Stop Being a Sourdough Sheep and Start Challenging Ridiculously Complicated Recipes

[@JJRepo]

If I don't have time for autolyse and stretch&folds, I make the dough in a stand mixer. Everything in at once and let it knead for excess of 10 minutes. Then put a lid on in the mixer bowl and let bulk ferment for a few hours in room temp, don't really care of how much it has raised, as long as there is at least some life in the dough. I Always use appr 2% whole wheat if using white flour. Then I just shape and reshape, out in baskets and let rise in the basket until raised enough to fill the basket to the rim. I have learned that 700grams of flour gives two round breads that when perfectly fermented fill the baskets to the rim. Then I either put them in fridge as they are (preferred), or bake right away (less tasty). Works every time.

[@gr82brees]

OMG, love your “controversial” starter video and it worked for me. I think you’re brilliant and I appreciate all you’ve done to help allay my fears so I could actually begin the SD journey. Deepest of bows to you Phillip.

[@HalfLapJoint]

I’m surprised to hear you’ve received so many hate messages. You’ve single-handedly inspired me to persist with sourdough baking through your no nonsense methods. I hugely appreciate that because sourdough has become a beloved part of my life! 🙏

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Christiaan

[@loufancelli1330]

Your scrapings starter was a game changer for me. I hate the idea of discarding, it is nothing but wasteful so to see you be successful with scrapings was very encouraging, and that is the only way I do things now. I should also mention that while I have been cooking for almost 40 years I was always a failure at break baking, until I started making sourdough a little over a year ago. My early attempts were good, but since I've been watching your videos my bread has become excellent, much to my own surprise. I had long ago accepted that I just wasn't going to ever master bread making. Your influence has made my bread not only better, but much less time consuming to make. Thank you and keep challenging the norms, that's what makes us all better!

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Lou, the scraping method is a cool way to maintain a sourdough culture, it's easy and it works. I'm pleased you are enjoying your sourdough baking and getting the results you want. Keep on baking!

[@Lilmissbaker3173]

I absolutely love your channel! I started sourdough baking in November 2020 therefore my starters were born on 11/20/20 ( I have gluten free as well, I have friends that do not tolerate gluten) after watching you and your sourdough I have my loaves down to the minimal prep. I have now made multi seed/multigrain, plain, Kamut, Kalamata Olive & Rosemary, Roasted Garlic & Rosemary and rolls, all sourdough and the sourdough gluten free. Sourdough no longer intimidates me but I have had my share of disasters… I was very disappointed by the waste of starter so I now have incorporated a no waste as well. Thank you again for sharing your wonderful knowledge!

[@Momma_Tomma]

I 100% agree here! Since I have been watching this channel, and learned about the scrapIngs method, AND the importance of using BREAD flour, my bread baking has drastically improved.

[@BadWiltshireDrivers]

Me too, I even cheat use the scrapings method and add yeast for a even faster prove.

[@loufancelli1330]

@@BadWiltshireDrivers When I started making sourdough I would sometimes add a bit of yeast but my loaves often over proofed, so I stopped doing that. But I might actually try that again when I add a heavier flour like rye, especially now during the cooler time of year where I don't have to worry as much about over proofing.

[@TinkieBean]

If it weren’t for chefs such as yourself re-engineering the process for us home cooks, we would be left to baking for our families as a special occasion only. You, and others like you have brought back, “Give us this day, our daily bread!” Thank you. Sincerely.

[@alanhirschman1320]

You are not alone in proposing the simplest methods and challenging long held beliefs and “wisdoms.” Sune Trudslev at Foodgeek has been mixing all the ingredients together at the beginning, although he still advocates 3 stretch and folds. Jack at Bake with Jack has been touting the Scrapings method of reducing starter waste for years. Salt and yeast, water temperature, type of water, stretch and fold have all been shown to have much less effect on the final quality of the bread than previously thought. I think we have all been held prisoner by Chad Robertson and The Tartine Bread. That book brought a lot of people into the sourdough game, but the dogmatic tone and multiple step process implied that it was the only way to make sourdough bread. Thank you for continuing to show us that over complicated does not mean better.

[@shanti34567]

… discovered Sune. I explored, tested, and found that most of the sourdough mystique was a lot of foo foo nonsense. It took a year but now I make sourdough that my friends and family beg for.

[@pamelahollhunt6256]

Love Jack at Bake with Jack ❤ 3:16

[@acrlnv]

thank you for this piece. i totally agree with you. im not a chef, but ive been making bread at home for a while now and i tried many things, different methods, bought expensive flour, and none of that produced any better result than simply using a mix of peasant flour and rye flour, let it ferment, if its big enough and i dont have time to bake it straight away, i just shove it in the fridge for shaping and baking later on. i dont even stretch and fold, i just let the machine do it until it detaches from the sides of the bowl and voila. its bread for me and my husband, so its ok if sometimes it doesnt spring perfectly, well eat it anyways xD

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Ana, sounds like you've found a system that works for you

[@JudyWard-t4b]

Hi Ana.....can you tell us what "peasant flour" is, please------and how much of it you use in the recipe in addition to rye flour----thank you so much! 😀

[@terigortmaker653]

I CANNOT believe anyone would be displeased (much less say anything unkind . . .it’s bread for God’s sake). I was thrilled to find this video and method and have been using it with fantastic results for months. I have passed it on the every bread baker I know and they love it too. I will never go back to the complicated methods. Life is too short. Thank you thank you thank you.

[@CulinaryExploration]

I'm pleased you found the recipe useful and cheers for sharing it!

[@Lilmissbaker3173]

Exactly!

