Sourdough starter
In a large bowl mix:
3 cups flour
1 package of dry yeast
2 1/2 cups lukewarm water
Beat until all lumps are gone. Cover and set in a warm place overnight. Before using your sourdough always take one cup out and save it to start your next batch of bread.
For best results in maintaining, always use a glass or crock container that has a good fitting lid.
When not in use, your sourdough pot should be kept in the refrigerator. The night before baking remove the pot from the fridge & add the flour and water you will use the next day. NEVER add anything but flour & water.
Sourdough smells sour so don't panic & throw it out. If it smells too ripe, freshen it by adding two cups of warm water & 2 1/2 cups of flour. Don't be a fanatic on keeping your sourdough pot clean. Just wipe off the sides when you have drips. If the sides get too thick with dough, remove sourdough, wash and rinse the pot thoroughly, replace sourdough and proceed.
Wipe up spills quickly as sourdough when it dries gets very hard. I usually set my bowl on a large piece of waxed paper.
Next reply has a recipe for sourdough bread.
Sourdough white bread
The night before add to starter 2 1/2 cups flour, 2 cups lukewarm water
Beat well until smooth. Cover and set in warm place overnight. In the morning take out one cup of sourdough to save for a starter. To remaining dough add:
4 cups white flour
1 tsp salt (I use less)
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons oil
Mix thoroughly. Turn dough onto a well floured board and knead until satiny and smooth - about 10 min. Put dough in well greased bowl, cover with waxed paper and set in warm place to rise for about 2 1/2 hours or until double in bulk. Punch the dough down and shape into one large or two small loaves. Place in well greased, warm loaf pans and let rise until double - about an hour. Bake at 375 about one hour or until golden brown and shrinks away from pan.
"This starter is good for every sour dough bread recipe and never leaves bread tasting plain, or turns it bitter."
SOUR DOUGH STARTER
Ingredients:
1 cup skim milk
3 Tbs plain yogurt
1 cup all purpose flour
Equipment you need:
A glass container with a plastic lid that seals tightly and has a capacity of 32 fluid ounces (4 Cups). Do not use a canning jar with a two piece lid as they do not always seal tight enough.
Measuring spoons
Measuring cups
Candy thermometer
Sauce pan
Wooden spoon, and/or rubber spatula
1st Step:
Fill the glass container with 4 cups hot, but not boiling water. This will prepare the container for the starter and keep it warm.
2nd Step:
Clip the candy thermometer on the inside of the sauce pan. Heat 1 cup of skim milk to 95 degrees F. Remove pan from stove and mix in 3 Tbs plain yogurt.
3rd Step:
Quickly, so the milk mixture doesn't cool; poor the hot water out of the glass container, dry the glass thoroughly, then pour the starter into the now warm glass jar and tightly fasten the lid.
Set in a warm place (80-90 degrees F) for 24 hours.
After 24 hours the starter should resemble watery yogurt with a curd on top. If there is any clear yellow liquid stir this back into the starter.
If this liquid has a pink tinge, throw out the starter and start over, the milk has separated. Never use a strange colored starter!
4th Step:
Stir in 1 cup of flour until evenly incorporated.
5th Step:
Put the lid on tightly and set in a warm place (80-90F). After 3-5 days bubbles will begin to appear in the starter. When this has happened, store in the refrigerator.
6th Step:
In a sauce pan, heat 1 cup skim milk to 95 degrees F.
Mix this into your starter with 1 cup flour.
Let sit in a warm place for 8 hours, or until new bubbles appear.
Note: If the starter doesn't create a sour taste the first time you use it, it probably needs a little more souring time.
First replenish it, then let it sit seven days in the refrigerator. If this doesn't work, let your skim milk go a day or two over its expiration date, replenish it again using the old milk (at least 4 days after the last time you replenished it).
After using the starter, replenish it by adding more flour and warm skim milk. Do this at least once a month if you don't use the starter often. If the container doesn't have room for the new additions, pour out just enough of the old starter to make room for them.
SOUR DOUGH BREAD RECIPE
1 pkg Active Dry Yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water, about 110 degrees F
5 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup corn meal (for the baking sheet)
1 cup of the sour dough starter
Glaze (refer to 8th step)
Equipment you need:
1 large mixing bowl, or Kitchen Aid mixer with dough hook
2 sauce pans
Cutting board
Sissors
Spatula
Pastry brush
Flat cookie Sheet (12x15 inches)
Cookie sheet with a rim (12x15 inches)
Wax paper
Non-stick cooking spray
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
A piece of cardboard covered in aluminum foil
First Step:
In the mixing bowl combine the yeast and the 1 1/2 cups of warm water (make sure you place the yeast in the bowl first). Stir with a spatula. Let sit for five minutes.
2nd Step:
To the yeast mixture add:
1 cup of the starter
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Stir together until well mixed.
Slowly blend in 4 cups of flour.
Once the dough become thick, remove the mixing bowl from the mixer stand and use your hands to knead the dough until smooth.
3rd Step:
Place a towel over the dough and let it rise for 1 1/2 hours. After it rises, cover the cutting board with about a 1/4 of cup of flour; set aside.
4th Step:
Slowly add about 1 1/2 cups more flour. You may need a bigger bowl to knead the flour into the dough.
Dough will become very, very firm.
5th Step:
Place the dough onto the floured cutting board and knead for about 10 minutes, until the dough becomes glossy. Adding flour to the board as needed to prevent sticking.
6th Step:
Separate into eight equal balls of dough.
7th Step:
Liberally sprinkle the foil covered cardboard with corn meal.
Knead each dough ball into a loaf and place it on the corn meal covered cardboard.
To create a perfect loaf, pull up the edge nearest you, fold it into the center and press forward. Do this three times with each side, and once with each end.
Cover the loaves with wax paper and leave them in a warm area until they have risen slightly less than double their size.
8th Step: The Glaze (this creates a glossy, crunchy, crust)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp corn starch
Stir together in a saucepan. Heat to a boil while stirring constantly; stir a little longer, then remove from heat and allow to cool, but don't let it get cold.
9th Step:
Once the loaves are almost risen, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Adjust oven racks in the two lowest positions. .
10th Step:
Use the sissors to snip two scores in the top of each loaf (this just adds eye appeal)
Using a pastry brush, put a good coating of glaze on each loaf.
11th Step:
When oven is ready, boil a panful of water. Place the rimmed cookie sheet on the lower oven rack and fill with the boiling water to about 1/4 inch deep. Close oven door.
Spray other cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Place loafs onto cookie sheet and place on the rack above the water filled cookie sheet
Bake for 10 minutes then open the door and quickly re-apply the corn starch glaze; bake another 25 minutes.
I have starter that is at least 15 years old. If it has been kept in the fridge, take it out stir it and apply 2 tablespoons of sugar, if it is merely dormant,as it comes to room temp you will begin to see a little foaming around the edge of the bowl. I always use a ceramic bowl and not a metal one, something about the chemical reaction I am told. Anyway you do need to cover it with a thin cloth or cheesecloth and let it come to room temp. If as I said it is merely dormant add a cup of flour and a beer ! and continue to let it sit for about 24 hours covered with the cloth. You should then be able to see it bubble.
Z
Igracie, sourdough is one of my favorite breads. Here are several great recipes.
