Bread,
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What Breadmakers Say About My Starter Linda
- bought my starter last week & have been having soooo much
fun !! the critters arrived lively, bouncing around like jumping
beans in their styrene packet. (i have a litter of 7 wk collie
pups that aren't that active!) Thank you Linda; we need more online merchants like yourself, Rodney Linda,
I have just made the best loaf of bread with (organic) all purpose flour. Everyone loved it. I’m hooked! Thanks for the starter and information. Cheers
Linda,
I had a bit of a time reviving the starter as our room temperature
was I made my first loaf ever of sourdough today with your starter.
It's 3 My wife and the boys love it (me too). Our youngest who just turned
7, Thanks and best wishes, Jim K. IF YOU WANT GENUINE SAN FRANCISCO FRENCH BREAD, YOU MUST HAVE THIS STARTER OR GO TO BOUDIN BAKERY. THIS IS A LOT CHEAPER AND FASTER. LARRY L in New Castle, Indiana Thanks for all your help and support. You are one of the best Internet people I have ever met. Thanks so much ! Mike M., Independence, MO Dear Linda, Sincerely, Somehow I hope to meet you face to face. In all my 20+ years with a PC, I've never dealt with anyone as efficient, reliable and most of all sweet as you are. I told my wife I've fallen in love on the internet. You won't believe I just got an email from Boudini wanting me to order, NO Thanks I'll do it my Self....thanks to Linda, you just saved me $30 bucks....thanks
I used to live in the San Francisco Bay area for 20 years and am addicted to the bread. About once a year I would order from Boudin @ about $10 a loaf, but it was a treat and worth it. I got your starter abut 2 weeks ago and my third batch was just as good as my first, as good as Boudin's as a matter of fact. Thanks Mike from Indep, MO Hi Linda,
Before I tell you about your product, I'd like to tell you something about myself. I'm an Executive Chef and Patissier with more than three-decades experience in Michelin-ranked venues ranging from Nassau and Miami to Manhattan and Moscow. Hence, I have more than my fair share of experience in running and managing the bakeries and pastry shops of many hotels, all of which maintained 55-gallon drums of sourdough starter (which I was necessarily obsessed with feeding each day). Regarding your product, I say a hearty "Brava"! I have never seen as lively a culture as what you sent and let me assure your readers this is the real thing! In fact, my current restaurant is also a brewery and I took a sample of your starter to our brew master who promptly placed it under his microscope. Even he was impressed with the culture you supplied! More than that, your companion recipe and technique booklet was excellent, especially for beginners. You did an artful job explaining each step in the process, thus saving your students from having to pour through volumes of expensive and often technical books on bread. My only caveat is that you might want to consider advising the use of Vital Wheat Gluten in the mixing of the dough as this does a remarkable job of strengthening the gluten structures of sour dough, thus providing increased rise while maintaining a free-form shape (and I do think Vitamin C is essential). What an excellent product you have! Thank you! Ron Hokanson
As for putting your site in my favorites, of course I will, but I'll do you one better. You're on the homepage of my website right now (http://ginpetty.com) and in my journal entry for last week, too. Thank you! Gin
Today I made my first loaf of bread from your starter. We have around seven bakeries in Eugene and the loaf I baked today is better than any I have tried. Even better than those costing almost $4. It might even come close to what I’ve had in San Francisco. People at one shop argued about whether I should put the dough directly on the baking stone, or put it on a baking sheet and onto the stone. I followed your directions and it is very good. Thanks, Wayne
Hi Linda! First of all, I'd like to tell you that I have been using my starter now for 1 1/2 years. I LOVE IT! We use it all the time - for all of our bread, pancakes, waffles, pizza dough, and biscuits. It makes the best bread. I usually make 6 loaves at a time. I don't think my family would ever want to go back to "regular" store bought bread. Cara
The bread is absolutely wonderful,, will tell all my friends!
thank you! I hope you open this. I am sooooo pleased. Here are my first babies.
Thanks for the great starter. Thanks for your great directions. This was my first use of the
stand mixer as well as my first sourdough bread-making adventure.
As you can see, I doubled your recipe. I used just a "tad" of
whole grain kamut flour in this bread, which gives it the color,
I think. Those two scrapers were a lifesaver when I started removing
the dough from the kitchenaide too. I would have been sticky up
to my elbows without them. Thanks again.
