The FastDay Forum

I haven't tried yet @callyanna, I got as far as buying the rye flour ages ago - it's now past it's use by date! After reading through this thread I must try it, I have a pack of yeast that I have to use up first though - although we don't eat much bread, one loaf will last us a week, I have to slice it and then freeze it so I can defrost a few slices when needed.

.....No, that's not true! I've just remembered. I tried making sourdough years ago or it could have been artisan bread? I didn't know what I was doing, one of my many disasters I used the whole lot of the sourdough starter and by the morning the dough had risen so much it filled a huge bowl and escaped down the sides with great puddles of it flowing everywhere. I put some of it in a bread tin but when it was cooked it tasted awful! Sourdough bread that tasted very very sour. How could I forget that?

For sour dough bread, I quote myself from foodies-f31/sourdough-bread-t7847.html, it's so simple and I don't get it why people make such a fuzz about it, stop worrying about that starter. Freeze it or make a new one from scratch, it's an imaginary problem...

I take ordinary organic rye flour, mix it with water in a drinking glass into some kind of loose porridge, leave it for a few days until it has stopped bubbling. That's my original starter. The taste is fresh and really sour.

I mix it with rye flour into the same loose mix and wait for a day or three until the bubbling has died away. That's the starter multiplied.

I save a bit of it inte a jar and put it into the freezer for my next batch. I repeat this process with freezing about a cup of the last starter every time I bake.

Then I mix it with rye , salt and more water into suitable mixture, loose but stiff enough to form bread pieces from. I run the mixture in my kneading machine, form bread pieces on an oiled and floured oven plate and let it stand over night, bakes in the morning.

I've done it like this for many years, bakes every week and it always works., delicious although a little different every time since I don't take any measurements.

The souring process breaks down more of the grain, destroys the anti nutrients like fytino acid, and the healthy parts of the grain, like the minerals, gets more accessible for your digestive system, it also lower the glycemic index, you need less of it to stay full.

I see no need to take any special care of the starter, that mix of yeast cells and lacto acidic bacterias are present in all grain naturally, they are extremely tough little creatures, when they run out of food or conditions get tough they just go into hibernation and would probably survive outer space or a nuclear holocaust. Getting deep frozen is not a problem.

I have no idea why all such recipes I find online are so overly complicated, it's actually a very simple and efficient process. It takes time, but very little work and monitoring.

If you want a higher rise on the bread, softer and not so dark, you can mix in some wheat flour before kneading, I use Manitoba cream sometimes, with a high gluten content.

Warning, the starter attracts fruit flies depending on the season, it's best to cover it with some cloth to keep them off, and it migt be a good idea to stir it now and then with a spoon.

..., but of course, since I'm low carbish now, I've replaced bread with this thing, from 5-2-cookery-f29/low-carb-flax-seed-bread-experiment-t8819.html...

Preheat oven to 175 Celsius

2 dl flax seed
2-3 tablespoons hemp seed or other seeds/nuts
1.75-2 dl water
1 egg
2-3 tablespoons coconut oil
Salt

Mix flax seed with water, let rest for a couple of minutes

Mix with egg, coconut oil, other seeds and salt

Spread the mixture on oven paper thinly, 2-3 mm.

Into the oven for 15-20 minutes, watch it at the end since it can burn pretty quickly.

Since it's very thin, and not as much eggs, it becomes more like crackers, more crispy and breaks more easily than earlier versions, but it still sturdy enough to work as breakfast bread.

Thanks, @coffeetime, for that link!

I've been recommending that sourdough link to people for several years - and then it seemed to disappear off the net, so well done for finding it again. I think it is a simple, clear description of the whole process - and I can't better it myself.

Except to say, please don't throw away the discard - it makes lovely pikelets (or pancakes)!

Here's my (not very coherent) sourdough recipe - but scroll down to the 12th May and you'll find pics and the method for making fruit pikelets - which are absolutely gorgeous!

http://nobreadisanisland.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/sourdough.html

The pikelets look good Breadandwine. Whenever I look at your blog I get sidetracked, I can't help looking at another recipe .....and another. An hour later I'm wondering where the time went!

Many, many thanks everyone for all your input on this thread. With all your inspiration and encouragement I have no excuse not to have a go now!