[@cukka99]

Looking forward to this. Something Chef John said in his videos has been an inspiration to me: (after describing some overly complicated thing that common wisdom holds is required and clearly not doing any of it in his video) "they say you must [do whatever complicated thing], but 'they' say all sorts of things." It'll be lovely to see this philosophy in sourdough baking.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Nice little saying Orhan :)

[@Buget-Holodeck]

You're 100% correct. If I didn't adapt and change the way I bake then I would have just stopped baking. I work from home and have a very flexible schedule so when I began baking during the pandemic I was able to get up from my desk many times throughout the day in order to accommodate these complicated recipes. I told myself it was an excuse to get up from my chair. But at some point even that proved to be a little bit of a lie because if I'm really busy I can't bend my whole day to a sourdough recipe. Most traditional recipes aren't sustainable for the average family who are busy. KZbin recommended to me a simple sourdough recipe for lazy people that completely changed my thinking. I think the KZbinr was Ben Starr if I remember correctly. I have adapted his recipe slightly and that has made making amazing sourdough actually sustainable. As a result I can focus on being creative and coming up with sourdough recipes that my family loves. I've made Nutella sourdough, pickle sourdough, peanut butter and jelly sourdough, Everything but the bagel sourdough, and so many more. I can only experiment like this because I have a standardized process that has been simplified. Thank you for pushing back against these ridiculous time consuming recipes.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers bud

[@johanfredriksvendsen8482]

Just wanted to say I am very thankful for having come across you and your channel. After having seen probably 20 or so different peoples recipes for sourdough each more complex than the other I came across your channel and mainly the video about how you bake sourdough every day with the hands off approach whilst working regular hours. I tried copying that one and almost immediately had great success. I use basically that recipe every time I bake and it almost never lets me down. Very occasionally I do something that makes for a less than satisfactory result, but your recipe and its simplicity has been an excellent start off point to begin experimenting a little bit with. I think it is important to remember sourdough bread is how humankind has been making bread for thousands of years, it is not supposed to be complicated.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Awesome, Johan, I'm pleased the hands-off approach is working well for you

[@aphrodite193]

You are the only person that really helped me bake a good sourdough bread, stress free and successful at the same time. I'm no longer "afraid" of sourdough baking or failing with a batch(which happens sometimes). I even experiment with my bread now, using different flours or seeds etc. Thank you for your help and for all the knowledge you so kindly share.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hey Afrodite, I still get plenty of failures, it's all part of the process, but it sounds like you're doing really well with your sourdough baking. I hope you are enjoying it :)

[@dianapagnucco8161]

Thank you and yes, please to thoughtfully untangling from the complicated norms we've been taught. I look forward to what you share!!

[@laurabennicelli619]

I have been baking bread successfully for 30 years, sourdough bread for 20-ish years. After initially developing my starter, I have never fed it on a regular schedule. I just feed it when I am going to bake. Sometimes the starter sits for a month unfed. I never feed the starter multiple times before using; I feed only once. Think about it, adding the starter to the flour for the bread is another feeding. More recently, I decreased the amount of starter I keep in my refrigerator to a small amount. I only do stretch and folds if I feel like playing with the dough. I just knead the dough and then bulk ferment. I do an autolyse, but add the starter and salt. Guess what. Breaking all these “rules,” my bread turns out great.

[@berndkraemer2832]

I have been using the scrapings method for years now - why wouldn't you, if it produces the bread you like (and it does)? It is unfathomable for me to understand that people get worked up over minor things like this. Aren't we facing more serious issues than this as humanity? That said, I really love your videos and have learned so much from you. Isn't it amazing how much there is to learn in the bread making process? Please continue to produce your instructional videos so that we are all inspired to experiment without being hateful!

[@rebalspirit]

I have found that in any specialty skill, whether it be knitting, crocheting, baking, or candy making, to name just a few, you'll find what I call 'name your skill field' snobs, who get off controlling others by intimidation, criticism for variation from the claimed norm, and bullying. I've found this human propensity in Sourdough bread baking and for years this kept me from venturing into making my own starter and learning how to make sour dough bread. With food shortages and rising food cost that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, I researched to find the least complicated methods and recipes for making various kinds of sourdough bread. It helps that I've aged out of the mindset of caring about other's opinions. And it helps that with age comes wisdom and a determination to waste nothing. There are no failed breads, only a failure to resurrect a flop and turn it into a save. A perfect story in that regard is my sourdough starter, which was only about five months old in July when I ended up having emergency spine surgery about a week after my last starter feeding. My starter ended up sitting in my refrigerator for about two+ months before I had recovered enough to make my sourdough bread. And when I pulled my starter out of the back of my fridge, there was an inch of hooch on top of a very thick glue/paste, once a beautiful flowing bubbly starter with 100% hydration. Undaunted, I smelled the hooch and it did not smell off, so I pulled out my stick blender and spent five or so minutes recombining water and flour paste. Then I fed my starter, reinvigorating and bringing back to life what appeared to be dead. I saved what many would have thrown out. I also don't make the artisan loaves of sourdough. I make a sandwich loaf using my 6-qt kitchen aide mixer. I don't do stretch and folds. I have too many spine and joint issues to spend that much time on my feet. I use my mixer, do a 4 hour bulk fermentation after I've done my mixing and I use my oven with my oven light on to create a proofing box. It works. My bread is exactly what I like and in the end, that is all that matters to me. I also gift my bread to my pastor and his family when I've gotten too many loaves ahead of the game. On average, I make two loaves once a week, freezing them and then thawing them when I'm in need or ready to gift. I am too old at 62 to embrace complicated when simple is more sane and less anxiety provoking

[@JudyWard-t4b]

HI, I just wanted to say "thank-you" to you for your suggestions! I followed them and they produced a whole wheat sourdough loaf that I really liked, with no autolyse, no stretch and folds and I used a starter that I had previously made! I am 80 yrs old, and like yourself, I'm restricted as to the amt of time I can spend on my feet. Thank you again---your help is greatly appreciated! Judy

[@JudyWard-t4b]

Hi Rebal Spirit......would you be willing to share your favorite sourdough recipe with the rest of us----it would be greatly appreciated----many thanks! 😀

[@TheXtremefaith]

Hi I appreciate what you have done. It took me about five months to finally bake a beautiful loaf of sourdough bread and I agree with you. I had a heck of a time because I was trying to follow the complicated recipes and when I discovered your channel and one other lady from Europe it clicked. Now my loafs are always awesome and I am still experimenting with ingredients and having fun. I love baking bread. Thanks and have a beautiful day ✌️

[@CulinaryExploration]

Sounds like you are enjoying your sourdough baking!

[@Mark-n4c9t]

Made my second and third loaf today..the first was amazing. I really surprised myself with the quality of the crumb following your simple no-knead method. The second today was a disaster..I left it in the fridge for about 36 hours and it didn't rise at all when cooked. I was irritated and started loaf number three with the simple no-knead over 8 hours again and it is another win! I want to get the 24-hour fridge fermentation down though! Thanks for helping a 50-year-old guy who made a few scones in school in the early 80s in the north of England figure out he has a love for baking bread! :)

[@CulinaryExploration]

I hope you are still baking those scones, Mark! I'm please you are enjoying your baking :)

[@cbovet1]

Absolutely love this!! Thanks for sharing and for fighting the good (simple) fight to make sourdough baking more accessible.

