flavor profile of a lot of wheat, so it works perfectly to keep it pretty mellow. I share my full sourdough process here on my channel if interested - kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJXadqx_l9Whfqc
@ourrootedhomestead97047 ай бұрын
So true. I just wondered because I have a two year old starter of my own that works great but I saw someone on Instagram recently who inherited a 30+ year old starter and stated it was better so it had me wondering. I may try it just for fun but I’ll always keep my original starter because I’d like to have her for a long time so I can pass her down to my kids! Thanks for the bread recipe! I’m my 2 years of sourdough bread making I’m not side why I haven’t tried incorporating whole wheat yet. And you’re right, whole wheat does suck up a lot of water! I’ve used it in other recipes and always have to add extra water. 😅
@baked-with-bry7 ай бұрын
Yeah, totally. Its interesting to try. The 170 year old starter I used in this video I ended up dehydrating and its in my freezer now incase I ever want to use it again. I dont really want to maintain two starters at once but I didnt want to throw it away either.
@ourrootedhomestead97047 ай бұрын
I’m maintaining two starters right now and it’s a lot of work 😅 I’ll be going back to my original soon
@jimrobinson74417 ай бұрын
I'll bet if you fed "Picard" for 7 days straight like you did the other two it would do at least as well. You're probably on a "once a week, pop it back in the fridge" schedule with that one I'm guessing. Kind of a downer though, I was rooting for Picard! Makes me think I should probably get "Mary" out and give her a few repetitive feedings before I make bread again. Also it wouldn't surprise me if the 170 yr old commercial dry starter has been fortified with some regular yeast or something to make it really take off, everything's an illusion these days.
@baked-with-bry7 ай бұрын
I was recently on a trip and had Picard in the fridge for about ~8 days, but besides that I fed him every day with the other two for 7 days in a row. I have some ideas on what might have happened, but I need to test some things out. It also kind of sparked a new idea for an experiment. Branching out Picard and having one jar be kept in the fridge for a week and then fed for 7 days after its out, and the other jar be fed every day straight for 14 days, and comparing the results of the two loaves they make. I appreciate you watching and your comments and good luck with getting Mary up to speed! Happy baking sir
@jimrobinson74417 ай бұрын
@@baked-with-bry Good idea, sounds like a good experiment, I'll be interested to see the result!
@savagefrieze46757 ай бұрын
Looking forward to the video on this experiment!
@savagefrieze46757 ай бұрын
I don’t belief any starter is old. Yeast and bacteria change quickly. Even a starter you get from a friend will adapt to your environment. The grains you use will care bacteria and yeasts. Your autolyse can spontaneously begin fermentation because of the airborne bacteria and yeast.
@baked-with-bry7 ай бұрын
Thanks for sharing your insights! I agree with you that starters are incredibly responsive to their environment, and the yeasts and bacteria do evolve based on a variety of factors, including the grains used and the surrounding environment. Your comment adds an important dimension to the conversation. So many factors to consider! Thanks for watching!
@kevinorr68807 ай бұрын
I agree. It is good to have a starter, but after a cycle or two, they are the same,
@savagefrieze46757 ай бұрын
Yup, all starters, after a short time, become “house starters”, sort of like a house wine in a restaurant.