Sourdough flavour, for those who can't keep the culture alive?

[TdeV]

28 minutes ago, AlaMoi said:

put some saved bits of the last loaves in the freezer for next 'as needed' . . .

 

Are those saved bits the baked bread or the unbaked dough?

[AlaMoi]

unbaked - 'raw dough' 

baking kills the yeast.

[TdeV]

2 hours ago, AlaMoi said:

unbaked - 'raw dough' 

baking kills the yeast.

 

How much dough please?

[Tropicalsenior]

3 hours ago, AlaMoi said:

put some saved bits of the last loaves in the freezer for next 'as needed' . . .

The process is called pâte fermentée and this is a pretty comprehensive description of the process. I've never used it but it makes sense to me. I do know that it is used in quite a few commercial bakeries rather than keeping a starter going.

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

There's a baker here in Patzcuaro who makes the absolute best bolillos (small football-shaped loaves) because he does what Alamoi suggested. Which is, he saves dough from the previous batch. Of course, this bakery has been in business probably for decades, so the amount of wild yeast on the walls is probably a significant factor. There's a faint sourness to the bread itself. Because the "old dough" has had a little more fermentation time  than the "new dough," it transmits a bit of that improved flavor to the new batch. The baker is a short man, dressed in a tank top, jeans and study boots, wields a long narrow peel on which he's loaded up the bolillos. These are then shoveled into a very hot wood-fired oven. People have been known to drive to the bakery with butter and honey to get the bolillos hot from the oven. He makes a limited number per day, so one has to get there early.

 

The bakery is hard to find--it's in a residential neighborhood near the railroad tracks. There used to be a huge palm tree in front, but several years ago it was cut down. Naturally there's no sign. 

[TdeV]

Well, I have made my very first baguette using @Tropicalsenior's Mock Sourdough. Here's my story. And here was the dinner.

 

TropicalSenior's recipe uses white vinegar and sour cream for the sour taste. I used white vinegar also. Having only Greek yogurt, I used the same volume made up of mostly yogurt and some water (not measured). It had an okay taste, not stellar. One of the two things I loved about living in San Francisco Bay area was sourdough!

 

More practise is needed . . . 😁

[AlaMoi]

23 hours ago, TdeV said:

 

How much dough please?

 

regrets I have no specific info - obviously the qty would depend on "and how many loaves are we making next week?"

 

for a single loaf, attending various 'historical re-enactments' - I'd say something on the order of 40-50 grams.