Sourdough Starter Refresh | Proof Bread

Emerald shows the process for refreshing Harriet, our sourdough starter.
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» Proof Bread is a modern throwback to a way of life that values small-scale craftsmanship, local community, and creativity. We are a small group of passionate bakers working in our garage (thanks to cottage laws) which has been converted into a micro-bakery. Everything we bake is made by hand, from the best local ingredients, with no short cuts.
#sourdough #artisanbread #microbakery

[@kyle2]

Was not expecting to see another upload featuring my partner this morning. Huge blessing to be able to see her in her element. Even if I didn't have a personal stake I'd love this channel- these vignettes from different members of the crew are awesome. Keep it up.

[@Ashmann1]

What flour is the starter fed with btw, since you have inside info and all?

[@thedrvn]

@@Ashmann1 it'll be whatever white bread flour they use for everything else

[@Ashmann1]

@@thedrvn as a baker "whatever flour" doesn't cut it for me, so I asked the baker instead of you ;) Edit; and since they get a custom made flour mix from the local mill I'm preeetty sure it's not regular bread flour

[@thedrvn]

@@Ashmann1 Artisan baker of 11 years love x lol you dont know what your talking about lol. Custom flour? You mean a locally grown grain which will still be the common wheat variety. I love home bakers theyre so cute

[@PhatTrumpet2]

@@thedrvn Just let Kyle answer the damned question. Why do you have to be such a condescending prick about something that doesn't even concern you?

[@Hacker3588]

The garlic loaf this week was so good. OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!! Also would love to recommend the SMASHED ALMOND CROISSANTS. Oh my good golly. The people in front of me at the Farmer's Market last weekend bought the last two blueberry hand pies and I was pretty devastated, but the kind lady suggested the croissants and boy howdy. The extra marzipan on top really achieved that wonderful cherry flavor that baked almonds get. I. Cannot. Get. Enough. I have been telling everyone that will listen across the valley about your awesome bread. Keep it up!

[@discopantsandhaircuts1135]

Johns starter bucket flick is everything

[@mattevans-koch9353]

Thank you for another episode of PROOF. All of you are amazing. It was nice to see Emerald's take on mixing the starter. Even in the same artisan bakery, every baker will do things just a little bit different and that is what makes artisan bread unique as opposed to factory bakeries where the majority of the process is carried out by machinery. Take care all of you, stay well and keep making those beautiful loaves.

[@weegie2818]

Reading through all the comments and all I have to say is just "Wow".

[@amandazemke5765]

Great video Emerald💜 I grew up with a jar of sourdough starter in the back of the fridge, my eldest sister was a fantastic sourdough bread baker and would enter her loaves in the Del Mar Fair in San Diego when she was in high school. I haven’t had good sourdough in many many years now UNTIL I discovered Proof

[@air-conditionedgypsy8863]

Love that “baker´s tattoos”

[@alwas8916]

What a nice tutorial. Thanks for this. I tried making my own starter on a smaller scale here in AZ and i now know it has been to chilly for it. I don't have a proofing room and i am going to wait till it hits the 70's and 80's concitently before trying again.

[@ProofBread]

You can also just mix the starter with warmer water to compensate for the lower ambient temperature.

[@etp714]

Get a drill and a drywall paddle to mix the starter with

[@mileswhiting8212]

Nope hands are best believe me 😂

[@jamalsaidi9446]

Yes I'm with you bro hands More powerful then anything just for mixing

[@thegemthecolor]

I enjoy mixing with my hands! Also a fan of fewer dishes to wash. ;)

[@jamalsaidi9446]

@@thegemthecolor hhh that's great and good luck for you

[@thedrvn]

for 100% rye yes, white no, helping develope the gluten even further during a feed is a great way to see it go bonkers also it would increase the temp.I keep my Rye starter in a 90L bin so paddle is only way to do it

[@masonbarnett278]

Can you guys please do a video on your packaging operations?

[@Checovp3]

This please

[@hmm5122]

Amazing job done with simple way, always I have seen videos doing starter in a jar for 50gm , do you have any videos to makes starter with quantities in big gallon ?

[@glynwalton5202]

You would benefit from a lower working height platform to do this mixing.

[@cipiatone]

Great to see you're not using imperial.

[@bunhelsingslegacy3549]

"Because dried starter is like cement" .... oh yes.... yes it is.... fortunately I'm still working with 1 litre mason jar sized starter, not a big bucket!!

[@muhamadfaizalias858]

owh. that cement! i thought she said about something else with similar pronunciation

[@georgeroukliotis6998]

I have a question. The levain she is mixing right now is going to be refreshed again before it is mixed in the final dough ?Or you will just wait for it to be mature and then use it? My question is: 1) do you discard any of your starter? 2) how many feedings you do before you mix it in the final dough?

