I prepared this as a handout for that self-reliance group we attended some years back. A lot of folks like rye flour as the food for their starter but since we don't care for it, I find it's too much hassle for this one purpose.
BAKING WITH SOURDOUGH
Utensils: To store or mix your sourdough, use only glass, food grade crocks, food grade plastic or non reactive metals such as stainless steel. Avoid aluminum, copper, and cast iron. Be sure your cover is loose enough to allow the carbon dioxide gas the yeast produces to escape. The pressure can blow the top off a Tupperware container or break a canning jar with a tight lid.
Ingredients: Feed starter only plain or unbleached flour and water that is not chlorinated. Either boil chlorinated water and allow it to cool to barely lukewarm before using or allow the water to stand loosely covered for 12-24 hrs. for the chlorine to dissipate. Do not return unused batter to the sourdough crock.
If using powdered starter, begin by mixing it with 2 c. flour and 2 c. water. Cover loosely and allow to stand undisturbed in a 70-85º place 48-72 hrs. When bubbles appear and it smells yeasty, feed again with ¼ c. each plain flour and degassed water until the quantity is 3 c. or more of starter. At this point, you can successfully use excess starter to make sourdough pancakes or muffins. As starter is used and replenished, the yeast gets stronger and raises the product better. After initial “babying” just feed at each use. If you will use the starter only weekly, feed, allow to set an hour or two then put into the refrigerator. The starter will continue to “work” at a slower pace and have flour to “eat.”
If you won’t use the starter for 2 months or more or want extra starter in case yours should die, you can freeze or dry it. Quick freezing and slow thawing is critical to maintain viability of the starter and frankly has been less successful for me than dehydrating the starter. To dry the starter, feed it and when it’s “working” strongly, pour about 2 cups onto dehydrator trays covered with parchment or Teflon sheets, spread thinly and place in a dehydrator on the very lowest temperature possible. An Excalibur dehydrator comes on at 85º, safe for the sourdough which is killed at temps higher than 95º. The starter will crack and buckle like the silt in the bottom of a dried up mud puddle. When you remove the dried starter from the parchment or Teflon sheets, you should see series of small craters where the yeast continued to produce carbon dioxide until the very last second before it dried. Crush and store in a cool dry place.
Feed your sourdough starter equal amounts of plain flour and water the evening before you plan to use it or to maintain enough starter to use for a quick batch of pancakes. Feeding small amounts often seems to make a stronger starter than larger amounts every 2-3 weeks. Mine survives benign neglect. If you should use all the starter in your crock until only a coating remains, you can still continue your starter. *Do not wash the container. Use a small amount of water and a rubber scraper to salvage the coating then mix in approximately as much flour as water used to remove the coating from the walls of the crock. Feed small amounts of flour and water into that container over a day or two and you’re in business again. *I would never have thought to do this had a friend not called me one day saying she'd used all her starter in a recipe as I described here and she salvaged it just fine. Grin.
The liquid that separates on top is a fairly potent “hootch,” I’m told, and our ancestors used a removed portion to polish their brass. The liquid is dark colored and should be reincorporated before use or during feeding. If it turns pink or red, the wrong organisms have taken residence in your crock. Discard it and start over.
Sourdough pancakes
1 1/2 c. flour (white or whole grain) 1 c. milk
½ t. salt ½ c. starter
2 t. baking powder 2 eggs, beaten
½ t. baking soda 2 T. oil
Mix milk, starter, eggs and oil. Blend dry ingredients and stir into liquid mixture to moisten. Bake on a hot , lightly oiled griddle, using 1/8 c. for each pancake--traditionally sourdough pancakes were small. The batter expands dramatically then falls. Bake as quickly as possible. Do not try to reserve batter. Instead, bake extra pancakes and freeze for later use. Serve with butter, honey, sorghum or maple syrup.
Miner’s Muffins (sourdough) DUTCH OVEN COOKING, John Ragsdale, p. 64
1 c. starter 1 egg
2 c. flour 2 T. oil
½ c. milk 1 t. baking powder
½ c. sugar ½ t. salt
Mix all ingredients. Fill prepared muffin pans or baking papers 2/3 full. Bake at 400-425o until browned. 12-15 muffins. May also bake in small loaf pans.
