I have the starter, so I figured, why not try bagels? How hard can it be?

( Photos of the sourdough bagel attempt under the cut! )

I've dried some starter, and I'm ready to mail it off to those of you who have expressed an interest. Here's a little photo set of me drying, then reconstituting, the dry stuff.

( Six photos. )

Now that I've done the hard work on getting the starter started, I'd like to see if it can be dried and shipped. Anyone out there want to take part in Project Sourdough?

I'd mail you some dried starter. You'd have to hydrate it, feed it some flour + water, then eventually bake with it. And take pictures!

Anyone feeling adventurous? Anyone? Bueller?

Time is totally the key to sour flavor.

6:00pm - mix dough, leave for work
2:00am - get home from work, punch down dough, go to bed
10:00am - get up, punch down dough, knead, form loaves
2:00pm - bake!

Yep, the dough sat and rose/fermented for a whopping 16 hours. But for all that time, I barely had to pay attention to it. And I didn't worry about temperature -- the dough rose at room temp, which ranged from 72° to 77° through the night.

The loaves were flattish, but they definitely have a sour flavor. And the pattern of bubbles is very much like a store-bought sourdough. I got a crisper crust by putting a pan of water in the oven and baking for a shorter time at a higher temperature.

Now that I sort of know what I'm doing, the tinkering begins. Adjustments in time, temperature and treatment lie ahead. Bread, ho!

The sourdough bread is made, and the sourdough bread has been tasted. It's definitely more sour than the first time, although it's still a relatively mild flavor. I used some science to change what I did.

( 8 pictures below the cut. )

Here it is, guys -- my sourdough starter project. It took a fortnight and some patience, but I'm finally ready to publish my results.

( Picture-heavy, and text-heavier. )



Resources I used:
Sourdough Baking: The Basics, by S. John Ross
the rec.food.sourdough starter FAQ
Wild Yeast Sourdough Starter (this is the one with the pineapple juice)
howstuffworks: How Sourdough Bread Works