Homemade Bread Thread

Homebrew Talk

Help Support Homebrew Talk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Looks very good! I have yet to add spent grains to my bread. Thought of saving some grains when I brewed a stout a few weeks ago but I read that too much of the roasted grains would come through. Then I forgot to save some grains when I brewed an NEIPA 2 weeks ago. Someday!

They're a great addition in small amounts to your bread! I've tried them "wet" where I just portion out some small amounts into bags and throw them into the freezer. My preferred method is to dry them out then grind them into a flour using a spice or coffee grinder. I made a guide for that here: https://alegrebread.com/2019/04/24/how-to-make-spent-grain-flour/
 
9CA0CE77-A041-4CFF-BE72-B7C9CD5557B2.jpeg
948C399A-D121-4AE3-A0E0-5827854EE153.jpeg
387BB4DE-1F70-4756-A6F8-3F8F0454C9B8.jpeg
4AF52E7C-702B-4D7F-A04C-8A9497E2A175.jpeg

I mixed up an enriched sourdough in the morning and let it bulk prove much of the day. Divided it in two shaped it into a rectangle and it was in the fridge overnight. The over temp had dropped a bit so I think that is why the dinner rolls didn’t rise much, but the crumb was nice airy and soft.
 
I made up a batch for T-giving dinner. Used my sourdough starter, and my standard recipe, with techniques mixed and matched from a couple places.
I actually started it on Tuesday night, stretching and shaping, cold fermented. I had some roasted garlic I mixed in there as well. Very happy with the result.
IMG_7013.jpeg
IMG_7014.jpeg
 
Made 2 loaves Sunday into Monday and sliced some for our hb club meeting last night, one with sundried tomato and basil, the other I sprinkled some of the leftover dry rub that I mixed up for my Thanksgiving turkey, gave the bread a "stuffing" flavor, it was a hit.
20241209_190059.jpg

20241209_194237.jpg


Edit, forgot to show the sliced Pic.
20241210_175651.jpg
 
Last edited:
Sourdough bread that I baked yesterday. I think the pan is too large for the amount of dough and it spread out rather than up, but the taste is wonderful and it has a good chew to it. (I wish the holes were a little bigger) The white balance is off a bit; the bread is actually grayer than that 😂 I made it with all high-protein bread flour, but last time I fed the starter I used whole wheat, so the final bread is about 10% WW. Just flour, water, salt, and starter (which is just flour and water.) No fats or oils or other dough conditioners added. I baked it in a greased Corningware casserole dish with a lid.

1734817679815.png
 
Last edited:
PXL_20250102_210115052.jpg
PXL_20250103_002408170.jpg
PXL_20250103_010602706.jpg


Mother in Law bought me a couple bread making books. This is some under-buttered milk bread that baked too close to the top element in the toaster oven.

It's still good. Can't wait to try it again with the butter in the dough and in the main oven away from the heating element.
 
Sourdough enriched with coconut milk beverage, one fully ripe banana, dried cranberries and pecan. Ready for the fridge.

54E86C2A-F506-44DB-9EF7-1D4ADA7A76D9.jpeg

I just trimmed that overhanging dough with a knife. My fridge could be a little colder.
FCA261B0-1298-4919-AABD-1F5FBFDB1FCC.jpeg

I’ll cut this for brunch tomorrow, and show the crumb. I open baked the part I trimmed nice and soft the banana is subtle. An addition of dehydrated banana chips would boost that flavor.
9077B41B-774F-40A7-82A2-8B4D75B83365.jpeg

IMG_4371.jpeg
 
Last edited:
You know, I don't eat very much bread so sort of ignored this until lately.....

I LOVE to ferment things, and have been following @Hoppy2bmerry 's adventures. I am now 'famous' in my village for my sourdough breads, crackers, pancakes, etc. Monday night I served sourdough discard crackers (with Bob's smoked mullet dip) and now I am sending people home with crackers and dip! Last night I served sourdough bread at "soup night" in our community and it disappeared so fast (I wasn't expecting 50 people to want some!).