Um, is it possible to make some sort of rye bread without yeast or starter I.e. Just mixing flour, water and a little salt? I'm after a bread without any yeast/sugar/molasses/sweet stuff in it?
Many thanks folks :0)
Edit:
Just read your lovely soda bread recipe again breadandwine, and wondered if I can use rye flour with baking soda to make that? I tried this with s.r. Wheat flour very successfully a while back. Aiming for no yeast, no sugar type stuff but making the bread there and then. Though Michael saying about the leaving the starter to activate to break down stuff rang a bell ...

@Azureblue, until B&W sees this, I wonder if this might help? it's actually on the bag of Dove's Farm organic whole rye flour, and on their website (with extra liquid). Sounds good, although it won't keep well. I always read the reviews on Internet recipes, see what hints and tips people suggest.

http://www.dovesfarm.co.uk/recipes/rye-soda-bread/

Hope this helps.

@izzythat looks really easy, more within my limited baking capabilities I feel! Will buy some cream of tartar when I go shopping and give this one a go as a first experiment!

Oooh this looks great, will get ingredients and try as four rolls to cook in 15 minutes, as per one of the comments below recipe. Woohoo!

Well, well, well, just done my shopping at Morrison's supermarket and lo and behold there on the instore bakery racks was one solitary sourdough loaf which I snaffled immediately ! Never seen it in there before so maybe my timing was just lucky today.
Will still have a go at the rye flour soda bread trying half the recipe and using your tip @izzyre the buttermilk. Thanks again! x

Callyanna, I think sourdough is easier on my digestive system than yeast based bread.

I’d encourage anyone to have a go at their own sourdough, but Tesco and Sainsbury sell it as well as Waitrose.

Minumonline, I’m not sure what’s the problem with consuming more home made sourdough bread, or bread in general. Breadandwine eats mostly bread based recipes and he doesn’t put on weight.

Sourdough needs a little more care but once you get into the rhythm of it, it’s fine though certainly there are a lot of myths around. It does handle differently from yeast dough and because we prefer bread for sandwiches, after kneading I put it into a tin and when that’s proved, it goes into a hot oven. Seemples.

I’ve not used rye flour for making a starter so you may find Paul Hollywood’s method will suit you best - I’m sure it must be online somewhere - though I adapted HughFW’s version.

Any bread recipe can be converted into a sourdough one, start with 100g of starter where the recipe says 5g of yeast. I think sourdough’s are more effected by temperature, humidity and so on than yeast breads, so it took me a couple of weeks before I had a version that suited me.

Soda bread is quite different from sourdough and because it’s easy to make tends to disappear faster in most households.

My thoughts are simple. YUMMMY

Toasted with loads of butter.

So I got some rye flour and cream of tartar and baking soda and made 4 rye rolls yesterday. Good and quick, they are solid sustenance so you don't feel hungry after eating one. Toasted the last one this morning, it was still good.
I hope to make some more on Tuesday and then again on Friday. It's a plan anyway.
By the way, Happy December everyone, and welcome to Advent season.

I bought some rye flour too @Azurebluebut haven't tried using it yet. Was disappointed with the store bought one I tried, not at all the taste or texture I was expecting but after much research I have found a local artisan baker not too far away and intend to try their genuine sourdough loaves.

I have found a local artisan baker not too far away and intend to try their genuine sourdough loaves.

Good - sometimes I get torn between buying bread from an artisan and making it myself, because I want them to stay in business. Somehow I always win , 50p against something over £2 makes it easier!

I don't make soda bread very often (I don't think it's good for my digestion) but never bother to use buttermilk, despite it being available at our local corner shop (Waitrose).

Sunday Times Magazine had Richard Corrigans's soda bread recipe today. It looks and sounds divine for a special occasion so I'm detailing the recipe here just in case as the ST has a pay wall so we can't access on-line. However I have just googled it and it's called Bentley's soda bread and it's on The Daily Telegraph website.

250g plain flour
10g salt
15g bicarbonate of soda
150g whole meal flour
150g jumbo oats
1 tbspn clear honey
1 tbspn black treacle
500ml buttermilk

Heat oven to 200C and line a baking sheet with baking grease.
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Make a well in the centre, then mix in the honey, treacle and buttermilk, working everything together lightly with your hands until you have a loose, wet dough.

Flour your hands, shape the dough to a round and lift it onto the baking sheet. Cut a cross in the top. As the loaf cooks it will help to separate it into quarters.

Put into oven and bake for about 45 mins or until the loaf sounds hollow when you tap the base with your knuckles. Put it on a wire rack, cover with a damp cloth and leave to cool. Don't think of putting dairy spread on it. This bread needs and deserves butter.