Sourdough bread

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kadesma

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I've been wanting to try once again to make sourdoug french bread..I started my starter last wednesday, I've let it sit out lightly coverd, til today.. The kitchen smells as if I'm making beer:LOL: Well, I put together my dough, and it's now baking..Can't wait to see how it tastes.
I was told the longer your starter sits out the more pronounced the sourness of the bread will be..We shall see. I did try something new..When I had slashed the risen loaves to go in the oven, I made a mix of cornstarch and water, brought it to boil then brushed the loaves and put them in the oven, then as I always do, I strayed the oven with water..after 10 min I again brushed the breads with the cornstarch and water mix..To my surprise as I started to brush the 2nd. time the loaves already had a crisp outside, like you find in a bakery...Now I'll let it go and see what I get. I'm hoping the crust does get really crisp..Okay wanted to share, have to go spray the oven one more time...


kadesma:)
 
Connie, my bread this time tastes pretty good. The crust is just what I wanted, nice and crisp even after cooling...But, I want a tangier sourdough..I'm hoping that as said the starter will improve with age and give me the tang I want..These loaves have a slight tang, I just want a little more.
Good excuse to play in the kitchen.
kadesma:)
 
Kadesma, I used to keep sourdough for homemade biscuits and pancakes (I can make those). It just takes a little time for it to get appropriately "funky". Leave it out on your counter for a couple of days...that helps ripen it.
I had one friend who wanted my recipe for biscuits.
When I told her about the sourdough, and how to care for it, she said, "I don't want anything in my refrigerator that I have to feed!"
She was cool though...she didn't like to cook, but she loved to clean up the kitchen. She'd follow me around, cleaning up after me.
 
Connie, I started the starter on wed and it's been out ever since, I fed it and the replaced what I used today and it is now sitting out fermenting..I'll keep at it til I get what I want:LOL: I do like the crust I goton these loaves..Now if I only had a friend like your :LOL: My kitchen is a disaster, besides the bread, Cade and I made fudge!!

kadesma
 
Cade won't remember the messy kitchen, but he'll always remember the smell of grandma's freshly baked bread and the fun he had making fudge with you. :)
 
I am with Connie about that!! Pretty soon Carson, Ethan and Olivia will join in the fun... won't that be something?:)

Your bread sounds sooo delicious I can almost smell it!!

btw did you prepare the starter yourself CJ? Do you have a recipe for that if you did? I always wanted to make sourdough bread but since it is not known in Italy I can't get any sort of ready made starter... do you think it will work with our breadmaker?
 
Licia, a friend gave it to me, and right now, I can't remember who. But I have collected some recipes for starters from the web. If you like me to share, let me know.
I kept my starter going for years, even through a divorce and remarriage. Sometimes when I hadn't fed it for a month, it got pretty rank, but I'd just mix a big batch of my feeder, take a half/cup or so out of the starter, and start a new mix.
But running a business took a lot of my time, and it finally died.

Now I use canned biscuits or Bisquick. :neutral:
 
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Yes Connie!! I would be very interested if you could share your recipes!! Thanks so much for the offer, I will be looking forward to it!!:-p
 
urmaniac13 said:
I am with Connie about that!! Pretty soon Carson, Ethan and Olivia will join in the fun... won't that be something?:)

Your bread sounds sooo delicious I can almost smell it!!

btw did you prepare the starter yourself CJ? Do you have a recipe for that if you did? I always wanted to make sourdough bread but since it is not known in Italy I can't get any sort of ready made starter... do you think it will work with our breadmaker?
Licia, I made my own starter and I'll post it tomorrow, and I do know in the Bread Machine Magic recipe book it tells what and how to make the whole thing in the bread machine..I'll look it up and see. As I said earlier, It's been one dreadful day here and I'm going to just go try to sleep..if I can. We spent the whole day in the hospital with my DH's older brother and just kept watch, and finally made the decision to stop life support, all we could do was pray for him and we all just stood by the bed and held his hand or put hands on his head..So right now, I'm not thinking to clear..44 years of knowing him and we could only stnad and wait. Sorry, the tears are finally here..Night for now.

kadesma
 
((((CJ))))

I am so sorry... I just wrote to you an email. Please don't worry about the starter just now, it is nothing urgent but I appreciate so much for thinking of that instead of all that you have gone through.
I keep you and your family in my thoughts!!

More hugs!!
 
Here are several recipes I've collected for sourdough starters. I don't know how mine was started, as a friend shared it with me, but I fed it with a cup of milk, cup of flour, and teaspoon of sugar.

BEER SOURDOUGH STARTER
1 Beer -- flat
1 1/4 cup Flour Mix well, let sit on counter 5-10 days, stir 3 x per day. When it begins to separate into
creamy thick bottom and thin liquid top, it is ready to use in any sourdough recipe.

Yogurt Sourdough Starter
2 tb Natural plain yogurt
1 c Low fat milk
1 c White flour

Heat milk to 100F on thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt.
Pour into scalded glass jar or bowl, cover with plastic and place in a warm location for 18 hrs. Consistency will be like thin yoghurt. Stir in flour until well blended, cover again with plastic and pierce with fork to release gases. Place in a warm draft-free location at an even 85F for 2 days; stir several times each day. It should have a strong sourdough smell and show bubbles. Refrigerate until ready to use. When replenishing starter, add lukewarm milk instead of water.