You've created a monster!
 
You know, I don't eat very much bread so sort of ignored this until lately.....

I LOVE to ferment things, and have been following @Hoppy2bmerry 's adventures. I am now 'famous' in my village for my sourdough breads, crackers, pancakes, etc. Monday night I served sourdough discard crackers (with Bob's smoked mullet dip) and now I am sending people home with crackers and dip! Last night I served sourdough bread at "soup night" in our community and it disappeared so fast (I wasn't expecting 50 people to want some!).

You've created a monster!
Thank you, though I’m sure I’m not the best baker here on HBT, it’s nice though, to share our successes and even the not-so great bakes to inspire others to take the plunge.

I’m sure your sourdough creations are very tasty, as you are the queen of fermentation! When it’s warm I sometimes make sourdough English muffins using the stove top. I’ve been told they are better than Thomas’s. I’m sure being fresh is the main reason they are more enjoyable.

Wow, sounds like you’ll knead 😉 to double or triple the recipe for soup night.
 
PXL_20250115_054916035.jpg


My spouse gifted me a commercial sourdough starter. Here it is last night after a few days of feeding it and building it up. The instructions say to leave it out and keep feeding it every day for at least three more days being using it.

It looks fine. It smells like mature sourdough. Do I need to keep waiting?
 
The instructions say to leave it out and keep feeding it every day for at least three more days being using it.

It looks fine. It smells like mature sourdough. Do I need to keep waiting?


I am assuming the picture was right after a feeding, if it was many hours after a feeding then it is not ready to use. It should have more bubbles and sort of airy when ready to use.

The main thing is that your starter doubles or triples in around 8hr or so. The amount of starter you leave behind will effect the timing. You want to use the starter when it is at it's max expansion before it starts collapsing.

I am reviving one of my starters that has been in the fridge for a few months I think, I am at the 4th day of feedings and it is finally looking strong enough to make bread. Bread and sour dough waffles tomorrow for me.
 
My sourdough bread is getting better but still doesn't look very pretty. I made a loaf last night; it's mostly bread flour with just a little rye mixed in, about 15%. I don't know how anybody makes a shaped loaf. Mine is more like a thick batter by the time it's ready to go in the oven, even at 65% hydration. I'm going to try a black metal loaf pan next. This is 10 minutes out of the oven:

1736967231650.png
 
My sourdough bread is getting better but still doesn't look very pretty. I made a loaf last night; it's mostly bread flour with just a little rye mixed in, about 15%. I don't know how anybody makes a shaped loaf. Mine is more like a thick batter by the time it's ready to go in the oven, even at 65% hydration. I'm going to try a black metal loaf pan next. This is 10 minutes out of the oven:

View attachment 866897
Are you using bread flour? (Even with AP flour that level of hydration should perform better) perhaps take a look at some videos of working the dough to develop the gluten and shaping videos. Bread dough should not have the consistency of batter. Do you weigh your ingredients?
 
View attachment 866890

My spouse gifted me a commercial sourdough starter. Here it is last night after a few days of feeding it and building it up. The instructions say to leave it out and keep feeding it every day for at least three more days being using it.

It looks fine. It smells like mature sourdough. Do I need to keep waiting?
What @ba-brewer said.
 
I am assuming the picture was right after a feeding, if it was many hours after a feeding then it is not ready to use. It should have more bubbles and sort of airy when ready to use.

That picture was probably a little more than 12 hours after feeding. Lack of bubbles might not be telling the whole story, as a lot of that is just material stuck to the jar from when I stirred it up. I think the surface is about here

PXL_20250115_054916035~2.jpg


Does that make any difference?

The main thing is that your starter doubles or triples in around 8hr or so. The amount of starter you leave behind will effect the timing. You want to use the starter when it is at it's max expansion before it starts collapsing.

Thank you for the information.
 
