How I Slashed my Sourdough Baking Costs by Over 60%

[@AndyGait]

I've taken to batch baking to cut down on fuel costs. Instead of baking one loaf twice a week, I now bake both at the same time and freeze the second loaf for when I need it. I heat my pot as normal for the first loaf, but where before I would just take the lid off after 25 mins and finish the bake, I now remove the loaf from the pot and place it on another shelf in the oven for the last 15-20mins. I then put the second loaf in the pot and carry on as normal. When I need the frozen loaf I take it out of the freezer when I go to bed and then in the morning, I quickly run the loaf under the tap to wet the crust and then place in a 170c oven for 12mins or so.

[@calogerocangialosi1211]

You are the Man Philip... I'd Like to see a video with the complete process..low proteine..with no preferment....i think that it would be the easiest way.. Don't you?... Thanks again Lillo

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hi Lillo, I'll certainly add that to the filming bucket list, pleased you enjoyed the video

[@tac926]

Nice video Phil. I applied your 'bake from cold technique' on this mornings dutch oven loaf on a campsite in the Eifel mountains. It worked really well. The bake, which took place this morning at the crack of sparrows, saved me 35.7142% in briquets.

[@CulinaryExploration]

🤣🤣🤣 good man. I should pop over and we’ll do a sourdough video using a Dutch oven over the open coals

[@tac926]

@@CulinaryExploration Good idea. It's really good fun, and there are no more difficult decisions to make about using Hot Air or Baking mode, steam or no steam. Edit. I'll teach you how to send smoke signals as well. Lesson 1: "help, my blanket's on fire."

[@willbaren]

Thank you so much. This slashed my costs and prevented me from buying expensive equipment I didn’t need. Cheers.

[@ClareFPV]

Outstanding tips and great use of earth's resources. Loved your phrase about stepping out of the comfort zone to become better baker. Thanks for thi amazing video mate.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Clare, pleased you enjoyed it :)

[@wilknott]

Your videos got me into bread making and it’s changed my life completely. Thanks for doing what you do!

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Plantbasedlab! Happy baking and I’m pleased the content has been useful 👌

[@limlim999]

love it, looking forward to bake with your method. it's cost efficient!

[@prodromoschatziagorakis9384]

Really helpful and insightful video. One would expect reducing the hydration to 65% could not result to soft open crumb. Having only access to soft wheat flour can sometimes be discouraging for sourdough bread baking. If you could make some video for making sourdough bread with soft wheat flour, it would be fantastic! Thank you for sharing!

[@Simplycomfortfood]

No dought we could all find ways to save some money. Phillip, the other issues is as you know, I live in a very hot climate. Running an oven at 495° F for 1.5 hours heats up my house while my air conditioner is working hard to keep my home cool. So I have double the savings in reducing oven time and keeping my AC unit from running so much. Great video and some smashing looking loaves!

[@ibolyakontor7199]

I am very impressed with your smart creativity!. Admire your saving time and result fully. Thank so much!!Many of us has no baking stone or Dutch oven;;so what a great solution most of us would never think of. Love it!!!

[@lorichan9382]

you're my favorite sourdough youtube channel!!!!!

[@CulinaryExploration]

Thank you, appreciate the comment 👍😁

[@galinibekou8227]

Dear Phil, Thank you for this! Great work. One comment on “Koula” flour. I am Greek and sourdough baking lover. I know this flour very well and work with it in bread as well as pita phyllo making due to its much wanted extensibility in this kind of preps. But the protein content despite what it’s written on the label is much higher than 10.4% - which I am sure you can also feel while working with it! A professional baker I know, doubted this low percentage too and contacted the chemist of the mill to ask for more info. The later said that indeed the protein is closer to 12,4% but the label remained the same (I know…us Greeks unfortunately we are not very good at consistency and accuracy issues..…). I know you have to say what you see on the package, I am just giving you a little behind the scene info. Keep up good work with your channel and website. Cheers.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hi Galini, Cheers for the earlier email. I heard the rumour about the percentage being incorrect on the package but I remain a little dubious about the protein content being 12%+, the dough certainly didn't feel that strong and it was hard to see the gluten web in the finished product (especially in the ear area). It was a lovely flour to use but didn't behave the same as the strong flour I normally use. I believe the website states it's milled from soft wheat too. Let's hope they sort out their info so we have something clear to work with! I REALLY want to try and hand roll the phyllo for pita!

