sleof

Has anyone used Eric Kayser's book 100% Pain : La saga du pain enveloppée de 60 recettes croustillantes? The breads from his bakeries in Paris are very, very good?

I'd be interested in the recipes for the variations... they sound delicious.

Great thread, a big help. Can anyone advise on the best type of flour to use when baking Canelés? I'm in The UK and have access to wonderful flour from Shipton Mill (www.shipton-mill.com) including Cake & Pastry flour and French Type 55 flour. I can also get French Type 45 as well as Italian Type 00. Thanks....

I understand that when I refresh my chef the water content should be 50-57%. How do I determine the percentage of starter to include? What effect will it have for example if I use 25% as opposed to 40%?

Well, it's day nine and my chef seems to be tripling every eight hours or so. I understand that I should wait until it quadruples in this time before using it to leaven bread. Any idea how much longer it will take?

Thanks for the information which is most useful. My starter is firm, apparently what the French call a chef. Started it off on Tuesday with 100 grams each of flour and water and have carried on in the same vein (albeit with different flour). After the initial period of intense activity for a few hours from this time yesterday, it seems to have gone dormant. However when I went to feed it a short time ago, it had a slight aroma and was riddled with small holes.... N.B. Actually, after the first refreshment which was 100 grams of flour added to the starter in its entirety, I've been adding 45 grams of water and 90 grams of flour to 60 grams of the starter, discarding the rest.

Thanks. It's at room temperature (about 74F). Maggie Glezer advises feeding it again after a day or two. Are you suggesting I feed it as soon as it triples (or in the morning)? I'll probably use flour with 11.5% protein from Shipton Mill. By equal quantities, do you mean in terms of weight or volume? I usually weigh ingredients.

I wonder if anyone is able to help me. Two days ago I decided to take the plunge and make the French-style Sourdough Starter from Artisan Baking Across America by Maggie Glezer. I used dark rye flour from Shipton Mill rather than the whole rye flour specified because I had some to hand. The mixture bubbled up, more than doubled in size, and smelled and looked awful. It subsided and I fed it. The recipe indicates not to expect the chef to have risen very much, if at all by the end of the next day or two. It’s now three and a half hours after feeding time and the chef has almost tripled! At the moment there is a slight aroma. The surface of the dough has a few cracks and it’s tacky but not sticky. It isn’t riddled with tiny bubbles but there are some. Should I be patient or will the chef require feeding soon? I've not done this before and I'm not sure what to expect.... Thanks Steven Leof