Are you using bread flour? (Even with AP flour that level of hydration should perform better) perhaps take a look at some videos of working the dough to develop the gluten and shaping videos. Bread dough should not have the consistency of batter. Do you weigh your ingredients?
Yes, I weigh the ingredients, and I'm mostly using high-protein bread flour with just a little whole wheat or stone-ground rye. The dough doesn't start out liquid, but the bacteria seem to eat all the gluten during the bulk ferment. Lately I've been using (by weight) 5 ounces of active starter, 10 ounces of water, and 16 ounces of flour. (and about 8 grams of salt) The starter is 100% hydration, so that's 12.5 ounces of water and 18.5 of flour. But I screwed up and added 2.5 ounces too much water. (the dogs interrupted me while I was measuring everything out and I thought I added the rye flour without counting it, but I hadn't, so I added more water) I realized it was way too thin and added another 4 ounces of flour and a pinch of salt. Overall the hydration ended up about 62.2% on this one.

I usually do 4 or 5 "stretch and folds", but this time instead I mixed it up in the Kitchenaid stand mixer. I mixed it by hand, waited 15 minutes for it to hydrate, then mixed it for about 10 minutes with the dough hook. Bulk fermented overnight in a cold basement, then transferred to a greased CorningWare dish and let it rise in a warm oven for a couple of hours. I baked it at 425°F in a convection oven for 20 minutes with the lid off (I was afraid it would rise too high and stick to the lid. Then turned the oven down to 325° and put the lid on and baked for another 20 minutes or so. When I took it out I checked the temperature and it was 200° in the center.
 
Last edited:
Does that make any difference?
Is the line the starting point or where the actual surface is behind the stuff stuck to the jar?

The important part is where the surface starts and ends over the rest/growth period. Watch for when the top is twice of more from the starting point, there should still be structure to the starter and not turning soupy.

I would scrap as much as I could of the old stuff off the sides of the jar down into the rest of the starter after mixing so you know where was the starting point. Maybe put a piece of tape at the surface level after feeding to help judge the before and after, I go by how many fingers.

If your kitchen is cool during the winter time it might take longer for things to happen, getting it to double may take 12 hours instead of 6 or 8 hours which is OK as long it is not turning soupy.

What are your ratio or amounts of starter and water, flour that you are using for feeding?

Back to your original question, doing more feeding to get your starter strong is better than using it too soon, so following the instructions will not hurt anything just use some more flour.
 
About once a month, when I feed mine I add the water first and stir it up, then pour into a clean jar before adding the flour. I'm concerned (just a little) about the crud on the side of the jar getting moldy.
 
Now that I have a decent volume I'm adding 2.5oz flour & 2oz water when I feed it.
Are you discard enough starter to match the 4.5oz of flour/water?

I know there are different ways of doing the starters but in general you should add an amount of flour and water that matches the weight of starter or more.

Normally you would use equal parts by weight of flour and water which make figuring out hydration easier. I am not sure at your hydration level but a drier starter will slow the growth some.


To minimize waste I keep my starter at about 120gm total weight which is enough to use 100gm for a loaf of bread and the rest to build back up. In summer I leave behind about 10gm and ~20gms in winter. The higher feed to starter ratio slows thing down a bit and make planning a little easier for me.
 
Good grief, I'm glad I don't have to measure inputs and outputs with my kids, I hope I don't need to be so exact with this sourdough.
 
Good grief, I'm glad I don't have to measure inputs and outputs with my kids, I hope I don't need to be so exact with this sourdough.
I like consistence and making measurements helps me do that. My normal sour dough loaf is based on a ratio of 1:2:3 starter:water:flour, if I wanted to scale up from 1 loaf and I had to do that by volumes it would be more thinking for me.

Your pics of bread all look very nice, what ever you do to makes those should work with your sourdough.


Took some pic to show how my starter look when it is strong enough to make bread.

Starter in the morning before removing some to feed(part removed is going to be waffles)
IMG_6602 - Copy.JPG
IMG_6603 - Copy.JPG
120gm starter mixed up and ready to grow
IMG_6606 - Copy.JPG
IMG_6607 - Copy.JPG
after 4 hours
IMG_6610 - Copy.JPG
after 8 hours ready to go
img_6613-copy-jpg.866942

IMG_6612 - Copy.JPG

100gm in the bowl to be bread
IMG_6614 - Copy.JPG

If you look at the starter after 8hr it is hard to see but there is a slight dome. If you compared that to the first pic of the starter when i started in the morning the top is sunked down and collapsed(past prime by 8 hours). In the bowl it hold it's shape and not flatten out, that is what I mean by structure.