[@GistGappie]

For me, finding the right flour absolutely was key. When I found it all other steps are so much more foregiving.

[@CulinaryExploration]

I think that's true for each and every home baker, source the right flour and dial in the hydration.

[@mymail1938]

@@CulinaryExploration What about when you grind your own grain?

[@matthewsinger]

Still the same concept. It's finding the flour with enough gluten content and then understanding its hydration limits.

[@kristi1949]

What flour is that?

[@peterthomas5792]

@@kristi1949 Manitoba every time for me.

[@carolynh8354]

Totally! I do about 15 min prep before bedtime and few easy steps in morning and everyone raves about the bread. Thanks for this reinforcement that’s it’s okay to keep it simple!

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Carolyn

[@2adamast]

There is probably a balance: a few minutes to start my bread maker for the next morning, but no one raves about my sourdough.

[@haikopaiko]

Haters be gone, you are doing great I love your content!

[@martinpayne2934]

I’m new to sourdough but I made bread using dried yeast many years ago. I was aware of how to make a starter so I did that, then I just incorporated the sourdough starter into my old baking methods and left out the dried yeast. I’ve found sourdough even easier than yeasted bread because the timings of things aren’t nearly as critical and it’s easy to fit into my schedule. I recently joined a few Facebook groups about sourdough and was really surprised at how complicated some people make the process. They have strict feeding schedules, and so many things to do at various different times of the day, often with incredible precision to the timings. I just keep my starter in the fridge and replace whatever amount I use. I mix the dough in the evening, ferment it over night, shape it in the morning and put it in the fridge, then remove it from the fridge, score it, and bake it at a convenient time the next day. It always comes out great!

[@CulinaryExploration]

A nice, sensible routine Martin :)

[@Harlem-world]

Thanks for finding ways to simplify the sourdough process for us. For a beginner like myself it can become overwhelming and discouraging to say the least. I’m all for hacks and working smarter not harder!

[@BTs-he1lg]

I like no fuss cooking and baking but learning different methods and able to produce a good loaf, when it came out from the oven that vow give me some joy and a sense of accomplishment. I like the simple no knead, but also like the feel of the dough when stretching and folding. Thanks for introducing different methods, they give me flexibility. I was using the scraping method, now I adjust my starter to peak every 30 hours to give me enough discard for making sourdough waffles.

[@TRTGCbyjroed]

I have made your Sourdough Bread for my family and friends many many many times and everyone loves it. I can make your recipe with ease now. It’s simple and right to the point. I like the idea of NOT being chained to my kitchen babysitting a starter.....Ok my friend I’m all ears and I will be waiting to checkout your new method.....Let’s Go. I recorded my first attempt making your recipe and it was a disaster (on my part) the 2nd attempt was PERFECTION. I gave all recipe credits to YOU And I have been making it right every since.

[@CulinaryExploration]

I'm pleased you are enjoying the recipes, happy baking :)

[@TRTGCbyjroed]

@@CulinaryExploration 👏🏾😊

[@jackydchemist]

As an absolute beginner to hobbiest bread baking and knowing that I'll probably just bake occasionally, your videos and clear explanations are a godsend!!

[@pontification7891]

I'm a father of 6, work a 60 hours/week schedual, and bake every two days. The tutorials on KZbin back in 2020 were all right, but indeed suffered from this sickness discribed in the video. For me, the 50% humidity ratio for sourdough was a game changer, together with a hydration of 'just' 60%. This makes sourdough bread doable for me, and we now not only love the result, but also the process!

[@tonyhughes1958able]

The scraping method is used by at least 2 bakers I have watched on KZbin (so 3 with you) I currently use a 80% hydration Rye starter which slowly ferments in my fridge between bakes and lasts up to a week in great condition. I enjoy watching your videos along with several others and as a result have found my own method that works for me in producing 2-4 2lb whole wheat sandwich loaves a week. My process starts at 8am and I bake around 3-4pm in the afternoon. This works for me and fits my situation. As you say we can over complicate it, when sourdough was the only way to bake bread, I'm sure they didn't sweat the process too much, just got on and made bread.

[@Rye_d_baker]

You’ve touched very important issue where i’m always in confidence that the easiest method to bake any kind of bread is the best way. I wonder why i see dome videos where some bakers are complicating the process. Thank you so much

[@shanti34567]

It took me over a year of fear before I found you, Sune, and others that gave me permission to ignore the mystique surrounding much of the complicated must does by traditionalists. My sourdough is now the envy of friends and family who practically beg me to bake for them. Thanks!

[@yvonnefalconer3018]

Hi there really appreciate your time and effort in delivering a more efficient way of bakiing sourdough. As lovely as it is, it is a long winded process and can be challenging at times. Looking forward to your up coming videos Phil that will produce a great loaf with a shorter time span. Love the support and advice you give.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Yvonne, stay tuned for the upcoming Chrimbo sourdough :)

[@JohnParker-dz9sp]

I had tried baking sour dough many times unsuccessfully. Since following your channel and methods I now bake sour dough weekly and produce a really nice loaf. I always wondered why other methods were so complex and gave poor results. You have hit the nail on the head with this video. Keep up the excellent work 💪

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers John, it's good to start with the bare bones of the recipe and once you have it nailed you are free to experiment :)

[@jklphoto]

Good on you Chef! Making sourdough is daunting at first, but much easier as time goes on. Press on with confidence and simplicity. No one can (or should) argue with your experience or results.

[@margueriterizzo7925]

I’m so glad I found your video. I have been making yeast dough for years. Thought I would try sour dough. I was following everything step by step, listening to all the engineers telling us how to do things. I wasn’t having good luck, and was chained to the kitchen. I finally just started doing what I thought would work. I wasn’t throwing starter away, I wasn’t making large amounts, checking it all the time. Making great bread and rolls on my schedule. Recently I was enticed into the complicated recipe from one guy and was so frustrated, had such a mess was ready to throw everything in the trash. Nice to see a baker, chef, cook or whatever is politically correct for you. I’m all of the above, but not an engineer.

