Sourdough starter

[Hawkeye5]

If you have always wanted to bake your own sourdough bread, biscuits, or pancakes, but have no access to starter, look here: Carl Griffith Sourdough Page
For the cost of two envelopes and stamps you get 1/2oz of Sourdough starterfrom a strain that is at least 160 years old.

[Excella CM]

My last starter died from a yeast defection.

[SailorSteve]

From Sourdough Recipe information distributed by the Indiana Cooperative Extension Service many years ago.

Basic Starter Without Yeast:
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar

Mix all ingredients. Place in a loosely covered container and refrigerate for several days until mixture doubles in size. This may take 4 to 14 days. When doubled, the starter is ready to use or store in the refrigerator. "Feed" once or twice a week with 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour and 1/4 cup sugar.

Basic Starter With Yeast:
2 cup flour
2 cup warm water
1 pkg. dry yeast or 1 yeast cake

Mix all ingredients. Let stand uncovered in a warm place overnight or up to 48 hours. The longer the mixture stands, the stronger the ferment will be. After fermenting, the starter is ready to use or to store in the refrigerator. "Feed" as above.

Sourdough Hints:
Prepare the starter in a glass, pottery or plastic container. Store the covered container in the refrigerator when the starter is done. The starter dough may smell quite sour and a liquid may form on its surface but this is normal. Stir the starter before each use. After using some of the starter, be sure 1 cup of starter is left in the container. If you want to keep the starter indefinitely, feed the starter every week or 10 days. Do not use the starter for 24 hours after "feeding".

My practice and experience:
I've maintained my starter for over 30 years. I "feed" it when I use it or think of it. It wasn't fed for probably three months one time but was fine after feeding. I never let metal come into contact with the starter and measure the feeding milk in Pyrex. If my container is getting full but I want to keep the starter fresh, I'll give it a "snack" of a Tbsp. or so of sugar stirred in. If it's particularly strong from not having been fed for a while, I just stir it well and the end product is still great. Or I can give it a feeding or a snack and use it the next day.
After feeding, the starter will rise significantly so be sure to leave plenty of head room in your container or be ready to clean up a mess in your refrigerator.

Enjoy!

[cameront120]

What size of container do you find works best? Would a mason jar work?

[PeeWee]

Wally learned when he was herding the sheep about sourdough.

Go to this site and read what Stella Byam said in a letter.

http://sierranevadaairstreams.org/me...etter-0147.jpg

Pee Wee

[SailorSteve]

I use a Tupperware container that was designed to store a head of lettuce so probably 3 quarts capacity. I make enough coffee cakes at a time that I need 3 cups of starter and like to have a couple of cups left to feed. A Mason jar would work for smaller quantities but you have to be careful to keep the lid loose! There is a bit of pressure and expansion during the fermentation. I frequently pop the lid off my Tupperware. It was emphasized to me by an aunt that metal should never touch the starter. I don't know if stainless would cause any ill effect but I just do what she told me.

[bugsbunny]

Ball makes plastic caps for glass jars - both small mouth and wide mouth. These of course are not meant for canning but are great for using the jars as storage and would be perfect in this application. They can be found at most larger grocery stores with canning jars and at hardware stores. I use them for pantry ingredients. The quart jars fit perfectly over the frig cabinet in my 86 classic mh. I use them for oatmeal, flour, sugar, etc. These work great!

[cameront120]

Good tip, bugs! Thank you.

[Lily&Me]

I have resurrected a starter that has been in my deep freeze for about 2 years, after I just got tired of having to use and feed it at least every week.

After thawing and bringing it to room temperature yesterday, I dumped out all but 1 cup of starter, washed the container and added a cup of warm milk with a cup of flour. This morning I gave it another half cup of each.

It is not bubbling furiously and overflowing onto my counter, but is bubbling and appears active! I am going to make a batch of biscuits this afternoon, and will post the results in photos.


Maggie

[dznf0g]

It's been many year since we have had our pet...his name was Herman and he thrived several years and had several offspring which were given to loving homes of friends!

[pinktrailer]

We have dutch oven cooking contests from time to time in our "New England Unit". There were lots of awesome entries at a rally this fall. Mine was "Dutch Oven Cowboy Delight", cinnamon sourdough biscuits. Here is the before and during picture.......My first time with charcoal, and I was a bit heavy on the heat, so I won't show you the "after" picture!! Ha Ha.

[cclarkego]

I did a double take, for a minute I thought picture #2 WAS your after picture....
Boy, she was serious about that heat!

[pinktrailer]

Originally Posted by cclarkego

I did a double take, for a minute I thought picture #2 WAS your after picture....
Boy, she was serious about that heat!

Believe it or not the "after" was totally black.....I took off the cover and screamed, they were so ugly!

[Lily&Me]

They came out great, and taste delicious. Recipe to follow.


Maggie

[Lily&Me]

This is my preferred recipe, as it is quick and makes just a panful.

1 1/2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar

Blend together and add

1 1/2 cups sourdough starter
1/4 cup canola oil


Stir well to mix, till it all pulls together into a ball. Knead on floured surface till smooth and satiny, about 5 minutes. Pat or roll out to about an inch thickness, cut into rounds, patting the last of the dough into a flattened round for the center of your pan.

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a cast iron skillet, just til melted. Place cut biscuits into the pan, turning each to coat with butter. Cover with wax paper and let rise til nearly double, (over hot water works well) bake at 425 degrees til browned and done.

Enjoy!


Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by pinktrailer

We have dutch oven cooking contests from time to time in our "New England Unit". There were lots of awesome entries at a rally this fall. Mine was "Dutch Oven Cowboy Delight", cinnamon sourdough biscuits. Here is the before and during picture.......My first time with charcoal, and I was a bit heavy on the heat, so I won't show you the "after" picture!! Ha Ha.

Your pan may have been too full, thus the top of what was inside was too close to the lid and hot coals. I have done this a couple of times, ended up scraping the charred part off and we eat what's underneath.

I picked up a book this year on Hearth Cooking, which tells you to put the same amount of coals on the lid as underneath, then add a few more toward the end of your baking to brown what is on top. I have tried this, and it works well.


Maggie

[pinktrailer]

Originally Posted by doug&maggie

They came out great, and taste delicious. Recipe to follow.


Maggie

Gorgeous!!!!!

[cclarkego]

Leave it to Maggie, I'm coming right over.....

[Lily&Me]

I have successfully resurrected my frozen sourdough starter, once again.

I had about 4 cups of starter frozen in its' very active and bubbling state.

Have made banana bread and biscuits, then tried sourdough english muffins this morning, once the starter was really happy once again.

Very, very easy, fun to make and delicious.

Voila!

Maggie

[noreen&sal]

Started messing with sour dough about 3 weeks ago. This is whats left of my latest - dinner rolls. Sal.