I normally use a pint mason jar which is easier to judge growth but I was cleaning it.
edit:
coffee cup has a volume of 16 US oz
4hr pic looks close to doubling but personally would not use for bread
 

Attachments

  • IMG_6613 - Copy.JPG
    IMG_6613 - Copy.JPG
    1.8 MB
Last edited:
Thank you, though I’m sure I’m not the best baker here on HBT, it’s nice though, to share our successes and even the not-so great bakes to inspire others to take the plunge.

I’m sure your sourdough creations are very tasty, as you are the queen of fermentation! When it’s warm I sometimes make sourdough English muffins using the stove top. I’ve been told they are better than Thomas’s. I’m sure being fresh is the main reason they are more enjoyable.

Wow, sounds like you’ll knead 😉 to double or triple the recipe for soup night.

One of the other things I’ve done is use my discard from the fridge for crackers! We have ‘game night’ every two weeks with a small group, and Bob had some triscuits to serve with his smoked mullet dip, but I don’t like the much so I found a recipe for ‘sourdough discard crackers’.

I didn’t like them with the smoked mullet dip, but the group ate them like potato chips!

It’s:
200 grams (bout 3/4 cup) discard
2 tablespoons melted butter.

Mix together, with some seasonings. We used Penzy’s seasoned salt, just a little.

Spread on parchment paper on a baking sheet, into a thin sheet of batter. Sprinkle with more seasoned salt (or flaked sea salt would be good).

Bake at 325F for about 20 minutes, checking them after about 10 minutes (one time they got browned really fast!). I pulled them out, lightly scored with a pizza cutter and put them back until browned. Then, once they cooled, broke them where I scored.
__________________________________________________________

So now I save discard if I’m not baking that day, but building the starter for another baking day.

I looked at the crumb today for the slightly flattened boule and the crumb was great. I think I should have used a smaller baking pan to ‘hold’ it better.

So, if anyone is still with me…..that brings up a question.

How do you shape a wet dough for open bake or a baguette? I don’t think I’ll have be able to create enough surface tension for the dough to hold shape and rise up, instead of out? Or am I tilting at windmills here?
 
The wife did sourdough when we first got married. In fact, she was feeding me the stuff while we were dating. Kids, work, life, got in the way and she abandoned it. Now she has taken it back up and is doing way better than she used to. We gifted ourselves a nice grain mill for Christmas this year, and our first order of organic whole wheat kernels arrived yesterday. We are so looking forward to some good tasting, healthy bread!
 
… How do you shape a wet dough for open bake or a baguette? I don’t think I’ll have be able to create enough surface tension for the dough to hold shape and rise up, instead of out? Or am I tilting at windmills here?
We read our dough, humidity and warm temps (which may lead to a change in timing or future hydration) are an added factor, and even when that happens we can shape it for a loaf pan or into a shallow pan and treat it like focaccia (for the purists it is not real focaccia) some lucky bakers put into CR and have a successful bake anyway . I’ll see if I can find some short videos to share where flaccid dough is slapped and coiled to where the gluten tightens up yet it is workable for final shaping.
 
Last edited:
No bake today, I’m still enjoying the last one, toasted with peanut butter for breakfast today.
This guy touches on starters and puts together a recipe and works through shaping and baking in under 30 minutes.



I have a friend who has celiac’s, after her lamenting over the gluten free bread she had, I said home baked must be better. Her response was “I don’t need another hobby.” While baking success and the process is enjoyable, I don’t think of it as a hobby. It is a life skill, it is the ability to nourish one’s self and others. By the way she put that stale commercial GF bread out for the animals and they avoided it choosing all the other stuff, it was the last thing they ate!
 

Latest posts

Back
Top