[@alessazoe]

So far, I’m far from having nailed sourdough perfectly, after only about half a year of getting into it, but an eye-opener for me was using a sourdough calculator that also estimates bulk fermentation time based on the room temperature and the amount of flour, water and starter added. With the help of this one and a few data points from my own sourdough baking experiences so far, I have baked loafs with as little as 1 % inoculation that had bulk fermentation stretched out over more than a whole day as well as same-day loafs with 20 % inoculation. In the end, it’s only about balancing those factors out: inoculation, temperature and time. At least in a certain corridor, but it’s very wide. And given the fact that it’s only three ingredients and only three determinating factors, I wouldn’t even bother calling the all various approaches I did "recipes". It was just fitting the very basic way of how sourdough fermentation works around my schedule, which can vary wildly from day to day. Having a background in photography, I started drawing parallels to this art and craft -- just as you have to balance time, apperture and ISO to take a proper picture.

[@CulinaryExploration]

I like the parallel you drew with photography, nice way to put it Alessa :)

[@mikewurlitzer5217]

Scrapings method works perfect for me since with just the 2 of us, I don't need to bake every day or even every two days. Usually don't go beyond 2 weeks in the fridge and in 2 days it is back at full strength. As we don't care for a predominant level of sour I also use fruit based Wild Yeast Water as a starter, which has no sour taste but behaves very much like sourdough starters allowing for long fermentation to build flavor.

[@wmdeutermann9317]

My family really love a pain de mie loaf baked in a Pulman pan.The recipe calls for a starter fermented 8 hours or overnight. In the morning, I mix the dough and starter and let it rise for 45 minutes or more, degas and fold, another hour rise, then de gas again, shape the loaf and put it in the pan for another hour o two, cover and bake. I soon realized that the third rising took far more than an hour and often enough failed to rise to the rim of the pan. When I shape the loaf and put it in the pan after the first rise, I get a perfect rise in less than an hour. On baking, I sometimes get a ribbon of bread "ooze" from under the lid (delicious with a bit of butter). The resulting loaf has a perfect structure with sharp edges and corners. I think that the yeast gets a bit tired after the second rise!

[@nobbymorph]

What absolute perfect timing this video was... I have 2 batches of dough fermenting now and had a little time to catch up with my YT subscriptions. On my way to the puter, I thought about how I bake and also thought that there must be a simpler way, as I said perfect timing. Thanks!

[@Tanzania24]

Your "no stretch and fold" method changed my baking forever. I used to apply the tartine method and get mixed results each time, it was unreliable. Your method gets consistent results and is what I follow now for my microbakery. Thank you so much!

[@CulinaryExploration]

Nice one Sofia, how are things going with your micro bakery?

[@Tanzania24]

@@CulinaryExploration thriving

[@janetfryeaifd1011]

Bless you, bless you, bless you! New sourdough baker here and I WELCOME a simpler easier method. When to know that the bulk fermentation is finished seems to be the hardest for me.

[@lameecemazrooa5839]

Your videos made it easy for me to continue backing sourdough at home with small amounts

[@smin-rg3yj]

All kidding aside, I believe your information on sourdough is the most concise and applicable to non pro bakers. Thanks for your work. SJM

[@gibberblot]

Great video. I love this channel. Your scrapings method was an eye opener for me -- no more stuffing about that night before baking, etc.. I bake 3-4 loaves per week, and definitely keep it simple: (1) mix it all together; (2) if I have time, a quick knead after 15 mins; (3) if I have time, stretch and fold; (4) if I have time, pre-shape; and (5) final shape. Then in the fridge, and bake the next morning. I get very good results -- perhaps not up there with your wonderful-looking loaves, but not far off it. I was very inspired to bake more often after watching your channel.

[@CulinaryExploration]

I like the way you put it gibberbot, it's good to understand the bare minimum it takes to get a loaf together, that way when you have little time you can still bake.

[@philip6502]

Wonderfully put-together statement. I've always thought how silly it is that sourdough has turned into the holy grail of breads; that one is not a true baker unless sourdough has been conquered. Me? I don't bake sourdough; I don't enjoy eating it. I don't listen to opera either. 😎

[@Neillipawsky]

Keep up the videos. I was also caught up in all the complicated hype and eventually after watching videos of Hungarian farmers baking sourdough vi realized that I needed to relax and trust my instincts.

[@cachi-7878]

Hi Phil, love your new setup/lighting you got there; looks very professional. My two cents- I think “key” process steps may mean different things to different bakers. You have SD bakers who just want to bake regularly and have a good average bread to eat on a regular basis; make things as streamlined as possible. Then there are other SD bakers who want to push the envelope of what a great SD bread should look and taste like. Within this category, some might focus more on taste rather than looks, i.e., crumb structure or crust appearance, etc. Others yet, want it all, or at least strive for all. I place myself in the latter category and because I don’t bake often , I don’t mind spending time and effort to try at least to achieve my vision of the best SD I can bake. But if I were to define what I think are important aspects / steps, it would be these: -best flour(s) you can afford -have a very healthy / strong starter -autolyse for a minimum time allowing your type of flour to hydrate and form the gluten structure -minimum of S&Fs and / or lamination (the time needed for this is reduced if you did a good autolyse) -cold retardation for maximum flavor -of course good solid timing, shaping, scoring techniques and oven setup (steam or baking vessel, e.g., Challenger pan or other cast iron pot) Cheers!

[@AdamVonSzabo]

I think you are right in that different people want differnet things. But still, if you want tot push the envelope, you have to focus on the meaningful things. At home I think autolyse is BS, unless you want to feed the town or something. In small batches these things not matter that much, but if you have a 50+ kg batch, the machine mixing makes some things faster, some things slower. In my opinion a lot of the overcomplication comes from the industry where there are more variables than at home. That is important to recognize.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hey Cachi, I'm still working on the new setup, but I'm getting there, appreciate your comment, and your feedback is always greatly received regarding sourdough :)

[@annas.697]

So glad I came across your videos!! The simpler the better! I tried to make sourdough following Tartine methods, Hellman, etc... But it was too much time, too much effort for a home baker like me. Not anymore. I followed your method and it is genius in its simplicity. THANK YOU! Please keep searching and sharing!

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Anna, happy baking!

[@hongodarongo]

You are an inspiration. Following you and hearing you explain the ins and outs of sourdough bread making and how to maintain the starter has been a game changer for me. Not only am i able to bake better and more tasty bread. But i'm also able to make crackers, cinnamon rolls, Foccacia and more whenever i have some starter discard. It has also helped me figure out how to fit baking into my schedule and build up a confidence to try out other recepies. It's also so nice to be able to share the results with friends and family :)

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Dan, I think baking and sharing with friends and family makes the whole process worthwhile :)

[@pcargs2721]

i used your method for sourdough bread for my first bake ever.. the crowd says it was a SUCCES! Love your videos and those pancakes look UNREAL. i will be adding that to the to do list. Pizza is next challenge then pancakes!

