How do I diagnose and adjust my bread recipe?

Question

Our family has maintained a sourdough start for several decades. It has great flavor, but we use it mostly for pancakes. I've tried making bread with it several times, but never get good results.

This experience has led me to look for some sort of diagnostic procedure for bread. I'm hoping to find some sort of bread trouble-shooter, with common problems and their cause. And, I guess, not just problems, but say I just want more chew, or a flaky crust, the ideal guide would give me some things to try.

Can you recommend a good bread trouble-shooter?

Answer

I think your 'troubleshooter' and the desire to know what to do to get a different result ('more chew, or a flaky crust,etc) are definitely one in the same. You'll need to understand the basic chemistry of bread (and some critical techniques as well). Baking in general is more (not all) chemistry than normal cooking. If you throw too much of something in, it may not just taste different, but change the entire critical chemical reaction in the oven.

Once that's cemented in your head, then if your bread doesn't rise, you immediately know that its one of a few things. If you want a crisp crust, you'll know what to add. Its the same knowledge.

The best two references that I've read in regards to this are :

• The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart - Its pretty much a classic now and a must read for anybody wanting to get into baking. Its got great chemistry, technique, and recipes in it.This is the book that made MANY things with bread just 'click' with me. A large chunk of this book deals with sourdough.

• I'm Just Here for More Food by Alton Brown - Just like on TV, he goes through the why and the how of everything. It's a general baking book - not just for bread, but there's a whole section on dough. I like the techniques and understanding here, but found the recipes to be a bit lackluster. (He's got pancake info here too!)

Additionally, I'd encourage you to ask specific problems in regards to your bread issue on here. There's a wealth of knowledge on the site and absorbing some via here would be a perfectly valid resource.

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