[@galinibekou8227]

​@@CulinaryExploration Thank you for your reply :) Of course compared to Robin Hood flour it is not as strong, it can't compete the Canadian king. Try the phyllo making. Have a lovely day.

[@MichaelBrueckner]

This is another valuable video full of insights. You should have called your channel "Culinary Explanation". Here in Thailand, the nutrition data is not always as clear as in the well-regulated EU, protein content? So, reducing the hydration will be my next step to being a humble amateur home baker. Five thumbs up.

[@tzvirotstein3629]

Hey Chef. Really like your passion. Cheers from Tel Aviv.

[@bibianaugusta]

Yes!!! Please do a video with a low protein flour 😁 thanks for all the videos you share* big hug from Portugal.

[@CulinaryExploration]

You're welcome, a big wave over to Portugal from Greece! (Vid will be coming)

[@1bis3de]

I am baking two loafes at one time. We have bread for 4 to. 5 days. Of course it is not fresh after a day - but a good sourdough bread (mix of wheat and rye) is still tasty. And I am buying the flour in bulk this is much cheaper than the small packages. Although I think I am going to try your recommendation with the cold oven.

[@antonio-romano]

Grande Philip! A huge tank you for sharing your experience, keep going & have a great weekend!

[@CulinaryExploration]

Have a great weekend too!

[@Tilmann5138]

Really nice result for cheap flour and a cold start. One minor nit-pick though: when the oven only runs for half the time, it doesn't mean that you've necessarilly cut energy expenditure in half since most energy during baking is needed to heat up the oven. Once it's heated up, it doesn't take as much energy to maintain that energy. However, you also reduced the mass to heat up by reducing the baking stone, so I really can't tell how much your energy expenditure changed. It's much less, that's for sure.

[@BTs-he1lg]

Lucky us! 10 kg Robinhood costs CAD $14 (Euro10.41) here, has been using Rogers, much cheaper CAD $9 (Euro 6.70), same protein content, yield same results. Used to take 1 hour to preheat my cast iron pot, now switched to 1/2" baking stone covered with roasting pan, only need 30 mins. Tried cold oven once with Pyrex Roaster, did not turn out, might be wrong vessel, will try your way when I get home. To save energy, sometimes I bake two loaves at the same time, to freeze or one to my friend. Since I only have one pan, after removing cover from first loaf, move to one side to finish baking, put the second loaf in covered. To save more energy, sometimes I baked individual rolls instead of loaf which takes a lot less time. Wonder whether I can roast almonds or something while preheating oven to save more energy.

[@geoklanong3283]

Thank you for sharing Philip. Awesome video.

[@vanalaphachuasritrakul5593]

Excellent content at the right time for the energy crisis. I am interested in seeing a video about how you go about with the full process for soft all purpose flour!

[@CulinaryExploration]

It’s on the bucket list Vanalalpha 👍

[@milosstankovic4016]

Would like to know process of baking bread with lower protein content, how would you adjust fermentation time, what difference does it make etc. In Serbia there is no such thing as 13%protein white flour, there is like black flour, but that just aint it.. Thank you in advance, keep up the good work! 👊

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hey Miloš, I can't give you an exact time, but I let my dough ferment expand by about 65% during bulk fermentation. Rather than let it proof to the top of the basket as shown in the video, I let it proof until it was about 5mm under the top of the basket rim. I hope this helps

[@milosstankovic4016]

@@CulinaryExploration It does. Thank you!

[@letsfish876]

Thank you very much 👍👍

[@Roku94Sparda]

Do you plan to make a video making focaccia or this kind of bread with some toppings like olives or smt like that? Amazing videos btw ^^!

[@WHM584]

I would like to see a video on soft dough as you offered please 🙏👌

[@CulinaryExploration]

I'll be following up with a video dedicated to using soft flour :)

[@amir5988]

Thank you Philip! I will definitely follow your advice on oven setup.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Try it out and see what you think, keep me posted Amir

[@amir5988]

@@CulinaryExploration Just tried it and it worked out fine. Got a good shape. I don't use any baking stone nor steel so the time save is less. Still, it is one less thing to think about.