[@CulinaryExploration]

Awesome buddy, let me know how you get on!

[@Fibonacci84]

Great stuff as usual Phil. You really hit on all the key issues re: sourdough. With regards to using the scraping method; I use it and it works perfectly for me. I always wonder though if the starter is as strong as one that was made using the conventional method. Really good to see that even pros like yourself struggle sometimes. Gives us amateurs' like myself encouragement. Thanks for all you do Phil.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Jerry, why don't you do a little experiment. Split the starter in 2, and then make 2 loaves, one with a starter maintained using the scraping method and the other with a starter fed every day (over a week or so). See if you pick up any differences in taste.

[@CarinaHilbert]

What you describe is what I've been doing for years. I mix it up, set it aside for at least 12 hours, dump it out and knead it a bit, shape it, then set it to rise for half an hour or so. Pop in the oven, and bake. It's not always perfect, isn't fancy, but it's good bread the family likes and eats.

[@tzvirotstein3629]

You’re the MAN Phil. Discard all the smart asses. We love you. Cheers from Tel Aviv.

[@mikepapa3196]

Just this week we feed our starter in the morning as usual, and usually mix by 2-3pm then been finished and bowled up in fridge by 9pm ready for baking in the morning, but, this particular day we were out and forgot about said starter till 6.30pm, oh shite we thought, oh well lets mix anyway and see happens. In the end it got just one stretch and fold and in fridge by 9.30pm that night. (usually total of 4 s/folds normally). Baked in the morning and to be honest, we didn't notice anything different from the normal loaves we bake. Like you said, maybe we don't have to strictly follow 'the rules' to get to the final out come. Sometimes I think, from experimenting we discover new exciting paths that are waaaay simpler.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hey Mike. running with something, even if we think it may not be optimum is a good experiment, as you found out with your starter. This way we get to understand how flexible the process can be.

[@ShepKuester]

I love sourdough. I hate taking two days and multiple hours to make a single loaf of bread! I am traveling right now, so I can’t wait to get home next month and try your scraping method! Thanks for sharing.

[@kennykennington5876]

Great video Phil, when I started baking sourdough, I too followed a very complicated method and was left with very disappointing results, and that was at the start of lockdown, so no particular issues with following the complicated method, it just didn't work! Fast forward a year and I had attended a couple of local courses on Sourdough and starter maintenance. Not as complicated, but still challenging, but with good results. My sourdough baking has tailored off now as it is only really me eating the bread! However, your videos have encouraged me to start again, but I will need to "Re-invigorate" an ageing starter that has sat unloved in the fridge for a couple of months! Be great to see a similar approach to starter maintenance that then encompasses the "scrapings" method, which I have also used. Keep up the great work 🙂

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hey Kenny, it won't take long for that starter to come back to life! I'll definitely follow up with a sourdough culture maintenance video

[@shirleycovey7309]

Both you and Bake with Jack gave me the encouragement to use the 'scrapings starter'! No more discarding cause it works...always get a nice bubbly rise. When I first tried to make a starter, one huge misunderstanding I had was when they said equal amounts of water to flour....they meant equal parts in weight and, of course, failure every time! It may have been you that made me see the light on that one. Thanks for sharing why you needed to learn how to make sour dough bread....you just didn't give up!

[@CulinaryExploration]

It's good to try new things and I'm pleased you got on well with the scrapings method :)

[@leonardmilcin7798]

I have a busy schedule myself and so for a long time I struggled making sourdough bread myself. My solution I found is to slow the process down so much that I have a lot of flexibility in executing steps. I start in the evening giving myself enough time to run autolyse and some stretch and folds. I adjust the recipe, the temperature and to some extent the environment to control the speed of bulk fermentation so that it finishes the morning next day. I leave it on the kitchen counter for the entire night. And due to very slow rise I typically have between 8am and 12am to shape it. I can do adjustments for it to rise slower or faster for example if I know I have to get up and leave earlier. I then put it in the fridge for at least a day (to be baked the next day). I use very strong flour (even when mixed with rye) and this gives me ability to keep it in the fridge for an extra day or two if for some reason I can't find the time to bake it or I have to make it with more advance (on occasion I prepared it before weekend trip to have fresh bread on Monday morning...) It pays a lot to have some experience with the particular starter and especially the flour that you plan to use for example to be able to predict what will happen if you keep it in the fridge for 2 days or what hydration you need for the bread to still keep its shape after so long.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Nice schedule Leonard

[@anha1962]

Thank goodness I found your channel while I researched sourdough baking. I've used the scrapings method since I started and get a perfectly good loaf every 3 days. Between bakes, Nyarladoughtep lives in the fridge. If I find a discard recipe, like the crackers I just made, I can easily just ferment what I need.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Sounds like you've found a cycle that works well for you Anders

[@anha1962]

@@CulinaryExploration indeed. Being retired, this is a great thing to get into. Way cheaper bread, and usually much better than what you can buy.

[@Rosakru]

The title alone scores a subscription from me mate. Cheers.

[@tammystevens2269]

Amen, and thanks for that! I've seen the same sort of attitude in art, watercolor etc. Everything evolves, if it didn't where would we be.

[@bread_baker]

Well said, sourdough bread has been baked for literally thousands of years. I doubt early bread bakers set around and thought about things like "autolyse." And I don't think they would spend days making a loaf of bread. Many of the techniques you have demonstrated in your videos have helped me. l even learned how to dehydrate my starter because of you. Now, I have dehydrated starter in jar, just in case I ever kill my starter. It only takes 2 days to re-hydrate that starter and use. I don't worry about having a bunch of starter left over, because any starter I don't use, I put in the fridge. I only feed my starter when I want to bake a new loaf of bread, which is about once a week. I don't mix my salt in my water, I mix it in with the flour. And guess what, it works great. I watched many sourdough bread recipes on KZbin before I attempted to bake sourdough bread. Not everything people do in those videos is necessary. Your no-nonsense approach is exactly what people need to see. Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts and techniques. I look forward to your new posts. Keep up the good work of educating people on baking sourdough bread.

