Goofy Guys

I Like Sour Muff

Nov 16, 12:39 PM · from the mouth of Jim

Well Mr. TyTy, I produced my first batch of successful celtic muffins. Things have been so nuts around here for the last 2 months that I’ve only had enough time to feed my colony and nothing more. But during this weekend’s feeding, I finally found enough time to start up a sponge.

Last night was the night of truth and glory. They worked!!! (And there was much rejoicing – yay.) The first attempt at it a few months ago resulted in NHL certified wheat hocky pucks. I think a squirrel chipped a tooth on one after I hucked them under the tree in the front.

This time I vowed to change ALL of the variables at once and retry – like the good scientist I am. :)

I used the slow and cold method and doubled the amount of starter called for by the recipe. I flew by the palms of my hands and adjusted the corresponding water level until the sponge (and later, dough) felt about right. I also used 100% bread flour instead of a whole wheat mix.

Outside of the primal 20 hour fermentation at ~65 degrees, I followed the rest of the celtic muffins process with limited adjustments. I skimped the first rise by about an hour (due to time) and also cranked the second and third rises’ heat up to 105 degrees to excite the beasties a bit more. (I’m finding that my starter seems to be fairly durable and appears to like/need higher temperatures.)

I forgot to take pictures of them last night, but I’ll see if I can take a pic of the remaining ones when I get home tonight and post it. On a really cool note, it seems as though the starter is still maturing in its flavor. These had a really really nicely developed sour flavor that seemed to be a bit more complex than the breads of two months ago.

Moo.

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