Kenneth" > wrote in message
...
> On Fri, 9 Apr 2004 06:47:11 -0700, "Tom Stanton"
> > wrote:
>
*snipped**
> >
> Hi Tom,
>
> ".conversation" the of flow the understand to impossible but all is it
> ,top the at comment your post you Because
>
> .bottom to top from read We
>
> All the best,
>
> --
> Kenneth

Oh, sorry for the mix-up: here is what I meant to say.

I've been baking with sourdough for about 2 years now. I built my starter
from some currants I had in my kitchen about 2 years ago.

At home I use the following percentages.
Flour 100% (obivously)
Water 70% (22C or warmer)
Starter 30% (The starter itself is a 66% hydration starter)
Salt 2.2%

The starter comes direct from the fridge, so the warm water helps liven it
up.

1) I generally bulk ferment at 25C or higher (through various methods). I
think the higher temps give me more lacto activity.
2) After 1 or 2 punchdowns (depending on the scent of the dough) I shape my
loaves and do a final proof above the oven where it is pretty warm.

I get great results - really sour. Now, if I let the loaves rise alot after
being shaped, I can get a really open crumb. If I throw them in sooner - I
keep a tighter, more uniform crumb that works better for sandwiches. Here is
the X factor - I buy my flour from a local consortium of farmers who sell a
particularly hard strain of wheat. Since I worked as a baker, I can buy this
really high protein (16-20%) flour that allows my gluten to stay intact even
with relatively long warm rises.

If I add 10% whole wheat flour (pain de compagne) then, I need to reduce the
rise times a bit.

The two things that have really helped my flavor have been:

a) drying out my starter - I used to run it at something more like 100%
hydration
b) warmer rises - really seems to give me a better (more sour) flavor

Hope that helps - Tom