Sour dough yeast

Share your experiences of using brewing yeast.
User avatar
seymour
It's definitely Lock In Time
Posts: 6390
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2012 6:51 pm
Location: Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
Contact:

Re: Sour dough yeast

Post by seymour » Wed Jan 22, 2014 3:12 am

wilfh wrote:Starting to smell interesting. A bit like the bottle of Matilda I has the other day but in steroids. Fruity pineapple weirdness. Should be interesting. I don't know what's in Matilda but it was surprisingly similar.
Wilf
Are you talking about Goose Island Matilda? If so, that's just a basic amber ale grainbill, fermented with their house ale strain, then bottled with brett which makes itself more and more noticeable the longer you wait to open it. It began as an Orval clone, which is done the same way. I bet you're exactly right, I've always suspected true sourdough cultures likely contain strains closely related to brett.

Cheers!

Capn Ahab

Re: Sour dough yeast

Post by Capn Ahab » Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:46 am

Anyone tried Wild Beer Co's Sourdough? I had it last night and it's the first beer of theirs I've had that actually lives up to the hype.

It's a berliner weisse style ale made with a 58 year old sourdough culture + brett and primary fermented in oak barrels for four months. 3.8% abv fruity mellow sourness and very refreshing.

Very very good indeed. Go grab some.

Nofolkandchance

Re: Sour dough yeast

Post by Nofolkandchance » Wed Jan 22, 2014 9:39 am

wilfh wrote:Has anyone tried to brew beer using a sour dough starter. I’ve had one on the go for about 8 years now. It produces a fantastic bread and I wonder what it would be like with malt?

I guess that attenuation would be around 100% being effectively a wild brew??
Cheers
Wilf
Matt wrote:Good luck wilf. I'm a sourdough baker too. I've always assumed there is too much acid in a starter but very interested in how you get on.

Matt
Care to share and post up your recipes lads. I adore sour dough and have made decent bread but haven't quite cracked it. Certainly ive had much better than my own :oops:

wilfh
Piss Artist
Posts: 295
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 4:09 pm
Location: Half way between Newcastle and Sunderland

Re: Sour dough yeast

Post by wilfh » Thu Jan 23, 2014 9:36 am

Hi Seymour yes that's the one. Couldn't remember the brewery at the time.

Norfolk... For the bread there isn't a receipt as such. For the sourdough add water and let it ferment.
When you want bread mix the flour and water knead hen add the starter and salt. Knead a few times and shape over 18 hours or so and bake for 40-50 minutes of so. Add some more flour and water to the starter and keep in the fridge.

Matt

Re: Sour dough yeast

Post by Matt » Thu Jan 23, 2014 11:42 am

Nofolkandchance wrote:
wilfh wrote:Has anyone tried to brew beer using a sour dough starter. I’ve had one on the go for about 8 years now. It produces a fantastic bread and I wonder what it would be like with malt?

I guess that attenuation would be around 100% being effectively a wild brew??
Cheers
Wilf
Matt wrote:Good luck wilf. I'm a sourdough baker too. I've always assumed there is too much acid in a starter but very interested in how you get on.

Matt
Care to share and post up your recipes lads. I adore sour dough and have made decent bread but haven't quite cracked it. Certainly ive had much better than my own :oops:
Tell us what aspect you're not happy with and I'll try to help.

Nofolkandchance

Re: Sour dough yeast

Post by Nofolkandchance » Thu Jan 23, 2014 12:59 pm

I haven't quite managed to replicate that "chewy" mouth-feel and bubbly texture.

Recipe ive used is from TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Matt

Re: Sour dough yeast

Post by Matt » Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:29 pm

Nofolkandchance wrote:I haven't quite managed to replicate that "chewy" mouth-feel and bubbly texture.

Recipe ive used is from TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
Ok. Is your starter quite well established?

Matt

Re: Sour dough yeast

Post by Matt » Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:38 pm

If no then give it a little more time to get to full strength with plenty of feeds.
If yes you need to omit any fats (not familiar with HFW formula), and make sure the dough is wet enough, and lastly develop the gluten either with a 15 min knead, or with stretch and fold technique.

My house dough is typically 30% refreshed starter, and 67% hydration (total water as a percentage of the total flour).