[@kristipaskett6539]

I'd love a recipe with all-purpose flour!

[@CulinaryExploration]

Will organise it!

[@kristipaskett6539]

And maybe adding vital wheat gluten to all purposes flour!

[@jmtquiroga]

Yes, sir, please do a video with the low protein all-purpose flour and the alternate baking method! I have attempted to follow your 'less than 30 minutes of prep' sourdough video. After about 10 tries, my dough rises quite nicely, my crumb is soft and very tasty, my crust is very crunchy...but no nice 'ear' and no nice big sourdough crumb holes. The taste is wonderful, but the inside "voila" look after cutting isn't sourdough. Help! I used a 12-13% bread flour.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Sounds like you need to experiment with different fermentation and proof times. I’ve got a couple of videos on the channel, I hope they help. Feel free to drop me an email with some pics and I’ll do my best to help

[@marcelafuksova7658]

I'd like the whole video, please! Thank you!

[@CulinaryExploration]

Added to the video bucket list Marcela :)

[@szkribi]

You could probably buy Caputo Manitoba Oro (very strong flour) for a half price of your Robin Hood flour 🤔 Fortunately, I buy excellent bread flour from polish mill for 4€/5kg with protein content over 13g 🤗

[@sayuas4293]

You can add gluten powder to flour to make it stronger like the 13% flour

[@opheliahamlet3508]

Whoa! I thought the first loaf was good, but look at that second loaf

[@CulinaryExploration]

It takes a bit of tinkering to get it right. The loaves got progressively better

[@elenisokratous6880]

I live in Greece too. I have just started making my starter and it is about ready for me to make my first ever sourdough loaf of bread. Your videos have been extremely helpful as well as motivating for me to start my sourdough journey. I would like to ask you if you have ever tried making bread with greek strong wheat flour ( like ΜΑΝΝΑ or ΛΗΜΝΟΣ ). Its colour is a bit yellowish and its protein content is around 11-12% depending on the brand. I would really like to see you experiment on that.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hey Eleni, I have some Manna in the cupboard ready to start playing around with :)

[@elenisokratous6880]

@@CulinaryExploration That is so nice!! I am looking forward to your new discoveries hoping to be able to try them myself too one day :)

[@ΜΑΡΙΑΑΣΠΙΩΤΗ-ω1τ]

Hello everyone, I'm a home baker too, and in order to cut down the flour cost i use apf, sf and koula or other soft hight protein flour for my baking. It works for me i experiment with the percentage. Greetings to all!!

[@mandiigraham1596]

No way we get flour that cheap here in OZ. But I have tried a few flours as I was starting out for the cost factor and kept getting different results. As I researched and learnt more (and am constantly learning), I found out that different protein content flours absorbs water differently. So I had to alter the water ratio. I think more importantly for ME is the quality of the flour. Higher quality = higher nutrition. Baking from cold start, haven’t ventured there yet but will give it a go. Purely for convenience sake. As for wastage, not at my place. I slice and freeze the whole loaf and only thaw (in the fridge) a few slices at a time as it is only me eating it. Panzanella salad is one way I use sourdough in a meal. Fried croutons is also excellent served with a thick pumpkin and leek soup yumm😋

[@CulinaryExploration]

Panzanella is one of my all time favorites and will be coming on the channel very soon. I love making roasted sourdough croutons with garlic. I think my all time favorite is to toast the sourdough, rub it with garlic, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. I appreciate the time you took to comment 👍

[@everydayyumyum7897]

Very impressed ❤

[@meekojj]

Love all your experiments! Here are my thoughts: 1. Is it ok to add some wheat gluten to make your new flour stronger? 2. Maybe u can try copper, which is a thermally conductive material. I preheat it only for 20mins, it will get 240 °C.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hi Jian, you can add vital wheat gluten if you'd like to. I guess I could use a copper cloche to cover it but to be fair, the lightweight pot heats up in an instant. What are you preheating that is made out of copper?

[@Lisa-sf4fy]

Would love to see a detailed video using the 10 percent flour.