Sourdough Starter
4 c Lukewarm water
1/4 c Sugar
1 pk Activated dry yeast
5 c Unbleachd flour
1 tb VINEGAR; VERY IMPORTANT
Pour the water into a crock or a wide mouth gallon jar. Pour in the yeast and let it dissolve. Stir. Add vinegar, sugar and flour. Mix. Cover w/cloth and set in a warm place to sour..(2 to 3 days). When activity STOPS, the mixture flattens out. An amber colored liquor comes to the top..And it SMELLS.. THAT'S IT! Mix it up. It will look like whipping cream. Put it in a GLASS JAR with a screw type lid; place in refrigerator. IT WILL KEEP FOR MONTHS. Growing better as it continues to age at a very slow pace. It is super in pancakes; waffles; coffee cake; rolled bisquits; quick drop bisquits; cinnamon rolls; cobbler; BREAD; cake; oatmeal cookies; etc..


Potato Sourdough Starter 2 tb Sugar
1 pk Dry yeast
4 c Flour
4 c -warm water
1 Potato; raw quartered
Dissolve yeast in warm water; and then mix all ingredients in a 1-gallon crock. (Do not use metal container) Cover with a close-fitting lid and let the starter rise until light (12 hours in warm weather, longer in cool weather). Do not let the starter get cold, ever. After using part of the starter, add 1 cup warm water, 2 teaspoons sugar, and enough flour to mix to the starter's original consistency. Add more potato occasionally as food for the yeast, but don't add more yeast. Use daily for best results. Starter improves with age.


SOURDOUGH STARTER
1 quart water -- lukewarm
1 package dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
4 cups flour
Put water in 1/2 gal jar, add yeast and sugar to soften, stir in flour. Cover with a clean cloth. Let rise until mixture is light and slightly aged, about 2 days. Mixture will thin as it stands; add flour as needed. As you use starter, replace with equal amounts of flour and water. Sourdough Starter #3 2 Cups flour 2 1/2 Cups water -- tepid 1/2 Lb red grapes -- stemmed Wrap grapes in one yard washed cheesecloth and crush. Mix flour and water. Add grapes in cheesecloth bag....(Do all this in a crockery bowl or stainless steel pot or bowl. As with any sourdough, do not use aluminum). Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for six days. Stir once a day with wooden spoon. At end of six days remove grapes. Starter is ready to use if you want an especially sour taste....if you prefer a milder starter feed it with one cup flour and one cup water for three day period before using. Refrigerate between feedings, (after mixture has bubbled). Always let starter return to room temperature before feeding....replace amount used in each recipe with like amount of flour and water. Allow starter to bubble before refrigerating.
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Whoa, thanks so much Connie!! Very interesting!!
I will start with the first one, beer, as it seems to be the simplest and easiest. I am not quite sure of the technique of "feeding", I never have even heard of it, I would appreciate it if you could explain it to me a bit further when you get a chance?? Thanks again!!
 
urmaniac13 said:
Whoa, thanks so much Connie!! Very interesting!!
I will start with the first one, beer, as it seems to be the simplest and easiest. I am not quite sure of the technique of "feeding", I never have even heard of it, I would appreciate it if you could explain it to me a bit further when you get a chance?? Thanks again!!
Licia,
feeding a starter is to keep it active. I fed mine today. First I was making bread so I took out the cup of starter the recipe called for, then added back to my original starter, 1/2 cup non fat milk and 1 cup flour, stirred well, loosely covered with plastic wrap and it's now sitting out to ferment.Also, you need to feed your starter every two weeks if you're not using it often..I'll have to look and find out how much to add for you as I don't know off hand.
kadesma:)
 
Thanks CJ for the info!! Is it better to make a big batch of starter and keep it alive by feeding than just make a portion of starter each time you decide to make a sour dough bread?
 
urmaniac13 said:
Thanks CJ for the info!! Is it better to make a big batch of starter and keep it alive by feeding than just make a portion of starter each time you decide to make a sour dough bread?
Licia,
I make the classic starter, remove the amount called for in the recipe, then add back to the starter. The initial batch is plenty and can be kept by feeding i've heard as long as a year. Just use, replenish and let it go..You will always have enough. Besides, the longer it ferments the more sour it will get.. You don't want to make it new each time as you have a 2-3 or 4 day wait as it ferments before you use it. I know some use it the next day but, you want the tang..Also I realized that the water makes a great deal of difference in smell and flavor.I am thinking of making another starter and use beer and see what I get. So, in answer to your original question, make the normal batch and feed:LOL: Geez, could I have said that in a more concise way or what?:ROFLMAO:

Sorry to ramble!!!

kadesma:LOL:
 
That was a very good explanation, Kadesma.
Remember, friends, that your starter is a living thing, and when it runs out of anything to eat, it will starve. I used milk, flour and a tsp of sugar when I fed mine.
I kept my starter going for at least 10 years. Sometimes, if I left it for a long time, it got moldy. I found that if I scraped the mold off, got a little bit (maybe 1/4 cup) from the inside and fed it, it would come back to life again. I had to feed it every 3 days for a couple of weeks to get enough to use, but then it was just fine.

*I used to have to remind some of my greenhouse customers that the plants were living things. Not all God's children are growers.
 
Thanks Connie, I think you and I are alot alike in some ways..I love my garden and flowers and plants, to me grwoing veggies and flowers is like a breath of fresh air, I love it. I'd reather be out doors or in the kitchen than any other place. Thanks for the information on using the starter if it becomes moldy, I'd no idea..I'm enjoying getting back into making breads..I find I relax and just enjoy myself when I do.

kadesma:)
 
This sour dough business all sounds very good. I think I might try this. I have never made good bread, always turnes out hard and heavy. Thanks so much for all the info on sour dough starter.
 
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