One other tip is to do the final proof in a fridge overnight and bake from cold. This gives a deeper flavour and the dough surface slashes more cleanly helping the slash to bloom, allowing the dough structure a full expansion.

Hope that helps

Matt

wilfh
Piss Artist
Posts: 295
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 4:09 pm
Location: Half way between Newcastle and Sunderland

Re: Sour dough yeast

Post by wilfh » Thu Jan 23, 2014 3:49 pm

I don't put as much starter ind for mine. Maybe 5%. Making sure it is wet enough improves thing immensely
Good luck
Wilf

Matt

Re: Sour dough yeast

Post by Matt » Thu Jan 23, 2014 4:00 pm

Yeah, good point Wilf. I should have said that my starters are never very sour - hence high proportion in my formulas.

User avatar
floydmeddler
Telling everyone Your My Best Mate
Posts: 4160
Joined: Mon Feb 16, 2009 10:37 pm
Location: Irish man living in Brighton

Re: Sour dough yeast

Post by floydmeddler » Sun Jan 26, 2014 5:26 pm

I make a no knead sourdough and use the dutch oven method. My bread has turned out perfectly with the following method for countless times now.

In a big bowl I add:

270g water
10g salt
10g soft dark brown sugar
Give it a stir to evenly distribute
300g of starter - starter is made up from 50% water and 50% flour. I'll have fed it 2 days prior and now it will have settled back down after the ferment. it's is incredibly sour at this point.
500g white bread flour.

Mix with a wooden spoon until it's just mixed. Takes about 90 seconds.
Cover with clingfilm and leave for 12 hrs. Usually overnight.
Tip onto a very generously floured surface. Make into a rough square and fold each corner in on itself.
Drop into a proving basket or banneton folded side up. Leave to prove for 90 mins

When its proving, put an oven proof pot and lid (24cm x 12cm) in oven and heat to full whack. I use a standard cheapo pot. Nothing fancy.
When temp is reached, remove pot, tip dough in seam side down and quickly cut a cross on dough with scissors
Put back in oven for 35 mins
Remove bread from pot and put back in minus pot for another 10 mins.
Done

As I've stated, my starter is massively acidic when I use it. I've heard that you should use when it's at its ferment peak but I get better bread when I add it after the ferment.

:-)

millmaster

Re: Sour dough yeast

Post by millmaster » Tue Jan 28, 2014 11:22 pm

So what's this then - Jims Bread Kit Forum ?

I'm very much a novice when it comes to sour dough bread ( and brewing for that matter ). However, I have a sourdough starter in the fridge, perhaps a pound total weight, about twice a week I throw half of it out, then add four ounces stoneground wheat flour either wholemeal or white ( from Swaffham Prior windmill, near Cambridge, open 2nd Sunday of every month in the afternoon - yes this is a shameless plug ) and enough water to keep it soft. When I want to bake bread a few days beforehand I split the starter, feed both halves and sling one back in the fridge to keep for next time, the other half I double up again and again over several days - feed it 8oz flour and some water, then 16 oz flour and so on until I have enough to make the quantity of bread I want which is usually 4 by 1lb loaves and a batch of rolls. On the baking day, I knead it for a few minutes, shape it, sling it in the tins to prove until its risen enough and bake it at 200C in a fan oven. I still have a lot to learn though ! Never tried using it to brew either - I've never enjoyed any lambic or similar type beers ( as yet )

Matt

Re: Sour dough yeast

Post by Matt » Fri Feb 07, 2014 5:47 pm

Wilf how did it go?

wilfh
Piss Artist
Posts: 295
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 4:09 pm
Location: Half way between Newcastle and Sunderland

Re: Sour dough yeast

Post by wilfh » Sat Feb 08, 2014 1:04 am

The starter had gone off like a rocket and I've fed it twice. It will be pitched into an 80/- next week after primary fermentation. Will keep you posted how it turns out. Target fg after primary is 1.012 so should have enough to go on.
Wilf

Matt

Re: Sour dough yeast

Post by Matt » Sat Feb 08, 2014 10:57 am

wilfh wrote:The starter had gone off like a rocket and I've fed it twice. It will be pitched into an 80/- next week after primary fermentation. Will keep you posted how it turns out. Target fg after primary is 1.012 so should have enough to go on.
Wilf
How's the starter tasting?

Post Reply