[@marinescusv]

Hello, but to be on the safe side, I think we can do 50% high quality flour and 50% low.

[@jefftaylor6917]

love the vids mate, got me to mix it up a bit so nearly got it right lol.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Jeff. Always good the mix it up 👍

[@prajnabala]

I really appreciate the emphasis on budget and also the environmentally positive aspect of using less electricity. So, will I find this recipe and instructions here or on your website? I also like to use a mixture of whole wheat and white four in my baking. I will work on this.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hi Ellen, I'll be following up with a full breakdown of the recipe in a video. Stay tuned :)

[@badfishg]

Where is your baking stone from? What material is it?

[@ImForgivenToo]

GREAT...GREAT tips !!!!!! thank you !!!

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers :)

[@joesmith7427]

Yes, show us how to make it, put your info on the screen

[@ebrahimsaleh5040]

Hi there, thank you for your effort for teaching us how to bake and I have a question for you if you don't mind, should I open the oven flame up and down for baking sourdough bread and is it better also to open the inside fan only , what is better?! It would be very kind of you to tell us and show us that please. Thank you

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hey Ebrahim, just to make sure I understand correctly, are asking if it's better to bake with or without the fan (conventional versus convection setting?)

[@ebrahimsaleh5040]

@@CulinaryExploration Yes but also which is better for gas oven like mine , is it better to open the flame up and down or only down sir

[@CulinaryExploration]

@@ebrahimsaleh5040 I'd suggest getting a little oven thermometer to see what temperatures your oven is reaching. Then you'll be able to test different settings accurately. Hope this helps :)

[@harrymason1053]

It should only cost about 10 cents if you are not trying to me it "artisan" bread. There is no need to copy a style.

[@robinthomsoncomposer]

Get some solar panels Mate

[@lisahodges8299]

Sounds impossible using an ordinary flour to make bread, please show us. Birdy

[@CulinaryExploration]

Will do Birdy

[@petrolhead360]

Hi thanks for the thought provoking video. Any advice/guidance on what to buy regarding the large aluminium pot? I want to make sure I buy the right one.

[@cindyeng1885]

Thank you for sharing and would like to see the full process. My Sourdough bread turns out beautiful after following your method in other video. Once again a big thank you ❤️

[@CulinaryExploration]

Awesome Cindy! I’m pleased you’ve nailed down your sourdough baking. I’ll be doing the full process using AP flour soon 😀

[@lynnmash4607]

Thanks for this, another way to try . Can you tell me if your wooden board that you shape on is treated with anything, I’ve just got one, and the dough just sticks to it and it’s hard to shape.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hey Lynn, the big board is actually a fake wooden top that sits on an Ikea kitchen island. So it's quite smooth. Is your wooden board sealed? have you tried using a little water to stop the dough from sticking?

[@spirosmartzoukos1670]

I had no idea you were based in Greece! If you want try also ΑΛΕΥΡΙ ΛΗΜΝΟΥ ΜΥΛΟΙ ΣΤΑΜΑΤΕΡΗ durum or all purpose , I'm not an expert like you but I find it to be a really good flour .

[@linachristopoulou8670]

Yes I agree - there are plenty of strong Greek flours. I've never needed to use Robin Hood, but anything from Μύλοι Γεωργίου, or anything labelled "Χωριάτικο" will do the job well.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Spiro ☝️

[@franf9378]

Thanks for this info and yes, please do a video on making sourdough with all purpose flour.

[@benaviberkowitz2115]

This may come in real handy thank you. I have a semi-related question, I'm burning through sponges much quicker now that I'm washing dough out of bowls and proofing containers all the time, any tips or comments?

[@stephencktsang]

May I ask how much Kwh of electricity it used for 220 degrees/50 mins?

[@milosparico3889]

PLEASE We need a video of how to use soft flours for baking sourdough bread

[@patrickhicks9880]

if you're in greece why don't you use the heat from the sun to heat up your stone

[@Breadmaykr390]

I’m just getting started with the sourdough journey, that investing in an electric oven was definitely worth it, but now, I should be grateful of having a gas oven which is totally cheaper, but takes some practice to bake beautiful loaves. Looking forward for great videos!