I had noticed in some of the messages to you that people were
giving you Thank-you again, Linda! I just wanted you to know that in reading
all Warmest regards, Hi Linda, I have just spent the last hour navigating your website ~ what a wonderful way to spend my afternoon teatime break! I logged on to look for recipes but first found my way to FAQ's and really enjoyed reading the comments from you and others. I wanted to share with you my excitement about my newfound hobby/passion, thanks to you and my big sister, Mary, who found you first. Like Connie, I also used to grind my own wheat and bake my own bread, but that was years ago. Since moving from California to Colorado, I haven't had the motivation to face the challenges of bread baking here, which include an 8400' elevation, living off the grid on solar power, and heating with only a wood burning stove. Also, I have a tendency to get easily discouraged when I try something new and it fails. But my sister in Atlanta, Georgia encouraged me to try my hand at this. With winter temps in the sub-zero range, our house gets down to the 50's at night, so I was skeptical about trying this now. But I just couldn't wait, so I went for it! I just got up in the middle of the night to stoke the fire during the first 72 hours to keep that optimal temperature for my yeasty babies and followed your great directions. When it came time to bake my first bread, I had to give myself a mini counseling session which went something like, "It's OK if it doesn't turn out perfect...in fact, even if it's a disaster, don't get discouraged. Just try again. And even if you bomb on the first 10 tries, don't give up - you'll eventually be successful if you just KEEP TRYING!" So, bracing myself for failure, I proceeded with the step-by-step instructions. And guess what? My very first loaf, a free-form round, was so beautiful I had to take a picture of it! But my little nay-sayer voice was telling me that yeah, it may look pretty, but will it taste good? Well, Linda, it was not only good, it was absolutely delicious! My husband, son and I had warm slices with butter for an evening snack and then finished off the rest of the loaf grilling it on the stove for breakfast the next morning. I couldn't wait to make my next loaf, so I made another the next day. I didn't think it could turn out any better than the first one, but it did! I'm sure it was the vitamin C I added to the second one, which was listed as an optional ingredient in the instructions - it really did enhance the rise. Two successes in a row - I'm stoked!! Now I'm so excited about experimenting with new shapes and added ingredients. And my friends are all standing in line to get a loaf as a gift - and I'm thrilled to be able to give them something so wonderfully wholesome and delicious, that I made myself! Thank-you, Linda, for being there for my sister to discover you and in turn, for providing me with a great gift - a passion for San Franscisco Sourdough! Dear Linda,
I’ve been taking some terrible liberties with the starter, and the results get better and better. All recorded (almost) as it happens on the page you’ve looked at before. Thanks so much for getting me ‘started’ on this. I’m having a lot of fun and the friends I give loaves to are very positive. Regards – Paul See Paul's Sourdough Adventure Journal at
Linda, Dear
Linda, Sincerely, Somehow I hope to meet you face to face. In all my 20+ years with a PC, I've never dealt with anyone as efficient, reliable and most of all sweet as you are. I told my wife I've fallen in love on the internet. You won't believe I just got an email from Boudini wanting me to order, NO Thanks I'll do it my Self....thanks to Linda, you just saved me $30 bucks....thanks
I used to live in the San Francisco Bay area for 20 years and am addicted to the bread. About once a year I would order from Boudin @ about $10 a loaf, but it was a treat and worth it. I got your starter abut 2 weeks ago and my third batch was just as good as my first, as good as Boudin's as a matter of fact. Thanks Mike from Indep, MO Hi Linda,
Before I tell you about your product, I'd like to tell you something about myself. I'm an Executive Chef and Patissier with more than three-decades experience in Michelin-ranked venues ranging from Nassau and Miami to Manhattan and Moscow. Hence, I have more than my fair share of experience in running and managing the bakeries and pastry shops of many hotels, all of which maintained 55-gallon drums of sourdough starter (which I was necessarily obsessed with feeding each day). Regarding your product, I say a hearty "Brava"! I have never seen as lively a culture as what you sent and let me assure your readers this is the real thing! In fact, my current restaurant is also a brewery and I took a sample of your starter to our brew master who promptly placed it under his microscope. Even he was impressed with the culture you supplied! More than that, your companion recipe and technique booklet was excellent, especially for beginners. You did an artful job explaining each step in the process, thus saving your students from having to pore through volumes of expensive and often technical books on bread. My only caveat is that you might want to consider advising the use of Vital Wheat Gluten in the mixing of the dough as this does a remarkable job of strengthening the gluten structures of sour dough, thus providing increased rise while maintaining a free-form shape (and I do think Vitamin C is essential). What an excellent product you have! Thank you! Ron Hokanson
As for putting your site in my favorites, of course I will, but I'll do you one better. You're on the homepage of my website right now (http://ginpetty.com) and in my journal entry for last week, too. Thank you! Gin
Today I made my first loaf of bread from your starter. We have around seven bakeries in Eugene and the loaf I baked today is better than any I have tried. Even better than those costing almost $4. It might even come close to what I’ve had in San Francisco. People at one shop argued about whether I should put the dough directly on the baking stone, or put it on a baking sheet and onto the stone. I followed your directions and it is very good. Thanks, Wayne
Hi Linda! First of all, I'd like to tell you that I have been using my starter now for 1 1/2 years. I LOVE IT! We use it all the time - for all of our bread, pancakes, waffles, pizza dough, and biscuits. It makes the best bread. I usually make 6 loaves at a time. I don't think my family would ever want to go back to "regular" store bought bread. Cara
The bread is absolutely wonderful, will tell all my friends!
thank you! I hope you open this. I am sooooo pleased. Here are my first babies.
