Introducing the Broad Framework

https://github.com/hendricius/the-sourdough-framework

It's a good book on bread, and the price is right. Interesting tips:

• That you can run a starter using 50 gram feed increments, not the larger amounts you might see in other bread books. The larger amounts may make sense for bakeries or folks with many hungry children to feed; this may not apply to someone who cooks a loaf every week or so and thus is not making much if any use of the starter discards.
• Skip the autolyse step--it adds time and work to the process that you may not have, and is not necessary, especially if you use smaller amounts of instant yeast or sourdough starter. (But maybe the autolyse works for you, so you probably should try it at least a few times.)
• Test a new batch of flour with 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75% hydration to see what the maximum hydration is possible for the flour via a "window test".
• For high hydration doughs start at 60% hydration and mix that up for an initial gluten formation (and a dough that is easier to work with), let it rest, then add the remaining whatever percent of the water.
• Pointers on how to get a starter that is more yeast-y (use a "stiff" starter, maybe 50% hydration) or with more lactic acid bacteria (drown the starter in 500% hydration). Also that the drowning can help with mold problems.
• That too high a temperature can prevent the bread from rising as fully as it might.

Now I'm wondering what the minimum viable feed amount might be to keep a starter going... 25g? 10g? Less? Especially if you're using tiny amounts of starter for flavor and the rise comes from instant yeast added somewhere in the process.

tags #bread