Finally!

Well, I guessed and I by goshed, and I did everything wrong. And I came up with 2 great loaves of sourdough bread!

I was supposed to leave the preferment for 8-12 hours. It sat there for 2 days, in a VERY cold kitchen. I wanted to add citric acid to help with the browning, but instead I used a 1/2 tsp (or so) of bottled lemon juice and 1/2 tsp of sugar. I kneaded it mostly by machine, some by hand. I guessed at the baking temperature.

It’s chewy and sour and substantial. I absolutely love it. And my mother wants something LESS chewy and LESS sour. So, I’ll make her a regular loaf of white bread with eggs and Silk. And I’LL eat the sourdough.

More About Sourdough

I made that classic no-knead bread from the NY Times yesterday. Well, I started it the day before. Anyway, I used about 1 cup of starter instead of the yeast. The dough took at least another cup of flour, and I think it could have used at least another 1/2 cup. I wasn’t real thrilled with the results, but I guess that’s part of using sourdough. Getting consistently good results takes a lot of work and practice and documentation and…well, consistency.

I’m certainly not giving up. I’m feeling more of a challenge. And I have some good recipes designed specifically for this starter, so I’m going to have to keep at them, one by one. I’ve had to learn that what one person calls “a lovely crust” can mean unchewable by other people, including my mom. So, I may have to forgo some of the extra steps, like spraying the oven. Gee, maybe I won’t have to work quite as hard at it!

After reading the comments here, I’ll have to mix up another batch of pancakes. I was holding back because I wanted to limit the sugar in our diet. (I cook for 3 here, one currently having blood sugar problems.)

But now I’m craving another big cake rolled around fried eggs, and that doesn’t have to be sweet. I just have to expand my definition of pancakes to include savory. That shouldn’t be so hard! Actually, it redefines pancakes as bread, more like roti or pita, and now I’m thinking of all kinds of things that could get rolled up in them! Ooh, I have some lovely creamed corn, I wonder how it would be mixed into a pancake batter…

Damn, I have to go run errands, but I’ll cook when I get home. “Pancakes for dinner!”, she shouted!

I’m in Love With my Sourdough Starter

Just an update on my Carl’s starter.  I’ve baked countless loaves of bread in the last couple of months, some better than others, but all good enough that my family whine when they have to eat store bread.

I just got done splitting and feeding it, with an eye to sourdough pancakes for lunch.  I generally try to keep a container of pancake batter going in the fridge, with the addition of an egg, soy milk, flour, oil and a bit of soda when the volume gets low.  I eat pancakes for every meal, if’n I’m of a mood.

This starter is just marvelous, and it makes me feel connected to my mom’s family, who were loggers and ranchers in northern California in the late 1800’s.  My mom’s 83, and she says the pancakes are very much like the ones she grew up eating in her Uncle Gene’s kitchen.  (Gene also cooked for logging camps during the summer logging season.)

I prefer mine with homemade pomegranate jelly.  I imagine any jelly with a sweet/tart profile would work well.  Mom thinks hers were usually served with wild plum jam because that’s what was readily available.  No offense to the good people at Welch’s, but I don’t think grape jelly would quite do it.  Lingonberries would probably be great, but we don’t grow a lot of those in California.  I AM going to try marmalade one of these days.  Maple syrup would be wonderful, but I can’t bring myself to put the artificial stuff on these cakes, and the real stuff is just too pricey right now.  I’ll try to grab some at Trader Joe’s next time I’m “down the hill.”

Actually, I rolled one around a couple of fried eggs one day and ate it like that.  It was killer!  Of course, it was a BIG pancake.  I’ve taken to making one big pancake instead of messing with several small ones.  Call me lazy, and you’ll be right.  But heck, call me busy and you’ll be right too.  The big one is just simpler, and I’ve never been good at flipping pancakes, so this lessens my chances of disaster.  Besides, there’s just something sensuous and seductive, not to mention self indulgent, about attacking a pancake that’s almost as big as the plate it’s served on!

Today’s Lunch and Dinner

Well, I found a 5-quart ice cream pail in the freezer yesterday, filled with 4 quarts of something unidentifiable.  So, I thawed it enough to loosen it up, and it looked vaguely soupish.

Threw it into a slow cooker for overnight, turns out it’s a very hearty vegetable beef soup from last spring!  Lots of different beans, lots of vegies, enough meat.  Crumble a piece of the new rye bread in a bowl, put soup on it, and it’s a warm, filling meal!

The first loaf of sourdough white is in the oven, but I’m not very hopeful.  I think it’s WAY too loose, could have used another 2 cups of flour.  That’s what happens when I don’t use the Kitchenaid because I’m trying to be quiet.  I just can’t do that kind of kneading anymore.

Still, it’s all an experiment.  Who knows, maybe it will turn out great!  Sticky as tar on a hot roof, but I’ve read that sourdough IS sticky.

I wish I’d taken a picture of that rye bread…gargantuan.  Had to be at least a 4# loaf.  Took up half a jelly roll pan, on the diagonal.

Today’s bread – out of the oven!

Well, 3 loaves of very moist white bread. Actually, a bit too moist, probably could have used a bit more flour or a bit less liquid. But it’s yummy and pretty.

Not much of a sourdough flavor to it, but there’s a lot of other stuff in it, including yeast and eggs, so I’m not complaining.

I have a sponge going of rye and whole wheat for tomorrow. No yeast, only sourdough. We shall see..

Baking more white bread tonight

Well, I’m playing with the white bread tonight. I gave myself permission to eat it and not feel guilty.

I’m trying a tested recipe, well, I adapted it a bit, and tonight I adapted it a bit more. 1/4 c sugar, 1/4 c oil, 2 eggs, 2 cups boiling water, 1/2 packet of yeast, 8-9 cups flour, and 1 cup of sourdough starter. You combine things so that you don’t kill any of the yeast critters, then knead (in the kitchenaide) until it’s absorbed as much flour as it will hold. Mine took about 10 cups of flour and probably could have used another 1/2 cup, but it will hydrate during the night. Place in an oiled bowl, turn oiled side up, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate anywhere from 3-24 hours.

In the morning, I’ll turn it out and weigh it, and divide it into 2 or 3 loaves, whatever seems appropriate. Let the loaves rise for about 2 hours, then bake at 350 for a little over half an hour.

You don’t notice the eggs in this one, but they (with the oil) definitely help keep it moist. I have 2 slices left that are 4 days old, and they taste like fresh bread. The original recipe calls for a Tbsp of salt, but I don’t salt stuff. Period.

I’ll let you know how it turns out. Fresh bread for lunch tomorrow!