Thanks for the great starter. Thanks for your great directions. This was my first use of the
stand mixer as well as my first sourdough bread-making adventure.
As you can see, I doubled your recipe. I used just a "tad" of
whole grain kamut flour in this bread, which gives it the color,
I think. Those two scrapers were a lifesaver when I started removing
the dough from the kitchenaide too. I would have been sticky up
to my elbows without them. Thanks again.
I had noticed in some of the messages to you that people were
giving you Thank-you again, Linda! I just wanted you to know that in reading
all Warmest regards, Hi Linda, I have just spent the last hour navigating your website ~ what a wonderful way to spend my afternoon teatime break! I logged on to look for recipes but first found my way to FAQ's and really enjoyed reading the comments from you and others. I wanted to share with you my excitement about my newfound hobby/passion, thanks to you and my big sister, Mary, who found you first. Like Connie, I also used to grind my own wheat and bake my own bread, but that was years ago. Since moving from California to Colorado, I haven't had the motivation to face the challenges of bread baking here, which include an 8400' elevation, living off the grid on solar power, and heating with only a wood burning stove. Also, I have a tendency to get easily discouraged when I try something new and it fails. But my sister in Atlanta, Georgia encouraged me to try my hand at this. With winter temps in the sub-zero range, our house gets down to the 50's at night, so I was skeptical about trying this now. But I just couldn't wait, so I went for it! I just got up in the middle of the night to stoke the fire during the first 72 hours to keep that optimal temperature for my yeasty babies and followed your great directions. When it came time to bake my first bread, I had to give myself a mini counseling session which went something like, "It's OK if it doesn't turn out perfect...in fact, even if it's a disaster, don't get discouraged. Just try again. And even if you bomb on the first 10 tries, don't give up - you'll eventually be successful if you just KEEP TRYING!" So, bracing myself for failure, I proceeded with the step-by-step instructions. And guess what? My very first loaf, a free-form round, was so beautiful I had to take a picture of it! But my little nay-sayer voice was telling me that yeah, it may look pretty, but will it taste good? Well, Linda, it was not only good, it was absolutely delicious! My husband, son and I had warm slices with butter for an evening snack and then finished off the rest of the loaf grilling it on the stove for breakfast the next morning. I couldn't wait to make my next loaf, so I made another the next day. I didn't think it could turn out any better than the first one, but it did! I'm sure it was the vitamin C I added to the second one, which was listed as an optional ingredient in the instructions - it really did enhance the rise. Two successes in a row - I'm stoked!! Now I'm so excited about experimenting with new shapes and added ingredients. And my friends are all standing in line to get a loaf as a gift - and I'm thrilled to be able to give them something so wonderfully wholesome and delicious, that I made myself! Thank-you, Linda, for being there for my sister to discover you and in turn, for providing me with a great gift - a passion for San Franscisco Sourdough! P.S. I've attached the picture I took of my very first loaf of
SF Sourdough bread. I didn't think of it till after I had sliced
some, but I just had to capture it for posterity!
I’ve been taking some terrible liberties with the starter, and the results get better and better. All recorded (almost) as it happens on the page you’ve looked at before. Thanks so much for getting me ‘started’ on this. I’m having a lot of fun and the friends I give loaves to are very positive. Regards – Paul See Paul's Sourdough Adventure Journal at
Again, thank-you so much, Linda, for all your help. I wish you could provide training seminars in top-notch customer service to all the other establishments we all have to deal with! You've been wonderful! I'm going to your website now to order my pans and I'll be sure to keep you posted on my sourdough adventures. Tricia Hi Linda,
Hi Linda! First of all, I'd like to tell you that I have been using my starter now for 1 1/2 years. I LOVE IT! We use it all the time - for all of our bread, pancakes, waffles, pizza dough, and biscuits. It makes the best bread. I usually make 6 loaves at a time. I don't think my family would ever want to go back to "regular" store bought bread. Cara
The bread is absolutely wonderful,, will tell all my friends!
thank you! I hope you open this. I am sooooo pleased. Here are my first babies.
Thanks for the great starter. Thanks for your great directions. This was
my first use of the stand mixer as well as my first sourdough
bread-making adventure.
