The Fresh Loaf

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Sourdough in a Panasonic SD-253

portmoon's picture
portmoon

Sourdough in a Panasonic SD-253

I have a trusty old Panasonic SD-253 and am wondering if I could make sourdough in it.

as anyone tried this?

Thanks!

 

Precaud's picture
Precaud

If you have sourdough starter ready to use, probably yes. Compare the timings of the recipe you're using to what the 253 does, and pick the cycle that most closely matches. That info should be in the 253 manual. If I had to blind guess, I'd choose either the Basic or the French program. The latter has longer ferments and a hotter bake.

Speaking of manuals, if your machine ever needs fixing, you're in luck; there's an actual factory service manual available for it online:

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/767201/Panasonic-Sd-253.html

Panasonic service manuals are second to none. The timing chart I mentioned is on p. 4 and 5.

savagetofu's picture
savagetofu

I’m considering buying a Panasonic 

SD-R2550. Can sour dough bread be made in it as well? Thank you. 
Precaud's picture
Precaud

The R2550 has separate programs for fermenting (#14) and making the bread (#6). Their recipe uses yogurt as the lactic bacteria source. I made it and did not like the taste. But with a good sourdough starter it can make excellent bread.

portmoon's picture
portmoon

Thanks. I have a sourdough starter that made a great loaf in the oven, but not sure I have the patience for all that  mixing and kneading and cleaning up, hence the bread maker question. There are separate 'dough' and 'bake' programs on the SD-235, so I might try making the dough in it, leaving it to prove overnight and then sticking it on the bake program. Will let you know what happens!

portmoon's picture
portmoon

Worked a treat. Just put ingredients in on the 'dough' pizza setting cycle for 25 mins to mix, left covered in airing cupboard for 12 hours, then put back in on the 'bake' cycle for 75 mins and sourdough tastes just as good as it did from the oven. 😀 

Precaud's picture
Precaud

Glad it worked - enjoy!

LondonRox's picture
LondonRox

Hello  Portmoon, I have the same Panasonic as you. Could you please tell me which  sourdough recipe you used ? I have a sourdough starter which I've been feeding and using to bake in my regular oven but would love a good recipe to try in the SD 253 , including which order to put in the ingredients please , if you have a moment, I would be very grateful.  Also, when you say airing cupboard, do you mean a warmer or cooler cupboard ?  I mean because my sourdough recipe says to leave in fridge overnight before baking.  Many thanks

portmoon's picture
portmoon

I'm using a starter (which I keep in a tupperware box with a lid in the fridge) and a recipe I got for a birthday present - it came from https://www.lovecrumb.com/. The recipe is:

- 675g strong white bread flour
- 65g spelt flour
- 490 mL water
- 300g starter
- 16g salt (I use a little bit less as it was too salty for me)

I do this:

1. Put all the ingredients into the breadmaker except the salt
2. Select the 'Pizza' option (this makes Dough 45 flash up on the screen)
3. Let it mix away for 7 minutes (I use a floppy spatula to ease the flour out of the corners where it gets a bit stuck)
4. While it's still going, I add the salt and let it keep going for another 5 minutes. Then turn the breadmaker off.
5. Take the ball of dough out and cut it in half (I'll come back to the other half later) 
6. Take the non stick pan out of the breadmaker, take the mixing paddle out and put half the dough back in
7. Cover the pan with a damp tea towel and leave it overnight to prove in an upstairs room for 12-15 hours (I've found now actually that the airing cupboard is too warm).
8. The following morning, 12-15 hours later, I stick the pan back in the breadmaker and hit the 'Bake' (or it might be 'Bake only') option and then then the 'Time' option and put the time up to about 90 minutes and leave it to bake.

The other half.

I have been experimenting with what I do with the other half of my dough. The first time, I tried a casserole dish with a lid, but it stuck to the sides. I bought a very cheap 'proving basket' from Sainsburys and have started using that. I cover the fabric liner with flour, and leave the dough in it to prove (same again, upstairs, overnight, covered with damp tea towel for 12-15 hours). Then I ...

1. Put a flat non stick baking tray in the oven 1/3 of the way up from the bottom. Turn the fan oven up full blast and leave it for 5 mins to get really hot.
2. Tip the dough out of the proving basket on to a well floured chopping board (you can cut some lines in the top with a scalpel if you like)
3. Boil the kettle and put a pyrex dish of boiling water in the bottom of the oven
4. Let the oven heat up again
5. Quickly open the oven and slide the dough off the chopping board on to the hot non-stick tray in the oven.
6. Leave it cooking on full heat for about 10 mins
7. Turn the oven down a bit - to about 200'C and leave it cooking for about another 20 mins.

I have found that the breadmaker is easier and less messy, but because it doesn't get as hot you end up with a loaf that doesn't rise quite as much and has a thicker, tougher crust. 

Baking the other half in the oven produces a loaf that rises a bit better, with a better crust. It just has a bit more character! You can buy a scalpel to make cuts in the top of the dough before you put it in the oven - but I personally think that's mostly just for appearance. The vast majority of the rise happens during the overnight prove - although the last time I made one it the oven it did rise a fair bit more just after I put it in the oven. The breadmaker bread doesn't rise any more after it's proved and so you end up with a denser loaf.

I'm probably going to get myself another cheap proving basket and cook both my loaves in the over from now on. But I might keep mixing the dough in the breadmaker as it's just a bit easier and less messy. Having said that, I took my starter with me on holiday to Wales over Easter and made the dough by hand. It was a bit more time consuming and messy but the loaf still turned out really well - I proved one in my proving basket and the other one in a cake tin.

Will be interested to hear how you get on. I found the breadmaker was a good way to get myself started as I initially felt that doing everything by hand was a bit too much of a faff. But I think I might slowly get converted to do it all by hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LondonRox's picture
LondonRox

Wow Portmoon, thank you so so much for taking the time to write out all the instructions. I really appreciate and will give it a try.  I bought the breadmaker at a charity shop just because I had started baking sourdough from scratch  because I was shocked at the price of sourdough in the supermarket.  I was not finding it easy at all so when I saw the bread machine I decided to buy it and give it a try, but there were no sourdough recipes. I tried one of the traditional recipes and  the bread was soft  and nicely baked but it was lacking in flavour so I want back to try hand baking of sourdough. I consulted lots of you tube videos and though my starter was bubbly and fine, my bread was  not at all like the Youtube or bakery ones and I was wasting a lot of time with all the stretch and folds and sticky flour all over my kitchen.  Just today I followed new instructions given by a website  and YouTube lady called Hopewell Heights and I have had success for the first time.  Her instructions are more relaxed and she says to look at the dough not so much the scale and the grams and all of that.  Anyway I will be very interested in giving your recipe a try in the  Panasonic. But who knows, like you , I may just get the hang of hand baking and stick with it.   It will probably take me about a week or two to give  your recipe a go, as I have a freezer full of bread now. Many thanks and kind regards

johnfyn's picture
johnfyn

I appreciate your experimentation with making bread! Achieving that perfect rise and texture can indeed be a bit tricky. It sounds like you're on the right track with high heat, but maybe try a few adjustments. First, ensure your dough is well-rested and properly hydrated. Letting it rise adequately before baking can make a big difference.