| Master Formula: Barm Sponge Starter |
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Day One 1 cup (4.5 ounces) organic whole-wheat flour 1 tablespoon (0.66 ounce) diastatic wheat or barley malt powder or liquid 1 teaspoon (0.25 ounce) honey 1 cup raisin water In a clean glass or ceramic mixing bowl (stainless steel is also acceptable; aluminum is not), mix all the ingredients till they form a smooth sponge. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to ferment at cool room temperature (65-70 F) for 24 hours. Note: To make raisin water, soak 1 cup of raisins (organic if possible) in 2 cups of water. Strain out the raisins after 15 minutes and measure 1 cup of the liquid. Day Two 1 cup (4.5 ounces) unbleached bread flour 1/2 teaspoon (0.11 ounce) malt 1 teaspoon honey 3/4 cup cool water (65 F) You will see little or no signs of fermentation; this is to be expected. Whisk the day two ingredients into the sponge. It will be slightly thicker because you are reducing the water-flour ratio. It is okay if the sponge seems a little lumpy as long as all the flour is wet and absorbed. Cover the bowl again with plastic wrap and allow the sponge to ferment at cool room temperature for another 24 hours. Day Three 2 cups (9 ounces) unbleached bread flour 1/2 teaspoon (0.11) ounce malt 1 1/2 cups cool water (65 F) You will see the beginning of fermentation as bubbles form on the sponge, but the activity will be minimal. Do not worry if the sponge separates. Whisk in the day three ingredients to make a smooth sponge double the size of the previous day's. Cover the sponge with plastic and again let it ferment for 24 hours. Day Four 2 cups (9 ounces) unbleached bread flour 1 1/2 cups cool water (65 F) You should see strong signs of fermentation, with lots of bubbling on the surface of the sponge and, and smell the aroma of light vinegar. Discard half the sponge (or give it to a friend who can carry on, following the same instructions). Whisk in the day four ingredients, cover, and allow to ferment for another 24 hours. If the sponge is very bubbly by the time you retire for the night, refrigerate it. Otherwise, leave it at room temperature. Day Five 4 cups (18 ounces) unbleached bread flour 3 cups cool water (65 F) The barm is already capable of leavening bread, but I advise one final day of refreshment to enhance the flavor, so whisk in the day five ingredients. You will have more than 2 quarts of starter the next day, so you will probably have to transfer it to a larger container, such as a ceramic crock or a clean plastic bucket. Cover the container loosely to allow gas to escape, and let it ferment at a cool room temperature for 4 hours. It should be very bubbly at this point (allow more time if not bubbling). Put the sponge in the refrigerator till the next day. You will then be ready to start making bread. Refreshment Instructions 1. When refreshing your barm you want to double the volume; anything less does not provide enough nutrients to keep it healthy. The amount of barm you keep should be enough to make bread and still leave you at least 2 cups from which to rebuild. If you make bread regularly, you should feed the barm every two days for optimal performance (the flavors peak on the second day). If you deplete it, you may have to feed it everyday. 2. Follow the basic refreshment pattern of 4 parts flour to 3 parts water by volume. This, interestingly, works out to 3 parts flour to 4 parts water by weight.) For example, if you add 4 cups (18 ounces) of flour, add 3 cups (24 ounces) of water. After feeding the starter, let it ferment at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours. (the time may vary depending on how warm or cool it is; look for lots of bubbling action.) For best flavor, refrigerate the refreshed barm overnight before before building it into a dough. 3. When building a dough, remove the barm from the refrigerator 1 hour ahead of time to take off the chill. You may also use slightly warmed water to compensate for the cold starter. 4. Here are some additional tips for working with your barm: If you go away or do not use the barm for a week or longer, discard some when you return and build it back with two or more cycles of refreshments. If the sponge separates, discard the grayish liquor that floats to the surface before refreshing. This "hooch" tastes more like vinegar than whiskey. Don't stir it back into the sponge; it is sourer than you want your breads to be. You may freeze the barm for up to 6 months, but allow for 3 refreshments to rebuild it (spread out over a 3-day period) after thawing and before using. |