As you can see, I doubled your recipe. I used just a "tad" of
whole grain kamut flour in this bread, which gives it the color,
I think. Those two scrapers were a lifesaver when I started removing
the dough from the kitchenaide too. I would have been sticky up
to my elbows without them. Thanks again.
I had noticed in some of the messages to you that people were giving you permission to post them on your website. So in case you wanted to include my previous e-mail in your "Reviews" section, by all means, YES! And now you can add my signature! Thank-you again, Linda! I just wanted you to know that in reading all those reviews, I noticed a "feeling" that came across cyberspace from all the people who write to you...that feeling of being connected with a good friend who's there to help you if you need it and rejoices with you in your successes. Thanks for being that "friend" to so many people! Warmest regards, Hi Linda, I have just spent the last hour navigating your website ~ what a wonderful way to spend my afternoon teatime break! I logged on to look for recipes but first found my way to FAQ's and really enjoyed reading the comments from you and others. I wanted to share with you my excitement about my newfound hobby/passion, thanks to you and my big sister, Mary, who found you first. Like Connie, I also used to grind my own wheat and bake my own bread, but that was years ago. Since moving from California to Colorado, I haven't had the motivation to face the challenges of bread baking here, which include an 8400' elevation, living off the grid on solar power, and heating with only a wood burning stove. Also, I have a tendency to get easily discouraged when I try something new and it fails. But my sister in Atlanta, Georgia encouraged me to try my hand at this. With winter temps in the sub-zero range, our house gets down to the 50's at night, so I was skeptical about trying this now. But I just couldn't wait, so I went for it! I just got up in the middle of the night to stoke the fire during the first 72 hours to keep that optimal temperature for my yeasty babies and followed your great directions. When it came time to bake my first bread, I had to give myself a mini counseling session which went something like, "It's OK if it doesn't turn out perfect...in fact, even if it's a disaster, don't get discouraged. Just try again. And even if you bomb on the first 10 tries, don't give up - you'll eventually be successful if you just KEEP TRYING!" So, bracing myself for failure, I proceeded with the step-by-step instructions. And guess what? My very first loaf, a free-form round, was so beautiful I had to take a picture of it! But my little nay-sayer voice was telling me that yeah, it may look pretty, but will it taste good? Well, Linda, it was not only good, it was absolutely delicious! My husband, son and I had warm slices with butter for an evening snack and then finished off the rest of the loaf grilling it on the stove for breakfast the next morning. I couldn't wait to make my next loaf, so I made another the next day. I didn't think it could turn out any better than the first one, but it did! I'm sure it was the vitamin C I added to the second one, which was listed as an optional ingredient in the instructions - it really did enhance the rise. Two successes in a row - I'm stoked!! Now I'm so excited about experimenting with new shapes and added ingredients. And my friends are all standing in line to get a loaf as a gift - and I'm thrilled to be able to give them something so wonderfully wholesome and delicious, that I made myself! Thank-you, Linda, for being there for my sister to discover you and in turn, for providing me with a great gift - a passion for San Franscisco Sourdough! P.S. I've attached the picture I took of my very first loaf of SF Sourdough bread. I didn't think of it till after I had sliced some, but I just had to capture it for posterity!
I’ve been taking some terrible liberties with the starter, and the results get better and better. All recorded (almost) as it happens on the page you’ve looked at before. Thanks so much for getting me ‘started’ on this. I’m having a lot of fun and the friends I give loaves to are very positive. Regards – Paul See Paul's Sourdough Adventure Journal at
Hi again, Linda! I’ve made two batches of bread, yesterday and today, from the same sponge. I’m thrilled with the results, and have written it all up with pictures on my website. Tried to leave a second feedback item for you on Ebay, but it wouldn’t let me. Sorry! Thanks for everything - Paul Hi
Linda, Just wanted to say I love your clay baking
pans. They have really improved the baking process for me. (This
message arrived with an order
for two more Rada Stoneware Loaf Pans!)
My husband bought me your sourdough starter kit for Christmas, and I love it--the starter is much better and sourer and easier to deal with than the one I bought at our local fancypants kitchen shop. So far, the bread we've made has been delicious--and the sourdough pancakes made with the leftover stuff too--and I'm really enjoying this. Linda,
Linda, Linda, You were right, the knife is great and the stirrer works perfectly.
I've been adding about one or two cups of "white whole wheat
flour" and a table spoon of rye flour to my regular sourdough.