[@CulinaryExploration]

I remember trying to bake bread in the first restaurant kitchen I cooked in. Before we got the pastry section kitted out I was baking in gas ovens, they took some getting used to. Once you get dialled into your setup it becomes easier. Cheers Christian

[@thereseprunet-brewer2192]

I bake with a gas oven, gas 9, a pizza steel 6 mm and a pyrex dish on top.

[@tnasr3254]

Gas heating releases a little bit of moisture thus you could consider not covering your loaf and see the results

[@annchong9701]

Can you use a air fryer to bake your sourdough bread?

[@eszhun2296]

I'm in the US and definitely looking to cut cost. I've purchased a very inexpensive flour @ 3% protein/30 gr. I also bought vital gluten to bump up the protein but not sure how much to use per your recipe of 1000 gr. Also, I make bread in a 1 lb loaf pan as we prefer the softer loaf. I've been using various bakers' artisanal loaf recipe and just putting in a loaf pan. I'm still very green at this. Would love to arrive at one final recipe that would be foolproof. Oh, my house is kept at around 78 degrees Fahrenheit and I fail miserably at the bulk ferment and final shape. Oh my, Phil. Thank you

[@aphrodite193]

Have you tried the cold oven method for baking a regular sourdough loaf(high protein flour)? Does it work as well?

[@sashy572]

yes please to the soft all purpose flour video. I live in morocco, and I would love to see a video on using plain white flour to bake a loaf with, all the other flours here are from the health shop at around 5 euros for a KILO! Anyway just wanna say I love your channel. You give such practical videos for every day people - you keep it simple for us learners! I hope my loafs will one day rise as beautifully as yours!

[@johnsmyth6283]

Yet another great video Philip 👍 I stopped using my lovely baking stone a while ago for the same reason. I haven’t got a casserole big enough yet, keep looking out for a secondhand or dirt cheap one! I’m definitely going to try a lower cost flour as soon as I am back on my feet, tested positive on Friday 🙄 Thanks again best wishes.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers John. I don’t think I’ll be completely separated from my casserole just yet! Hope you feel ok and get better soon matey

[@kathypollari7122]

I don’t know what it is about this method or the sourdough itself but mine is a total failure. The only way I’ll save money is to buy store bought bread. Sorry 😞

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hey Kathy, find a good artisan baker and you'll enjoy great sourdough!

[@johanfredriksvendsen8482]

With such a massive casserole pot there is ample space for sliding a small oven safe bowl with water/ice cubes in it next to the bread. That way I would speculate you get more steam under that casserole to help the bread rise for longer.

[@CulinaryExploration]

It works with ice cubes too but I find that after a certain point adding more steam doesn't benefit it a lot more. maybe I'll give it a side-by-side test. Cheers Johan

[@barrychambers4047]

That's Real Talk and Real Thinking, Philip! Thanks!

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Barry 👊

[@Hagay_Insurance_Finance]

do you live in Cyprus?

[@CulinaryExploration]

Greece :)

[@pamandgreighodgkins3830]

Do you ever use convection oven setting for your sourdough bread?

[@CulinaryExploration]

No, I get better results using the conventional setting, with my oven anyway. Do you use convection?

[@pamandgreighodgkins3830]

@@CulinaryExploration Yes I do as my oven gets much too hot on conventional baking. The convection holds the correct setting. To be honest I am not happy with this particular oven.

[@chrisjones6439]

Great info as always Philip 👍 With lots of advice from your good self, especially regarding flour and fermentation time, I'm at a consistent point in my baking, so thanks again. I've actually gone back to pre heating, but might revisit cold start and softer flour just to mix it up a bit 👍

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Chris, I'm too attached to my baking stone to leave pre-heating behind forever. But for baking on a budget, it works really well. And I have to say that even though the flour was super soft the resulting crumb was a real treat. Let me know how you get on with a softer flour, I certainly learnt a lot :)

[@genteradiante]

Hi. I'm gluten intolerant and just read that strong bread flour is high in gluten content. Any other options? Can I use Almond flour instead? Also, what are your thoughts on Einkhorn Flour? Thanks for some awesome tips. I think I will be giving sourdough bread another try. I had given up on it.