Any Home Bakers Here?

[cavemanrich]

Any kefir makers? I’m just starting out, trying to work out why mine is either too thin and sour or thick but still as sour as when it started.

Consider a different culture..
Then follow the suggested time and temperature.
Kefir is in the yogurt family of bacteria.
When I make my creamy farmers cheese, (as I posted a couple pages back), I maintain a temperature of 110°F
Then slowly raise until it curdles. My cheese is not sour. I start out with Greek yogurt culture, whole milk variety.
I never made Kefir though.

 

[Debbie292d]

I never made Kefir though.

I've heard of a few that make it for their chickens, for natural probiotics. Once I learned that, I compared that with fermenting, and chose to stick with fermenting grains as it sounded a lot easier. I didn't find a use for it for us though.

 

[cavemanrich]

Cool! I kinda need some tips, when I try making SD bread and focaccia sometimes it doesn’t cook right the way through so the outsides cooked but the inside isn’t. Does anyone know how I can stop that?

Let me tackle this one.
If you are baking a loaf of bread,, it takes a little time for the oven heat to reach the center of loaf. Factors, may be oven baking temperature,, and baking time.
Lower temperature means longer bake time.
So If you are following a Bake time schedule, sometimes things may be off.
If you are viewing, and think loaf looks tanned enough, you can be tricked into thinking its baked all the way through.
Solution;
Use a thermometer, and when interior temperature reaches 190 to 205°F, bread is totally baked.

Now to the Focaccia; If you are using sourdough, maybe you don't allow to get second rise sufficiently, and result, may be a collapsed dough, since it gets loaded on top with delicious ingredients.
Focaccia being thin should bake all the way thru easily.
I make my focaccia using yeast. Always had success. I may have posted recipe here, so it may be in the index.

Below is a picture when I checked my yeast raised coffee cake.
Bread follows same rules. That cake is in a common bread pan.
Temp reads 208°F

Pebbles,,, Here is a tip I often use when I bake bread. I somewhat cheat,, since I usually have a quantity of whey from my cheese making adventures. I freeze about 2 cup portions in plastic baggies for future use. I use yeast though.
So I use the whey as part of my liquid ingredient.

So I know you have kefir adventures. Consider using the not so desirable kefir to your liking, (sour), in Baking a Yeast raised loaf of bread.
Experiment.
The sour, will give sourdough flavor. Cheat imitation.
The milk portion will give bread soft texture.

 

[cavemanrich]

I didn't find a use for it for us though.

Are you talking about kefir, or fermented grains.

Spoiler: My version of fermented grains.

 

[Sally PB]

I made kefir regularly for awhile, but not in a long time now. I still have some backup kefir grains in the freezer.

I added some honey to it after fermentation, I think. I doubt I drank it straight and sour.

 

[Pebbles25]

Consider a different culture..
Then follow the suggested time and temperature.
Kefir is in the yogurt family of bacteria.
When I make my creamy farmers cheese, (as I posted a couple pages back), I maintain a temperature of 110°F
Then slowly raise until it curdles. My cheese is not sour. I start out with Greek yogurt culture, whole milk variety.
I never made Kefir though.

Just ‘starved’ hoping it balances it out as grains are expensive. Our old house is so cold so I was putting the kefir

I've heard of a few that make it for their chickens, for natural probiotics. Once I learned that, I compared that with fermenting, and chose to stick with fermenting grains as it sounded a lot easier. I didn't find a use for it for us though.

yes I have been giving it to our chickens and cats as it’s too sour for us at the minute.

 

[Pebbles25]

Consider a different culture..
Then follow the suggested time and temperature.
Kefir is in the yogurt family of bacteria.
When I make my creamy farmers cheese, (as I posted a couple pages back), I maintain a temperature of 110°F
Then slowly raise until it curdles. My cheese is not sour. I start out with Greek yogurt culture, whole milk variety.
I never made Kefir though.

Just put it in fresh milk after ‘starving’ the grains apparently it can balance them out. If that doesn’t work I will think about your suggestions. I did put it in our ninja multi-cooker on the prove setting on the lowest temp I think it’s 20c but I can’t leave it on the timer over night as it has max of 2 hours and we cook in it almost every night. I’m now going to be looking at making cheese once I have my kefir going!

 

[Pebbles25]

Let me tackle this one.
If you are baking a loaf of bread,, it takes a little time for the oven heat to reach the center of loaf. Factors, may be oven baking temperature,, and baking time.
Lower temperature means longer bake time.
So If you are following a Bake time schedule, sometimes things may be off.
If you are viewing, and think loaf looks tanned enough, you can be tricked into thinking its baked all the way through.
Solution;
Use a thermometer, and when interior temperature reaches 190 to 205°F, bread is totally baked.

Now to the Focaccia; If you are using sourdough, maybe you don't allow to get second rise sufficiently, and result, may be a collapsed dough, since it gets loaded on top with delicious ingredients.
Focaccia being thin should bake all the way thru easily.
I make my focaccia using yeast. Always had success. I may have posted recipe here, so it may be in the index.

Below is a picture when I checked my yeast raised coffee cake.
Bread follows same rules. That cake is in a common bread pan.
Temp reads 208°F
View attachment 4220257

Pebbles,,, Here is a tip I often use when I bake bread. I somewhat cheat,, since I usually have a quantity of whey from my cheese making adventures. I freeze about 2 cup portions in plastic baggies for future use. I use yeast though.
So I use the whey as part of my liquid ingredient.

So I know you have kefir adventures. Consider using the not so desirable kefir to your liking, (sour), in Baking a Yeast raised loaf of bread.
Experiment.
The sour, will give sourdough flavor. Cheat imitation.
The milk portion will give bread soft texture.

I leave the bread in the oven for ages it just won’t cook through so I don’t think that’s the problem. I will look into getting a thermometer as I don’t have one. I have made a few delicious successful focaccias so it probably is the something to do with the rise. That cake looks AMAZING! I’m sure my kefir will be put to use even if it’s too sour. Even more curious to look into making cheese now! Thank you!

 

[Pebbles25]

Are you talking about kefir, or fermented grains.

Spoiler: My version of fermented grains.

View attachment 4220263

Kefir!

 

[Pebbles25]

I made kefir regularly for awhile, but not in a long time now. I still have some backup kefir grains in the freezer.

I added some honey to it after fermentation, I think. I doubt I drank it straight and sour.

It’s supposed to be tangy but mine is too sour, almost rotten milk sour. But no discolouration. I did think about adding honey but its antibiotic properties kill some of the probiotics in kefir I’ve read.