Came here lookin’.
Left satisfied!
Waffle recipe - the weekend is nigh upon us. If we start the starter tonight, can there be waffles and a recipe by Sunday morning for brunch?
I have the first stage of batter in the fridge and am seasoning some antique waffle irons as we speak. That said, I will likely grab photos this weekend and post early next week. If you start the starter tonight you will be ready for waffles next (the following) Sunday. Waffles take batter that needs 24hrs or so to set up, 36 for best results.
I also may end up defaulting to the electric, non-stick waffle iron but the photos won’t be as much fun.
My girlfriend’s been trying to get into sourdough but has been stymied by those temperature requirements: there’s nowhere in her house that’s much above 60F in the winter.
That would make it tough. I find 70F+ works, I’ve read 85F is optimal.
Dough will rise and proof at lower temps, it just takes 2-3Times as long. However, the long, cooler fermentation allows for more complex carbs to be broken down into simpler sugars that contribute to flavor and color. So you may end up with a superior loaf.
Put a few cups of water in the microwave until boiling.
Quickly pop open the microwave and stick in the starter. Leave the water in there as a heat sink.
It might not be the proper 80 degrees for the full amount of time but it’ll probably get you far enough.
Option 2 is the oven on low and cracked open a touch. Much less efficient however.
Here is a graph of temp vs yeast activity, and it largely matches up with my own experiments. (From egullet)
Inside the (not turned on) oven works well, actually. Even better if there’s a pilot light. Or, you can leave the lightbulb on (which gives off more heat than you’d think).
No doubt they can get warm 
I once proofed a loaf in an old oven with just the incandescent bulb on,and it hit 105f. I kept the door cracked open after that.
Thanks for all the tips, everyone!
Beautiful! I love to bake, and have been really successful with the overnight “no knead” breads over the years but want to tackle sourdough - my first love.
I can attest to leaving dough in the fridge for a day or more, it deepens the flavor.
When I do the overnight no knead one, the following day I bag it and refrigerate to use the following.
I too recommend the Tassajara Bread Book! It’s the best publication by far on the art of bread making.
@sdmikev, you can make fantastic no knead sourdough as well. Use generous amounts of sour barm or polish, omit the yeast, correct for salt, and proceed as normal. Wild yeast may not be quite as active, but with patience it will turn out fantastic
What’s the status of Beard on Bread these days? That was my mom’s bread bible when I was a kid.
This is the classic I used when I was starting out:
But honestly, there are so many good recipes and how-tos online these days I don’t think anyone needs to buy a classic to learn how to bake well.
Thank you! I’m going to give it a try.
I’ve been baking sourdough breads for years, and I don’t find it necessary to go to that high a temperature. Yeast activity will be slowed down but will still continue. Simply stretch out the sponge rise time from 6-8 hours to 16-24. As long as you don’t let the sponge dry out, you’ll be fine. I use a 4-cup measure that I cover with saran wrap and tighten it on with a rubber band.
There is a limit to how long you can stretch the rise to this way: Eventually the yeast will start dying of starvation. The warmer the house, the quicker it will run out of sugar and start dying off.