What a wonderful loaf! Hello, Back in August I purchased a starter from you and I have been
enjoying it since then. Truly great bread. Richard. Hi Linda. Hi, Hello Linda,
It was PERFECT! Well, not quite- I didn't use quite enough flour, it rose out, not up (but, hey, perfect for paninis, right?). The starter worked perfectly, the taste was good and sour. Thanks again so much for your help. Working on a recipe for sourdough pretzels, wille let you know when I am satisfied. Kevin
Linda,
Hi Linda, thanks for the speedy service!
You're a Peach.......nice doing business with you. Doug
Thanks for the info. More importantly, thank you very much for making it right. It is always a pleasure to do business with trully honest, honorable people. And yes, I have your website bookmarked as a "favorite." I don't google you. Thanks again. Kevin Dear Linda, Well, your website promised that you'd refund extra freight if I ordered a combination of items instead of one of the kits. But truthfully, I have to say that I was amazed when I got the email saying you had actually refunded my credit card for $6. Amazing!! Thank you for your honesty and your willingness to charge only what it costs for shipping, instead of trying to make a profit on the shipping. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You can be sure that I'll be back again with an order for some other things I want. Dear Bob, You Rock!! Obviously I had not seen that article and I was enthralled! The whole process makes good, logical sense and I cannot wait to try it. Thank you so much for taking the time to send me the link. Please let me know how your breadmaking goes...especially with Lahey's method. It is wonderful how much I learn from the people who buy my starter--I love it! Again, thanks! And I really do appreciate your bookmarking the site
too. Cheers! Linda Dear Linda, Thanks for your message. I've bookmarked your site. It's been a while since I've done any bread baking. My interest was piqued again by a recent article in the NYTimes, which you may have seen. If not, and you are interested, here is the link -
Bob Again, Thanks
Thanks again,
Once in a great while you run across a firm that makes you feel as if
you Not only does Linda provide a wonderful product, she quickly ships it
with Recently, through a misfortunate accident, or possibly through my own
sheer I grew up in a sourdough-loving family - my mother’s
starter was claimed to Today, the starter kit provided by the Sour Dough Breads people has
just
Sincerely Joe Thon Connecticut
Your sourdough starter is “THE BEST”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love the taste from my home bread with your starter! Thank you, Hi Linda, I received your two shipments some time ago, made up a batch exactly according to your instructions, made myself waffles a couple of times, but the big test would be our annual gathering in Yosemite. We have been there with the same group in late October for the past 10-15 years and on the included Saturday my wife and I make them a sourdough pancake breakfast This time it was to be with the new starter. Everyone agreed they were everybit as good as those done with my prior starter. Thank you so much for your help. Did you get the package I sent you with my recipes, etc? Fairwinds, Neal Walker Dear Linda,
Best regards, Andy PS. Any email I send you can be shared on your website - full permission.
I've had so much fun with my SF sourdough starter. I have kept sourdough starter for years and have baked lots of bread, but it just never was really "San Franciscoey" enough. I had tried adding a little vinegar to make the bread more sour, but still wasn't happy. I actually used my old starter with your directions because I couldn't wait three days to try it, and the bread seemed more authentic than it had been before. Yesterday I used YOUR starter and made the loaves in glass loaf pans and they were great! My husband and sons all agreed that it tasted like the "real stuff". :-) Sheryl I got the knife and it works wonderfully. Thanks for your great bread knife and the sourdough recipes I am enjoying both very much. Thomas Linda, I just took these two beautiful loaves of bread out the oven.
My son was here and took one home with him. He also took some starter
to try his hand at it. This was the first time I baked my own sourdough
bread. I can't thank you enough for your help. I took the rest of the
sponge this afternoon and made two french loaves which are now in the
oven. I am sending you pictures of these two first loaves I baked. I
want to mention also the texture was perfect as was the taste.The loaves
are disappearing as I write to you and everyone is anxiously waiting
for the french bread to come out of the oven. thanks again Carolyn --Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you -- I have used the bread bags several times. The large one is excellent for bagging yeast rolls. The smaller ones are great for sourdough or basic bread baked in a bread pan. Lamar Wow, I love the stirrer. It really did make a difference!
I've got my stash safely in the refrigerator, which I will seal up tomorrow
and I've got another sponge going which I will use to make a big loaf
tomorrow.
--Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you -- I have used the bread bags several times. The large one is excellent for bagging yeast rolls. The smaller ones are great for sourdough or basic bread baked in a bread pan. Lamar Wow, I love the stirrer. It really does make a difference!
I've got my stash safely in the refrigerator, which I will seal up tomorrow
and I've got another sponge going which I will use to make a big loaf
tomorrow.