[@geoffreyzhao4378]

很棒！

[@cachi-7878]

Thank you for setting the record straight about wild yeasts. Most people romanticize about how wild yeasts are in the air blah blah blah. The reality is most of these yeasts come from the flour itself and from the baker’s hands as you pointed out. I would say that constitutes 95% or more of your wild yeasts. The rest are in the air although in a bakery where there is a ton of flour being airborne, perhaps the source is still the flour.

[@jonsmith4065]

So I’m gonna use Boudin as an example. A bakery like that which has been passed down for over a century. A company that big that ships the mother dough around California. I have a hard time believing they mix anything by hand these days. And if they did, you are saying that each baker has the same microbes on their hands to keep it consistent? To be fair once they start mixing the microbes in the dough would surely jump to their hands. I submit their is truth in what you are saying as I know what she referenced, but I would say majority in within the air and some due to hands.

[@cachi-7878]

Jon Smith No, not at all. The majority as I said, is coming from your flour. So by order of importance: - flour - baker’s hands - air

[@jonsmith4065]

Cachi - where’d you get that from? I’m not saying everything I learned is scripture, but I was taught different in school. Just looking for the source

[@cachi-7878]

Jon Smith the information is spread all over the net but a few years ago I had listened to this podcast where microbiologists set out to do an experiment in Belgium. The interesting information starts from 25:00 but I recommend listening to its entirety. I have to say that their so called bread experiment is total BS because anyone who is well versed in sourdough knows that a starter can have a totally different outcome depending on many variables such as feeding schedule, ratio of flour, water to seed (starter), temperature, level of pH at which one refreshes the starter, etc. in spite of having the exact same flour. So don’t focus on that part of the experiment; these people should know better. Also, the process of baking (even though they supposedly followed the exact process) will yield stark contrasting results if the starters are not at their exact level of maturity. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gastropod/id918896288?i=1000397695556 Nock yourself out.

[@sheilam4964]

@@jonsmith4065 & @Cachi - Jon, I have to agree with Cachi. Having worked the wheat, oat, barley and sometimes rye fields on our farm and realizing the truck the combine hopper was emptied into to take the wheat to the granery (which was later hauled to and sold to the elevator) was the same truck that we used to take our cattle to market (without washing it out, ever). The combine hopper was never washed out either and mice can be found running around in there from time to time. But if you realize how the rain and the UV rays from the sun clean and sanitize everythhing outside. You will understand why farm life is so healthy vs the living areas that never see the sun or rain. Combining is very dusty. All field work is very dusty. So there is a very high probability the bacteria in sourdough is coming from the dirt in the field where the wheat grown or any grain for that matter. Grain is never washed or irradiated at any time beteen the field and your plate. But never fear. The heat from the oven kills any bacteria and germs so it is very safe to eat. That might be where the wives tale "you should never eat raw bread dough" comes from.

[@edkaempf906]

I've wondered how often the business must clean out the drainage pipes that run underground from the sink to the street. Dried starter and dough are both like cement, and the owner and employees rinse their hands and arms at the three compartment sink.

[@Rob_430]

A business in a residential area, the reason for the move, I wonder too.

[@SadTurnips]

What weighing scale do yall use?

[@LuLu-sf5cg]

Your sourdough starter refresh is 450gram water , 450 gram high protein bread flour 11% about ! And mature starter is 2000 kg . The water temperature is around 18 to 22 'C.?

[@zermomia]

This is a strong Woman ,not one of those who claim it with their mouth.

[@ryandisney7427]

There is actually a strain of lactobacillus called lactobacillus sanfranciscensis that is native to San Francisco that gives it its character

[@thegemthecolor]

Interesting! I’ll have to read up about it. Thanks for sharing.

[@RH-zt9ph]

emerald green That’s why the bakers up there do not need to lock up their starters, I’d you stole some the yeast of the area you moved too would quickly change the starter and the “San Francisco” taste of the sourdough would be gone, replaced with a taste from your area.

[@stevenirving2968]

Hello, you should sale shirts and other baking stuff (bread bowls, cutters, Apron, and more) Help make you more money to open your new place.

[@amandazemke5765]

Steven Irving hey have mercy now

[@thegemthecolor]

We don’t have baking items for sale yet, but we do sell apparel, mugs, and stickers on our teespring shop! teespring.com/stores/proofbread

[@weegie2818]

She split and fed the stater at 11 am, these will be used at what time? Just trying to figure out the life cycle. It gets fed at 10 pm.

[@xandeko11]

Every starter is different, you have to figure out the times on your starter. It changes with temperature, type of flour, amount of starter that is fed.

[@weegie2818]

If they split and feed at 11 am when do they add it to THEIR dough for THEIR bread baking. I forget how many hours they let it rise in tubs on the racks. I don't plan on baking any bread for myself. Just find it enjoyable to hear Proofs story and understanding the commitment they are making.

