sourdough community log

Samartha has said on occasion that he keeps a log of what he does and if
it turns out good he uses it again. Forgive me if I've oversimplified or
botched it in trying to describe it from memory.

Wouldn't it be nice to have access to Samartha's log book? I for one
would love to see Dick Adams' log book too. Would anybody be interested
in a community online logbook of sorts. Keep track of what you do on
whatever is handy at the time, and if it turns out good post the details
to the logbook. Then others can try it, comment on it, etc.

Technically, this could be accomplished with anything from a style of
post here in the newsgroup, or a weblog, or a simple web app that would
take someone with experience an afternoon to hack up. It needn't be
complicated. It might get some serious sourdough discussion going. The
spam has outweighed us lately.

Hans Fugal wrote:

It might get some serious sourdough discussion going. The
spam has outweighed us lately.

I guess I'm not an "us" then. I read through Supernews and their spam
filters are incredible. I never see spam in the newsgroups.

B/

Brian Mailman wrote:
Hans Fugal wrote:

It might get some serious sourdough discussion going. The
spam has outweighed us lately.


I guess I'm not an "us" then. I read through Supernews and their spam
filters are incredible. I never see spam in the newsgroups.

B/
Very good, then. It was a roundabout way of saying the list has been
relatively inactive lately. I know I for one have been busy and haven't
been cooking much. I once heard there's a lull in conversation
approximately every 7 minutes in a small group. Maybe this is related... ;-)

"Hans Fugal" wrote in message =
...

... I for one would love to see Dick Adams' log ...

That is very flattering, but I am not keeping a log book. At any point =
in time
I am following a written procedure, which evolves. The notes I take are =
quite
terse, consisting of time, temperature, and final volume for each of a =
series of
steps, plus the final dough weight, which, with the volume of water =
always used,
allows the "hydration" to be recorded. For a good result, or an unusual =
one, I
might take photos of the loaf and a cut section of it, all as shown at=20
http://home.att.net/~carlsfriends/dickpics/billowy.html. Click the =
"Instructions"
link there for a list of the stages for which data is recorded.

It is very difficult to record all the parameters of a bake, in such a =
way that a
reader might know exactly what was done. And, to the extent that it is =
done
with appropriate rigor, it can become quite hard to follow. Recipes and =

instructions almost invariably tend to be oversimplifications. Raw data =

quite invariably are tedious, and depressing in the case of bad =
handwriting.

---
DickA

Dick Adams wrote:

That is very flattering, but I am not keeping a log book. At any point in time
I am following a written procedure, which evolves. The notes I take are quite
terse, consisting of time, temperature, and final volume for each of a series of
steps, plus the final dough weight, which, with the volume of water always used,
allows the "hydration" to be recorded. For a good result, or an unusual one, I
might take photos of the loaf and a cut section of it, all as shown at
http://home.att.net/~carlsfriends/dickpics/billowy.html. Click the "Instructions"
link there for a list of the stages for which data is recorded.
Those are exactly the sort of details I was thinking of. Indeed, your
web site, along with those of others, is part of what got me thinking on
this.

It is very difficult to record all the parameters of a bake, in such a way that a
reader might know exactly what was done. And, to the extent that it is done
with appropriate rigor, it can become quite hard to follow. Recipes and
instructions almost invariably tend to be oversimplifications. Raw data
quite invariably are tedious, and depressing in the case of bad handwriting.
I agree, and not only is it nigh unto impossible to fully record all the
details to perfectly reproduce a loaf, even if you yourself are the one
trying to reproduce it, but it's tedious as well. No, I was thinking
more of keeping track of the more important details such as the ones you
mentioned above. E.g. time, temperature, hydration, volume.

"Hans Fugal" wrote in message=20
...

[ ... ]

I was thinking more of keeping track of the more important=20
details such as the ones you mentioned above. E.g. time,=20
temperature, hydration, volume.

Well, here is an example of the record for the bread we are
eating today:

11:30P 75=B0 (start)
9:00A 2 in. 75=B0amb.
12:00P 5 in. 75=B0amb. 85=B0starter
3:20P -1.5 in. 80=B0amb. 85=B0sponge
mix and knead, 85=B0 final dough temp.
3:40P start rise 75=B0amb.
4:50P split, reknead, form boules
6:00P cut tops in pattern
8:00P bake

This is what it recalls to me:

I started the first build before going to bed. The
temperature was 75=B0. The stuff incubated on the=20
back of the stove where it was warmer than that.

Next morning the starter had expanded to the 2-inch
line. Ambient was still 75=B0. My thermometer does
not work good with only two inches of immersion.

At noon the twice fed starter has risen to 5 inches.=20
Its temperature on the back of the stove is 85=B0. It
is ready to make the sponge.

By 3:20P the sponge has risen to within 1.5 inches
of the top of the KA 4.5 quart bowl. Having been
incubated on the back of the stove, its temperature
is 85=B0.

By 3:40P, the dough is kneaded, and the first rise
starts.

At 4:50 boules are formed. Tops are cut at 6P and
bake started at 8P.

Loaves had risen well, so an image was stored.
http://www.prettycolors.com/bread%5F...boules6-19.jpg

The complete procedure is at=20
http://home.att.net/~carlsfriends/di...structions.doc

The dough weight was 68 ounces, which would give, according
to my calculation, bakers hydration of ~48%. I do not think that
is correct, however, because my flour has been absorbing moisture
due to several muggy days.

--=20
Dick Adams
firstname dot lastname at bigfoot dot com