Success! Linda, I made five loaves over the week end and they all turned out wonderfully. Thanks for your starter and the instructions! Mark
I wanted to let you know that the starter is alive and growing. :) Everything worked out fine. I have left you positive feedback and I thank you for a great product and excellent service. I wish more ebay sellers cared the way you do. The first loaf turned out perfect and I expect more great loaves in the future. Richard
Success on my first try!!! I was nervous throughout the process of creating the starter because I was never sure if things looked right. But I followed your instructions to the letter, and the bread turned out beautifully. My husband even got caught up in the whole thing and helped me--he never goes in the kitchen so this was surprising. We opted to make 4 small oblong loaves. They browned perfectly and rose perfectly. I couldn't be more pleased. We just had our first piece and it was delicious. Thank you for a wonderful product. One question. How do I keep a loaf fresh that has been partially eaten? I put a piece of plastic wrap just over the cut edge and then put it in a brown paper sack. Is that the way to do it? Thanks Again, Janette
Thank you for such a wonderful and informative website! I have been
making bread for several years and always had trouble with sourdough.
I always left the stuff on the counter and inevitably had to throw it
away. i put the stuff in the refrigerator and its still good! i wasn't
sure so i was given your address and followed the instructions. i did
not know what that liquid on top was until now. I poured it off and let
the starter come to room temperature after i fed it. The starter is doing
very well and i am going to make some cinnamon rolls. Just out of curiousity,
how did the old timers keep this stuff fresh? They did not have refrigeration
like we have today. I know from experience after some time out on the
counter the starter isn't any good. We live in Texas and it gets HOT
here. Thank you again. Teresa
Absolutely! I too spent quite a bit of time on your site before purchasing your starter and found the site very helpful. I have always enjoyed cooking but have never done any baking so this is all pretty new to me. My wife and I have always enjoyed sourdough bread, the more sour and chewy the better, and this is quite exciting. We will continue to monitor your website for tips to increase the sour taste. Have a great day, and again, thanks, Hi Linda;
We recently purchased your starter and now have several loaves of great bread under out belt (literally :-)) and wanted to thank you. The starter was easily reactivated per the instructions in your booklet, has been used twice and is happily hibernating on the top shelf of the refrigerator! Thanks again, Dear Linda,
Hopefully you like this sort of fan mail! I made my first loaf last night and it was great. Apparently the water in the oven (both pan and spray) really worked because it has a great crust. This was the first loaf of bread that I made outside of a breadmaker. I was worried about every step, but in the end it didn't seem to matter that I wasn't sure if it had doubled in size before I put it in the loaf pan, or that I cut the surface a little too deep, or that I didn't cut it right before I put it in the oven, etc. And even though I used a loaf pan, the crust was great and it rose above the top of the pan. (I had sprayed canola oil in the pan, which may have helped the crust.) All in all it was a great experience. FYI, I let the starter/sponge sit almost 36 hours before making the dough instead of 24 and I used 2 tablespoons of rye and a couple of teaspoons of sourdough enhancer (since I didn't find any ascorbic acid at my markets.) Now I have lots of sponge in my refrigerator as well as my starter stash. Best regards, russell
Wow… such great info. I love it!! It makes sense about using bread flour as opposed to all purpose etc. The main reason I asked is because my starter took on a whole new personality when I switched from all purpose to bread flour…. It became A LOT thicker and more glutenous (is that even a real word?). But of course it makes sense as the bread flour has a higher protein content. Anyway, long story short… my starter is very happy with the bread flour and also my loaves are coming out better for sure!! I just got done snacking on the “end” of a newly hatched loaf (bread machine). It just doesn’t get any better than an “end” covered with real butter while still warm. And the genuine San Francisco sourdough taste… Linda there is no way to explain eating genuine SF sourdough in my Kentucky kitchen… that I made myself!! I like the tea towel idea also. Plastic wrap just doesn’t look right anyway. Also, I appreciate the tip about a little extra flour for the free form loaves. Can you knead this dough too much?? I get a little concerned about overworking the dough but like everything else… practice makes perfect huh?? And yes… please feel free to use any and/or all of my e-mails on your website. What better way to learn than by the experiences of others huh?? Actually, I can attribute some (most) of my success with the bread machine to Joe Wagner’s e-mails. Anyway, I believe it’s time to go get another slice of that fresh loaf so I’ll close for now. Thanks again Linda Randy
Thank you so much for your great feedback. I just love people who are as nuts about sourdough as I am…and it definitely sounds like you’re thoroughly hooked. May I have your permission to post some or all of your text on the FAQ and Reviews pages of my web site? So much of what you say is not only informative but also encouraging to newbies. Now for your questions. After you have baked enough with sourdough starter to understand what you’re doing and how it behaves, you can keep your starter at any consistency that you want—from about like pancake batter to very thick, but not quite dough, and it won’t matter to your yeast and lactobacillus babies. The only difference will be that you will adjust your amounts of ingredients as you make your sponge and then your dough. As for flours, that’s a different story. You will get distinctly different results with dough made from all different types of flours, but all will be acceptable in my opinion. I buy bread flour by the 50 lb. ($9!!!) bag at Costco or Sam’s, so I tend to use it for just about all steps. For free form loaves, bread flour, which is higher in protein, will give you a better, more predictable shape than the all-purpose, which has a lower protein content and doesn’t form gluten that is as strong as that