[@xandeko11]

@@weegie2818 Oh, i get it now. I think they let rise 4-6 hours before putting it in the fridge so it maintains its peak longer.

[@xandeko11]

They also have a video on their starter schedule. Sourdough Starter Feeding Schedule and Routine for Peak Maturity | Proof Bread

[@mvadu]

I think Jonathan explained their starter life cycle in an episode few weeks back..how long they keep it in refrigerator to retain its peak etc. Check the history once

[@camiic4843]

I came for the bread but stayed for the guns

[@kyle2]

Add gofundme to all videos!

[@Rob_430]

Great, then the business can go Public!

[@Bigrignohio]

It would be neat if they offered to sell sourdough "starters" (dried or fresh) like King Arthur flour or all those people on eBay offer.

[@LuLu-sf5cg]

That burned mark , that usually baker got it when they working might night shifts.

[@tbernardi001]

Dont burn those tattoos. They are marvelous.

[@vihanjain6975]

Doesn’t sanitising your hands kill any microbes present on them?

[@nokomisjeff]

Keep the starter on the floor of the walk in? You should have a talk with your employees about little violations like that and general sanitation. In my state that would be a critical violation.....three in any single visit and they can shut you down. You do run a pretty clean shop though.

[@ProofBread]

We are adding a reach in today for a bit more space. Our new location will provide us much more refrigeration space. Right now we simply don’t have enough.

[@gorazdvidic5023]

You are right, I agree, but: There is a field. On the field wheat is growing. Beneath ground there are worms. Above ground there are ants, flies, flying birds, poo from birds, heavy metals from nearby highway. There is big loader transporting wheat after harvest. There is sand from millstone in flour. And I'm quite sure, there is a little bit of poo from birds in flour too. Just a little bit of poo. If someone try to sanitize everything, there will not be any sourdough, but heavy metals from highway will stay in bread (if you can call bread produced pancake, made from flour without sourdough or yeast). And bread from sourdough from bucket, which was on floor, is baked at 200+ °C. So, what to do? Just enjoy taste of bread, made from sourdough starter :-). Stay health.

[@Mina-gm3pg]

Does the dough have to be mixed without gloves. I disagree about her mentioning that the mix is better because of the microbes on the hands. Ok at home with ones family but not commercially. In Germany 1970's hair nets were always used.

[@Mina-gm3pg]

I observe many people are not too bothered about cross contamination nor general hygiene.

[@gorazdvidic5023]

@@Mina-gm3pg Yes and no. :-) Stay well.

[@codythomeczek664]

Why wouldnt you pour all the water then all the starter instead of going back and fourt

[@JohnLockard]

She is. If you look somewhat closely, you'll see she's doing several batches.

[@codythomeczek664]

@@JohnLockard I don't think you and I are dating the same thing

[@JohnLockard]

@@codythomeczek664 water into bucket, move bucket, water into bucket, move bucket, water into bucket, starter into bucket, move bucket, starter into bucket, move bucket, starter into bucket, move bucket. Or. Water into bucket, starter into bucket, move bucket. Water into bucket, starter into bucket, move bucket. Water into bucket, starter into bucket. One of these is a lot less steps and requires less moving of increasingly heavier buckets.

[@Keylightdigital]

Seriously.... Hair nets! The city is already watching you closely. Don't want them shutting you down for food safety issues! AZ Food Code 2-402.11 requires them! Please, please, please.... don't get yourself shut down!

[@gorazdvidic5023]

There is no hair at all :-)

[@Mina-gm3pg]

@@gorazdvidic5023 head, and arm hairs fall out as and when ready so a hair net would provide more general safety. Finding anyones hair in my food - even my own - turns me off.

[@Mina-gm3pg]

I think ProofBread will take our helpful comments on board for their future. They were so involved in the process, which I really enjoy watching, that food safety and its adherence thereto may help them be more aware and achieve higher standards which many bakeries where we do not have the opportunity to view behind the signs may also now take on board. I mean how many bakers have you seen smoking - do they wash their hands all the time? Probably not.

[@thesidedeck-gamingcafe8679]

The FDA Food Code does not apply to cottage bakery. They're not dealing with any TCS products

[@Keylightdigital]

@@thesidedeck-gamingcafe8679 That's a great point! Although, two questions. Are they still considered a cottage bakery since they have non-resident employees? Is good hygiene something that a cottage bakery should still strive to do, , especially given all the attention they are getting?

[@JaneDoe-yj7sc]

Omg I would not eat that bread lol her whole arm yuck 🤢

[@ProofBread]

Good thing that industrial bread is never touched by a single person, and you can buy it everywhere.

[@cc7736]

I personally use tools to mix my starter for every feeding, but it's not a big deal to touch it. The bread is baked at a mega high temp- 450 or higher. Whatever microbes are there will get killed. Science!