Sourdough soggy - dough cycle only
I've been successfully making sourdough bread dough in my machine, then baking it in a clay pan (my boyfriend's daughter-in-law made it for me). All of a sudden, the last two tries, same recipe, the dough looks and feels good in the beginning, but by the end of the dough cycle it's a soggy mess. I have no idea where to start trying to figure out what I've done wrong. Here's the recipe:
¾ C water
1 C starter
1½ T sugar
1½ T olive oil
2¼ tsp salt
3 C flour
2¼ tsp yeast
I've made this recipe many times before with success. Has my starter changed? What do I start fiddling with to get the right consistency.
And while we're at it, my boyfriend wants to know why I add yeast to a dough made with starter (I don't know, I've always done it).
I've been using the dough cycle for all my breads for years, and developed some of my own recipes, but this has got me gobsmacked.
Tags: bread machine, Problem, sourdough, starter
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Replies to This Discussion
- Reply by BakerIrene on February 18, 2012 at 12:37 pm
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Were these bad two tries with a new bag of flour?
Because this sounds like not enough gluten (protein) in the flour. Unless this is King Arthur flour, the mill might be using lower gluten wheat (it's cheaper).
Go buy a package of Vital Wheat Gluten (a powder) and add 2 tablespoons of it to your next batch. Mix it into the first cup of flour you measure. Knead your dough by hand for a minute after the machine is done with it, to see if a little more flour needs to be added.
You recipe adds regular bread yeast as well as the starter, because starter is wild yeast that does not always raise bread properly. You are using the starter to make the nice sour flavours, but the bread yeast is insurance to make your bread rise successfully.
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- Reply by mrscindy on February 18, 2012 at 1:09 pm
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I agree with BakerIrene about your flour. As far as the yeast. Yes, you are using the yeast to guarantee that your bread rises. But, that said, it seems like that is a lot of yeast. I usually use about 1/4 tsp of yeast to a 3 cups of flour sour dough recipe (using 1 cup of starter) and just let it proof a bit longer to get the amount of rise I want. It also helps develope the flavor of the sour dough a little more.
I know this wasn't your question, but wanted to give you something to think about.
~Cindy
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- Reply by mrscindy on February 21, 2012 at 9:09 am
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It just seems like a lot of yeast to be adding to a sour dough recipe. That may not have been the cause of your problem, as a matter of fact probably wasn't the cause, but it just seems excessive.
I would still use your 1 cup of starter, but only use between 1/4-1/2 tsp of yeast. Be sure to separate the starter and yeast in the initial mixing, ie., don't mix the yeast into the starter and don't mix the salt and yeast. Be patient with the rises/proofs. Give it lots of time to do it's magic. If needed, you can even let it do part of it's rise in the fridge, which would help develope that sour dough flavor.
Please post back here and let us know how these suggestions have helped or not helped. We all want to make sure your bread baking experiences are a success and will do whatever we can to be sure that it happens!
~Cindy
EDIT: In the Zo, I put the 1 cup starter mixed with the water in the bottom of the bucket. Add everything else except the salt and yeast. After adding the flour I make a small indentation on one side of the flour (over one paddle) for the tiny bit of yeast and another indentation on the other side of the flour (over the other paddle) for the salt. This keeps the three things separated. Make sense?
~C
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