formed by the use of bread flour. That said, use what you like! I too use a large glass bowl for my feedings and I used to use plastic wrap to cover it. I have now gone back to my grandma’s practice, before plastic wrap existed, and I use a cotton tea towel to keep out bugs and dirt. That’s why I started selling the tea towels on my web site. The cotton towel is sooo much easier to handle than that *#$@$!! plastic wrap and it looks much better too. When my sponge is in my mixer bowl, the towel is large enough to cover the top of the KA mixer and the bowl too! Plus, it’s reusable! With all that, the answer is, leave it loose so it can breathe! ? Two more comments—one you asked for and one you didn’t. You’re absolutely right about the clean-up of sourdough stuff—I always let everything soak in cold water and then it comes off easily. But it is sticky stuff—much more so than ‘normal’ flour and water. You’re also right that I should warn people about it! When you make your ‘free form’ loaves, be sure to add a little extra flour for a slightly dryer dough—not sticky—and knead very well. If you don’t, your free-form loaves are likely to ‘rise sideways’—in other words, flatten out, instead of rising up and making a nicely rounded loaf. Let me hear! And thanks again for the great communication! Cheers and Happy Days! Linda ________________________________________ Yes I have previously ordered a couple of months ago I believe. Let me tell you that a lot has happened since I received my starter from you. Never before have I given such care and attention to a living thing since my children were born. My starter is an absolute marvel to behold and I usually have two or three different batches going at any given time. In the beginning, I simply used to toss any extra starter down the drain during feedings but now it has become so precious I can hardly stand to waste it. As a result I believe I may have eaten about 1000 sourdough pancakes as a result. I never even knew sourdough pancakes existed until I started researching recipes. Now it’s very rare for any starter to hit the drain. I have also made several loaves of the most awesome bread in my bread machine (Thanks so very much to Joe Wagner for his great e-mails)!! I guess now would be a good time for a couple of questions. First, I’m a little curious as to what the proper texture of the starter should be. I consistently use the 1:1 ratio of flour to water and it seems a little thin… about like pancake batter. Also, does it matter what type of flour I use?? I started with Gold Medal all purpose but recently switched to White Lily unbleached bread flour and my starter seems to prefer the White Lily with better feeding action and a better aroma for sure. Second, I use a large glass Pyrex bowl for my feedings and my question pertains to the plastic wrap. Do you seal the top of the bowl air tight or do you just drape it over?? I have been sealing mine air tight however sometimes I’ll lift an edge of the wrap to let it “burp” a little. O.K. Now for an observation/tip that may prove useful to us sourdough “newbies”. I discovered that it is far easier to wash the starter off bowls and utensils with cold water first and then follow with hot soapy water. This makes a huge difference in the cleanup process and your drain will thank you for it too!! Anyway, It’s obvious that sourdough cookery is more than a hobby Linda… it’s an absolutely wonderful addiction!! Thanks again Linda for your wonderful product and excellent website. I’ll be trying my hand at making loaves by hand soon and I’ll let you know how it goes. O.K. I better get going as I just heard my favorite sound… the bread machine is beeping!! Another loaf is born… Randy Dear Linda, I am not sure how I found your web site, I certainly wasn’t looking for sourdough bread that’s for sure, however I did find your site and I am so grateful. Firstly, I should say the information you provide is so comprehensive, and so easy to understand (critters and all) even for an English woman. I read everything written including the FAQ’s. I have tried the bread and although it was slightly (and I mean slightly) more doughy than usual, (I am my own worse critic) it tasted far superior to all other efforts. Apart from that it looked so very nice. Joy Peterson
A few months ago I gave your sourdough yeast and instructions a try. I've never baked bread before, and barely had made brownies from a mix. I was amazed and delighted at the incredible breads that I was actually baking myself! Your instructions are perfect and easy to follow. The bread is absolutely awesome. I have experimented with different flours and ingredients and all have worked beautifully. In addition to classic San Francisco style, I have made an Austrian whole-grain dark rye with Millet, cracked wheat, flaxseed, and seasoned with molasses and barley malt. Other "stunners" include Spelt wheat, Aramanth-wheat, and German pretzels. I can't wait for weekends largely because I do my baking then. Thanks for the inspiration, encouragement, and your all-around excellent products that allowed even a total greenhorn to become the family "master baker"! Sincerely, Hi Linda. I spent a week visiting a friend in Las Vegas recently and took some starter to make some bread for her. She didn't have a mixer or food processor, so I had to hand-knead the bread. I discovered that it was actually easier to make larger amounts of bread this way. I normally make at least a triple-batch of bread (your basic recipe using 2 cups of starter each), which means 3 separate batches in the mixer. Using the hand-knead method, I mix it all together in a large bowl, then when I can't stir any longer I turn it out onto my granite counter and mix in the rest of the flour by hand. It takes about 15 minutes a batch using the mixer, for at least 45 minutes total time. The hand method takes about 20 minutes. The other advantage is that all of the bread is now rising for the same amount of time. And the bread is still wonderfully delicious! Thanks so much for your wonderful starter, recipes, and assistance! Susan Tucker, San Pedro, CA Hi Linda.........we ordered and received your starter and
have successfully produced our first loaf of sourdough bread......wonderful
crust and great sour dough flavor! Your directions are so thorough and
complete. PS--You certainly may use our comments in your "reviews" page. We actually use that as a reference to answer some questions that came up. Also meant to tell you that the crust was wonderful....that water spray method worked perfectly! Hi Linda,
Dear
Linda:
Hi!