[@lynndeskpeace921]

Only good comments here! Your techniques are great and have really reduced the stress around bread! Thank you

[@markmatrix2084]

I think sometimes these trendy bakers are up themselves a bit and think they are superstars and by making baking sound complicated can try to justify an over-the-top expensive loaf to sell to posh folk! Your scaled-down recipes work for me and I appreciate the time and effort this channel makes.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Mark, I'm pleased the recipes have been helpful :)

[@markmatrix2084]

@Culinary Exploration and I now find myself tapping my finger on the blooming lid when I put it on the bowl! 🤣

[@maiamacintosh99]

I dutifully followed everything I was “supposed” to do for sourdough bread. Scheduling was the hardest part-I was up past my bedtime waiting for a rise or up earlier than I wanted to be in order do the next step and working with sticky, messy dough-just to get an underwhelming loaf of bread. And because I hated throwing away the “discard”, I had multiple jars of it in the fridge waiting for me to figure out how to use it. 🤦🏼‍♀️ I gave up bread baking. I started hearing about “no discard” SD bread baking and thought, “It can’t be good.” 🤦🏼‍♀️ Then I began to wonder what they did in “the old days”? Surely they could not afford to be so extravagant as to throw away perfectly good starter!? Then I came across your channel. You made what seemed so complicated and mysterious accessible and understandable. So I’m trying SD baking again. I have my first attempt rising now and will bake it tomorrow morning. 🤞🏻 I have high hopes and great expectations!

[@yuliablatter]

I was so surprised when I saw your recipe. This is approximately how I bake it too! Over the last 5 years I came to the conclusion that there are too many unnecessary things that are done with sourdough. So I just simplified my recipe to basically what you do. Some people that I taught how to bake bread would ask: " when are you going to show me a "real" sourdough recipe?" I guess, the answer is...never. Complexity kills simplicity. There are many ways of baking bread and the way you bake it is a good one👍🏻

[@CulinaryExploration]

Love it: "Real " sourdough recipe lol

[@kylemain4314]

Man, you seriously rock! I dig your videos so very much.

[@Mattksee3]

I would say the most important aspect so far is finding the right flour and hydration levels. Next would be fermentation understanding, recipes should not include time for fermentation and proofing because there are too many variables with temp, starter strength, flour, when you plan to bake etc. Great conversation!

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Matthew, choosing flour that works for the desired outcome is critical and as you said, balancing the hydration goes hand in hand.

[@suemagyari2992]

I like your idea of making the process easier. Keep up the good woprk.

[@peterthomas5792]

"A recipe that not only works, but is as simple as possible to execute". That's a mantra that should be far more widely followed - sourdough baking would be far more popular if it was. Every stage in a recipe makes fault-finding harder, it soon becomes discouraging.

[@msdebbiep]

I’ve always wondered … our great-grandmothers didn’t have the time to pamper the bread … start it.. rest it.. bake it … eat it

[@trains4nothng]

i am shocked that the scraping video would have been so put down, i thought that it was fun. if you want to have the most simple sourdough posable i would say that mix to full incorporation with a ddt of 68 let it sit overnight in the fridge when you take do a fold in each direction but act like your rolling a news paper(to make up for the mix then pre shape, shape, proof, bake. idk if your really lazy but want some daily bread it will make some ps loved the proof from the rattan gorgeous😉

[@VictorYepello]

I still use your daily method even when baking only one day a week. It works!

[@CulinaryExploration]

Nice one Vic

[@user-iw6vf4vl7n]

someone said something very important here in the comments: life is too short. and speaking of this, when I was searching for tutorials on the internet there was one which caught my attention: "how to make sourdough | NO NONSENSE" and I realized that other people are also frustrated. And one important thing you've said about following like sheep (the herd mentality of blindly adopting an idea without even understanding it and how it works and its effects, even if that concept is not optimal or isn't the best, without even questioning it) and one of the reasons you've mentioned was other people's opinion and how they would perceive us and sometimes this aspect was more prominent in our culture than the "fear of failure by trying something new and choosing to remain at what they already know" caused by the uncertainty regarding the method they aren't familiar with. it's stupid to give up on something good and efficient in order to adopt a principle that's wasteful, expensive, unnecessary and which makes no sense, just because you think it's considered fancy or others do that despite it not being good. Correlation doesn't equal causation: if something is popular it doesn't necessarily mean it's better; but if it coincidentally happens to be popular _and/because it's_ better, then good. But if you find a better way of doing it why getting stuck in that popular practice despite it not being good and perpetuate this echo chamber phenomenon? As someone on the internet described their cooking: it's not wrong, it's just different.

[@karenlambert4973]

your bread recipes are the only ones I use! love them!

[@getoffmydarnlawn]

When you think of bread's place in human history as a survival staple it's logical that bread baking tended toward utilitarian and straight forward. That's not to say there haven't been beneficial improvements through the generations, but we often equate delicious & artisanal with expensive and complicated when that needn't necessarily be the case.

[@kmarcika]

Cheers! I follow the same simplified steps basically, only that I cannot make no knead work so well. During the summer it was better, but know I knead because I found it really makes a difference for me. I have the impression that all factors need to be considered, and if not everything is ideal (e.g. flour quality, starter quality, temperature), then it may turn out that either kneading / stretch&fold / preshaping can be useful. I have to add here that I often use AP flour + some whole grain, which is far from ideal. Anyways what I try to do to keep it simple: - do not bother with adding the salt later. I just mix everything at the same time - i do not wash my mixing bowl, I just use the same all the time. There is some dried scraping on the side after I leave it but I do believe it is fine - i do the kneading (by hand) and stretch & folds within the same mixing bowl, no mess on the table - i do not autolyse The annoying part is washing my hands after kneading and that kneading takes some time. So the thing that I currently consider changing is getting a mixer or some tool that makes less mess during kneading. On the other hand, kneading by hand and stretch & folds really taught me to feel the dough. I even have a friend who does not measure how much water he adds: he starts with not so much and will add more if he feels he can add more, during kneading. Otherwise, I can fit this method to even when I am not in home office. But for home office sourdough is perfect :)

[@CulinaryExploration]

I like using AP flour to make sourdough. I've found a really nice Greek flour which is 10% protein and to create a nice loaf I drop the hydration to about 65%. ATB, Phil

[@kmarcika]

@@CulinaryExploration thanks! edited the comment so maybe do revisit if you still want to leave that

[@burntoutbakery]

Thank you for this video! I got really overwhelmed by other peoples methods and really intensive schedules when I first made it. I got started with the sourdough school and honestly that was so complex and it burnt me out. But between you and Bake with Jack I got back into making sourdough and I really enjoy the more simplified ways!

