"Charles Perry" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> Dee Randall wrote:
> >
>
> > Are there any guidelines or "rules of thumb" or ratios that one might
keep
> > in mind when considering how much starter to use or not overuse in a
recipe?
> >
>
> Yes and no or it all depends are all good answers to that
> question. However, if you mean plain white sourdough bread, the
> preponderence recipes are going to be close to 1 cup starter for
> a two loaf recipe where the starter is in the pourable hydration
> range.
>
> Of course that any ratio is the most popular does not mean that
> it is the best one. You need to know what method is being used.
> Are we talking One stage, two stage, more? Also it is in the
> mind of the observer. When I take out a spoon of storage starter
> and grow it until I have bread dough, when exactly is it that I
> stop growing start and begin making dough? Does it matter?
>
> The way to evaluate a new recipe or procedure in the absense of
> considerable experience is to try it out and see the result
> rather than depending on something as unreliable as a rule of
> thumb. If you want to learn how to bake bread, bake bread. Here
> is a recipe:
>
> I cup starter
> 2 cups water
> about a tablespoon of salt, maybe less
> about six cups of flour more or less
>
> Bake this recipe twice a week for a year. Try different
> procedures, different ways to get to the one cup of starter. Try
> different kneading routines, different temperatures, different
> grades of flour Etc. Change one thing at a time and keep notes.
> At the end of a year , you will have learned a little about
> baking bread.
>
> On the other hand, there is nothing difficult at all about
> bread. The Stone Age cultures baked bread, not a college degree
> or high school diploma among them. It only gets difficult when
> we feel that we must exactly control the outcomes and understand
> the science in the process. Then we turn to authors that don't
> really understand what is going on, but spin good tales. We
> belive, we get confused - for no good reason.
>
> Forget the bogus science. The two most important rules a
>
> 1. Keep good Karma in the kitchen
>
> 2. Don't **** off the Bread Faeries

Thanks very much, Charles, for your thoughtful answer.
Dee