Happy Holidays!!
Thanks for your swift reply ! You may use any of my input any way you like. I'm glad to contribute to "sourdough science". My daughter-in-law Rachel (a former resident of San Francisco) had been nagging me ever since I bought my "bread machine" to bake her some SF sourdough bread. (That's why I contacted you.) Rachel got the first loaf, and she's ecstatic. She says the flavor and texture are JUST RIGHT. Sincerely, Joe
Thanks for a terrific product. My very first loaf came out superbly. Its flavor, texture, and aroma couldn't have been surpassed. I followed your excellently-written instructions almost to the letter. The only changes I made were: 1) I used only distilled water in activating the starter. That was a precaution against contaminating it with extraneous flavors. (Our tap water here "tastes funny".) Linda's Note: I advised him to use spring water instead of distilled water. The starter actually likes the minerals in water. 2)
I made my bread in a "1 1/2 pound" bread
machine,
according to your instructions except for one thing. I left the pan in
the machine throughout the procedure I did bake the bread in a conventional oven, though. Anyway, I saw no reason to move the bread pan in and out of the machine until I was ready to bake -- and my resulting loaves show that no harm resulted... Sincerely, Joe Wagner
We have been enjoying many months of making San Francisco Sourdough Bread from your starter. We both love it. I am so glad I found your website. My husband does a wonderful job of making the bread. I have got Cisco (the name we have given to our Sourdough culture) out now so we can bake some bread on the weekend. I love the smell it has. Thank you so much! We both get excited about feeding Cisco and watching him grow. I know we sound like psychos but it is amazing to watch the bubbles and know that he is alive. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a very bright and prosperous New Year. Cheers,
Sincerely, Frank SanGregory from Ohio P.S. You may use my comments on your web-site if you wish. Hi Linda,
November 14, 2005 Prior to
getting your starter kit, I tried every way possible to make a sourdough
starter. I must have tried 10 different recipes and formulas
to no avail. I've been using your recipe and starter for about 2 months
now and I'm able to turn out wonderful sourdough bread finally. I just
today mailed my sisters 4 small rounds because they love it so much.
Linda, Hi, Linda, thank you so much for your wonderful starter, I followed the directions and thebread came out so delicious and incredible, I loved it (so did hubby!) I'm going to be making lots of sourdough bread now! Thank you again so much for everything! Blessings, Leora Dear Linda I have been making bread every week end for the last 3 weeks. I have
tons of starter and having lots of fun. I love this bread, I have gallons of starter. I am in bread heaven. Jeff Notti Hi Linda, There wasn't enough room on ebay to tell about the experience I had with your starter. Everything worked out perfect and the bread is outstanding. I loved the look, the taste, the feel....! I've been looking for a bread like this since I left Europe over 9 years ago! I just got a Panini press from my sister and I was determined I needed to make some good bread for the sandwiches. I live in the NY metro area and we have a good selection of bread but this was still the best! I wanted to attach a picture, but I cut it up and ate most of it before I remembered. I
can't wait to make the next for Sunday (having a family get together
at
my mother-in-law's house). I made the bread with the bread machine,
because with my 2 tiny children (infant & toddler) I couldn't spare
the time doing it with hand (I don't have a stand mixer, & there
is no more room in my kitchen for another appliance!). I didn't
bake it in the pan. After the 8 hours proofing, I mixed it with
the machine and took it out of the pan, Ivett PS: I need one of those knives, I placed an order fr |