[@CulinaryExploration]

Nice one Hattie :)

[@KarlRohde]

Bring it on! Struggles with sourdough for me include: (1) lack of ovenspring - flying saucers 😢, (2) crumb is too small, (3) over fermentation and (4) golden crust. Great content btw.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Sounds like the usual suspects Karl ;)

[@jbz9547]

I have given up making traditional sourdough boule bread. Like your said, too complicated, just too much time. Now I just use the starter for buns, loaves and others. And my kitchen temperature hovers in upper 27 to 32 C. Tend to end up overproof dough I love making your crumpets though.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Pleased you are enjoying the crumpets. They are a little bit different and we love them for brunch every couple of weeks.

[@tanja9364]

I have been fighting with sourdough for several years now! NEVER have I achieved that beautiful soft ‘baby’s bottom’ effect to my shaped dough. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’ve managed some fairly decent loaves, BUT not with any consistency. Then it dawned on me, it was my starter! So I’ve been nurturing it for a couple of weeks and I will start baking this evening (following your methods of course). Fingers crossed!

[@CulinaryExploration]

You'll get there Tanja, keep me posted :)

[@chrisharv2356]

Hi, my problem is that from the time I have started the process in the morning I dont get a loaf until teatime. New bread is fine but next day is only fit for toast. I look forward to your coming videos, Im sure I can learn to do better. X

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hey Chris, sourdough takes time, but time creates a beautiful flavour. Try and schedule your baking into your routine, I'll have more videos on the topic of scheduling coming soon :)

[@chefe2152]

You ate soo right ,I'm a chef myself, I am now on bread baking journey, I got myself modernist bread,and still I find tje recipes long and complicated, now I'm making also whole wheat sandwich bread for my kids as well in Pullman pan,what I do ,pretty much mix all ingredients together in mixer,autolyze 30 min ,mix until window pane,pour it to mold,and proofe at 13 degree Celsius until I get from work next day and bake it.work like a charm every time .We need to keep the quest and question methods to simplify it

[@CulinaryExploration]

Couldn't agree with you more bud :)

[@justinerogers1353]

How bread making can need volumes of books as in Modernist Bread is very intriguing. It seems they are all about the look and the cost of owning them and impressing others that you own them. .

[@chefe2152]

@@justinerogers1353 they are impressive, as for impressing others ,not really,for me anyway. Modernist bread has alot of valuabe information I'm happy learning about,such as science of each part of the many grains,flour politics,agriculture and many more,it absolutely is great resource, but when it comes to baking at home ,you just need to experiment and adjust to your own abilities and schedule,because no bread book knows your work and family commitments. On the other hand,to be able to do this adjustments,you do need to have decent knowledge of the process, and ingredients to be able to recognize problems when they arise, and know what it is caused by to fix it.

[@heidigarrett6945]

As a stay at home homeschool mom the only reason I kept on sourdough was because I found out it was simpler than it looks. I now only do mix and shape once recipes and have found the key is in keeping a healthy starter and proper ferment times to make amazing bread with minimal effort

[@CulinaryExploration]

Perfectly stated :)

[@Simplycomfortfood]

As you know Phillip I struggle with all aspects of sourdough bread making. To be honest, I haven't invested the time to learn the skills for many of the reasons you mentioned. I look forward to learning this process to streamline the steps. Hope you are well.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Blair, good to hear from you. I hope you and Judy are well. You'll get the hang of it pretty quickly, your great at baking and you maintain your starter well. I think that with a couple of months of focus you'd be knocking out some stunning loaves. I'm always happy to help if I can.

[@boscobear123]

❤️❤️you get nothing but love from over here brother. Let the haters hate

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers John

[@chopsddy3]

Learning how to time and recognize the active stage your starter and keeping the waste down is important. Dough handling with respect to the hydration is extremely important. Not giving up because you made a few frisbees and bricks is essential. Practice and observation ,with note keeping , got me off the ground. Learn the simple stuff first and well. Practice practice practice. Definitely, use weight for measurements instead of volume. Once you know how things are supposed to feel , you can wing it some. But for predictable results and the ability to increase or decrease the amount of finished , consistent product, weigh everything. That’s what I think is most important on this stage of my new journey. Thanks so much for your videos. Your info put sourdough bread on my table.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers bud. I think we've all had our fair share of frisbees and they certainly make the successes even more welcome!

[@simonellis1019]

Well done mate, can’t fault your channel 👍🏻

[@donnerundblitzen1717]

As an original, card carrying and proud member of the Nat'l Society to KISS (keep it simply silly) I give your video 2 Thom Thumbs Up. Most major fortunes have been made by taking complex, drawn out processes and simplifying them and making them more convenient and affordable. May the Tart of Teen RIP. The Sourdough gold prospectors back in the 1800s, up on the Yukon, would have starved to death if they had to endure some of the crap we are instructed to swallow and follow as "essential if you want to succeed and make a good and even great sourdough loaf." But then there is cricket. You too can play a "game" that may never have an ending or bake a cricket sourdough bread and end up dying before the 48th stretch and fold. Wow, my Kitchen Aid is such a Heretic! I can actually make bread with it in the morning and get a life in the afternoon. I recently mixed, and fit, five 9 by 5 loaves in the oven (all baked on the middle rack) and enjoyed Tuna on toasted Danish Dill Rye for diner that very same day. And I did absolutely zero stretch and folds. That is what my Candy Apple Red, Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer is for. The mixer (or bread machine, or Cuisinart) all make bread baking sooo much easier and convenient than hand mixing. I've been baking since the 1980s and have mixed by hand in the past, but I was tickled pink to buy the machines. The Cuisinart takes less than a minute to mix bread. (About the same amount of time it takes to shred cabbage for Cole Slaw). I use an instant read thermometer with the Cuisinart to make sure I don't overheat the dough during the mixing. Two books for use with the Cuisinart: Whole Grain Breads by machine or hand (Beatrice Ojakangas) and The Best Bread Ever (Charles Van Over), i.e., Great Homemade Bread Using Your Food Processor - both books are late 1990s and they do not drown the flour as became the rage with no knead baking. Every loaf should not be Ciabatta - or even a batter bread. The new recipes were a shock and horror to me. Wow, 30 to 50% more water than typical recipes from the 1980s and 1990s and the instructions are to throw out the machine and make bread out of pancake batter! No thank you.