Sourdough Biscuits
½ c. starter ¾ t. salt
½ c. milk 1 ½ t. baking powder
2-2 ½ c. plain flour ½ t. baking soda
1 T. sugar 1/2 c. vegetable oil
Night before: Make sponge with starter, milk and 1 c. flour in a large bowl. Cover and let stand overnight. In the morning, mix the remaining ingredients into sponge until dough cleans sides of bowl. Knead lightly and let dough rest 5-10 minutes. Roll out ¾” thick and cut, placing biscuits close together in a lightly greased 9x9x2” pan. Let rest 5-10 min. Bake in a 375o oven until browned.
French Bread
7-8 c plain or bread flour 2 ½ c. starter
1 t. sugar Cornmeal
1 T. salt 1 egg white, beaten
3 T. vegetable oil 1 T. cold water
Toasted sesame seed
Mix starter, 2 c. flour and sugar in a large bowl. Let work overnight or until bubbly. Beat in salt, oil and enough additional flour to make a stiff dough. Knead well to develop gluten. Place in a greased bowl and cover. Place in a warm location until doubled in bulk. Knead lightly again and divide into 4 pieces. Roll each into a 15x8” oblong and roll up tightly along the 15” side. Place on greased baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Brush with mixed egg and water and sprinkle with seeds. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk and bake at 425o for 20-25 min. until done. Bread freezes well. Also makes a good pizza crust. Depending on how strong your starter is, rising can take up to twice as long as bread raised with commercial yeast.
Sourdough coffee cake
2 c. starter 1 c. sugar
2 c. plain flour 2 eggs
½ t. cinnamon 2/3 c. vegetable oil
½ t. baking soda 1 c. chopped nuts
2 t. baking powder 1 c. raisins
Before baking topping:
1 T. flour 1 T cinnamon
1 c. brown sugar ½ melted butter
Mix together all ingredients until well blended. Pour into 9x13” prepared baking pan. Mix topping and sprinkle over top of batter and swirl through cake with a fork or knife. Bake at 350o for 30-40 minutes. Be careful not to over bake. (As printed, this recipe was too sweet for us. I reduce both sugars by half.)
For more information, recipes, and lore, request the following:
Holm, Don and Myrtle. THE COMPLETE SOUROUGH COOKBOOOK. The Caxton Printers, Ltd., Caldwell ID 83605. ISBN 0-87004-223-8. Stories about people who have contributed the recipes.
Wilford, Charles. ADVENTURES IN SOURDOUGH COOKING AND BAKING. Goldrush Products Co., 491 W. San Carlos St., San Jose, CA. 95110-2632. ISBN 0-912936-00-2. More recipes and more complete information.
www.goldrushproducts.com HELPFUL AND INTERESTING WEBSITES:
www.kingarthurflour.com/tips/sourdough-starter.html?utm_source=kaf&utm_medium=redirect Good directions and pictures of how starter is supposed to look. They sell a wet starter--the only place I’ve seen that does so.
www.alaskasgoldenspoon.com/index.htm Alaska residents who sell starter dried onto a wooden spoon. Interesting website if only to see how they live.
www.dickproenneke.com/DickProenneke.html Dick’s sourdough starter is what the folks at Golden Spoon use. He lived in the Alaskan bush for many years and his journals and home movies were made into a documentary.
www.sourdoughhome.com/ For a master’s class in sourdough baking,
www.sourdo.com/ is excellent. The website owner’s book is full of recipes and expertise.
Definitions: ADDED for non cooks or beginners
Work--yeast acts on flour to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide gas which collects in the gluten to make bread’s texture
Proofing--mixing starter with a small amount of flour and water to be sure it’s still viable. This is also done with commercial yeast mixed with water and a small amount of sugar. Can also refer to the period when dough is allowed to rise in a bowl or after it’s formed and placed into pan to rise before baking.
Make a sponge--mixing part of the flour, liquid and starter to make a larger amount of yeast to raise breads
Knead--manipulating dough on a floured surface to develop a protein in flour called gluten. The structure of the gluten within the dough traps the CO2 and allows the lightness and crumb structure of the finished bread. Time necessary for kneading depends on the type of bread being made. Tender rolls and biscuits will require only enough to be sure the dough is a homogenous mass while breads need 10 min of aggressive kneading, sometimes more. Get your frustrations out while kneading.