[@louettesommers8594]

I love the way the bottom of your loaves that are nice and brown.

[@erickazuba]

For me, autolisis with just flour and water is a waste of time. I starded mixing all the ingredients together and it has been working since the first time. I only make autolisis when I want to make the dough on the mixer. I think mastering the bulk fermentation and the final shaping are the key. Changing the oven were also a game changer. I bought a simple eletric domestic oven that has a reasonable sealing on the door and do not let all the steam to leak. It allows me to bake two loaves of aprox. 650 g at the same time.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Eric

[@AndyGait]

Not quite the scrapings, but I keep about 60g of starter and no more. Every time I need it I add 60g of rye flour and 60g of water. When I make my loaf I take out 120g of starter. There's no waste. No faffing about. It just keeps everything simple. As for things I've changed, I've stopped proving overnight in the fridge. I found it didn't really make that much difference to the finished loaf, and the bread is now a little softer and easier to enjoy. I feed my starter before going to bed, so that in the morning it's ready and I can make my dough (500g Strong white flour, 10g sea salt, 340g filtered water, 120g starter). Stretch and fold every hour (5 to 7 hours depending on temp. As the weather gets colder it's taking longer). Then shape, prove for another 90mins/2 hours depending on how it's looking, then into the oven. For me this works perfectly. I'm at home all day anyway, so the hourly folds aren't an issue for me. I make a loaf every 3 or 4 days. It's just all part of my weekly routine now.

[@CulinaryExploration]

I like feeding my starter before I go to bed too, it works perfectly for mixing the dough nice and early. The temperatures dropped a lot here, so if I'm fermenting at room temp (and not in my chamber) I need to increase the amount of starter I add for creating the new starter

[@justinerogers1353]

Your loaves look fantastic. I totally agree with you. It sometimes feels like a 'club' and there are those who want to make it difficult to bake good bread. I experienced a little of this when first trying to bake - my starter wasn't good enough because it was only 2 weeks old, a month old and then it wasn't decades old ! I recently bought a book on SD from an author who wants to simplfy only to read, "leave your dough on the counter overnight". My dough was totally over-proved. Have now gone the other way and am watching Tom from The Sourdough Journey who you met up with, who nails detail. For me, it's about the temperature of the dough, the duration and looking for those keys signs to know when it is proved that's key to a good loaf. Before starting to bake my own bread and living in the rural south-west of England, Marks & Spencer is about the only place I can buy sourdough but this last week I've been in London and have been buying a white SD from an artisan bakery / cafe / cake shop and I can honestly say, my underproved, overproved loaves are so much more tasty than anything I am able to buy. So, all power to home bakers. Keep with it because your bread is much better for you and will taste far better than shop-bought. Thanks again, love your videos and your take on things.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Justine, I haven't been down the SW for many years and am surprised you can't find a local artisan baker that makes a decent loaf of sourdough. Although, I don't think you can beat baking it at home :)

[@justinerogers1353]

@@CulinaryExploration Well, you probably can if you hunt them out but then there's delivery or you travel miles to get one. There was a guy selling at the local market a few years ago, bought 2 of his loaves. Slicing to put in the freezer and found 2 screws from his mixing machine baked in the loaf !

[@JudyWard-t4b]

@@justinerogers1353 ...horrific! Glad you found them and didn't break a tooth! Lately I found mouse turd in a slice of expensive bought bread I was eating...grossed me out for days after...

[@Tymon.Grochocki]

As i watch my progress(or lack of it sometimes) i consider the strenth of the starter - to be most valuable in sourdough baking process. Just 2 days ago i made my first really nice bread. It was nicely risen, crumb was very satisfying to tear, and taste was great. The difference between this one and the other i made in the past - was a starter. I used lievito madre on 00flour - with about 50% hydration, and it was really strong and beautiful. The rest of the process was allmost the same as in other breads a have made - so thats why i think its the starter strenght to be the most important. Thank You for your videos,its really great channel for which im gratefull. ps. i have also used 1 spoon of malt, as You recomended in one of your videos. Maybe it was helpful too!

[@CulinaryExploration]

Do you mean the malted barley Tymon? It gives a really nice flavour to the bread without being too sweet

[@Tymon.Grochocki]

@@CulinaryExploration Yes, exactly :)

[@endrebeky315]

Looking forward to see the simplified method. Although i enjoy the "complex" method, gives me more credit at home and with friends 😉

[@honeylishuss]

I might finally give it a crack. This is inspiring ❤

[@lisahodges8299]

Just keep doing what you do. I am happy with your content. Birdy On

[@melindam2776]

Coocking/baking still have so much archaic legacy, worked out years ago, and still blindly followed today. You are right. We should test and see which rule actually makes sense, and which one is bogus. I tried baking bread with or without autolyse. The result was the same, but I have to tell you, the process wasn't. Also, you wouldn't believe my mother's method of baking sponge for a cake. 😁

[@CulinaryExploration]

OK, you got me Melinda... feel free to ping me a copy of your ups sponge cake over email lol

[@melindam2776]

@@CulinaryExploration its really simple. She bears the egg whites with the sugar with the hand mixer. When it is proper stiff, adds the yellows - highest setting of the mixer. Turning lower add the flour mix and if needed the melted butter/oil at the end by wooden spoon. No gentleness involved, but plenty of air added.

[@warrenb9343]

I make our bread every week. Nothing complicated. I take the starter out of the fridge the day before, leave it on the counter. Next morning I feed it. By 12 or 1, it's fully bubbling. I make the dough, and starter goes back in the fridge until next week. The starter, flour, water, salt all go in the bowl at once, mix 5 minutes. Leave on the counter or throw in the proofer oven. I leave it in the same bowl I mix in, no point in dirtying another bowl. Sometimes I get 3 stretches over the next few hours, sometimes not. I just go about my business. After 4 or 5 hours I shape it, add anything to it (roasted garlic, rosemary, onion or whatever) then in the fridge overnight. Next morning set it on the counter for a few hours or until I get around to baking it. Then bake. Never had it fail. Writing it out sounds long, but really, I have no schedule to follow and most of the time don't pay attention to it. Only time I ever discarded start is when I first made it. Been doing it like this for many years.

[@aleksja7364]

Hi Phil, Once again a big THANK YOU for sharing your recipes for sourdough :) Your method for lower hydration bread gives me consistent results, I'm no longer afraid of baking a sourdough as it always turns out right :) I'm excited for the new , "unchained" receipes

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers buddy