I have recieved this great gift of sourdough starter from a new friends wife. She says it comes from three families and can be traced back almost 200 years. I have no idea of how to make sourdough bread. Can you all please share your recipies. I looked in the old posts and could not find one. I have two experiments started in the Kitchen then My wife came home. (i think i will go out and get her flowers tomorrow) Thanks Phillip

-- (raines@rainesridgefarm.com), January 19, 2002

Answers

Phillip, I have had a starter going for over a year now. I love it. We make waffles, pancakes, rolls, bread, you name it. Do you have a crock to keep it in? It must be fed about every five or six days. How big is the starter, 1 cup? 2 cups? I try to keep mine at about 2 cups and when I take some out I add enough flour and water to bring it back to around 2 cups. Here is a very simple recipe for bread. Take 1 cup of starter,1&1/2 cup warm water, 2&1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon yeast, 1 egg, 5-6 cups of flour. Mix all together and knead until smooth, let rise, punch down and cut in half. Put into 2 loaf pans and let rise again. Bake at 400 for ten minutes and then turndown oven to 350 and bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden brown. If you have any questions write me back. I could go on and on but I don't know how much you need to know

-- Becky (crostarws@aol.com), January 19, 2002.

If you keep it in the fridge, it doesn't have to be fed as often. The Tightwad Gazette book has a good recipe. If you use that recipe you don't need any additional yeast (which kind of defeats the purpose of sourdough anyway....). Good luck with your experiments!

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), January 19, 2002.

We use our starter almost every day so I try to keep more than 2 cups going. I got an old crock pot that had quit working. The ceramic crock was one of those that lifted out for cleaning. That is what I keep mine in.It looks neater and doesn't give the impression that I am a lousy housekeeper (HA!) and let something run amuck in my kitchen. We call it Edgar. Our kitchen is pretty cool so I leave it on the counter during the winter and in the fridge during the warmer months.... 200 years old-- cool!! The recipe already given is a good one. I did a search on the net and found one that you start the night before and then finish kneading and let rise the next morning. That fits my schedule better as I can get it going before the kids get up and have bread by lunch.

-- Tana Mc (mcfarm@totelcsi.net), January 19, 2002.

You can substitute a cup of starter, for a cup of flour and the normal amount of yeast, in any recipe you want. This will not impart a noticeable sour dough taste, but does expand my use of my sour dough starter.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), January 19, 2002.

Has anyone here heard of a sourdough bread recipe where you use vinegar instead of starter?

-- gita (gita@directcon.net), January 19, 2002.

Sourdough is not simply a yeast that you keep growing. A good starter is actually a mix of yeast, that grows quickly and provides MOST of the leavening, as well as a Lactobacillus of whatever species that provides much flavor and a little leavening. A starter can be used two ways: 1.) as an overnight start (a "sponge") containing mainly flour and fluids. In the morning other ingredients are added including baking soda which is important to neutralize some of the acid that forms. This is the most common use of sourdough starters and makes very fine breads. On the other hand 2.) so called "sweet breads" can be made with sourdough starters simply by omitting the sponge step and processing quickly as a simgle or even double rising. In this case usually the soda is omitted and the bread never does develop the sourness that is usual to sourdough bread. I suggest reading Rombauer and Becker, The Joy of Cooking and especially the sections "About" which covers in detail what each ingredient does in the mix. Also, I found the Sunset book of breads a good starting place. For the most part bread is quite forgiving of your at times strange additions and "refrigerator bread" is often quite good depending on what you have on hand. Enjoy!!

-- Nick (nikoda94@hotmail.com), January 20, 2002.

I keep my starter in the refrig. in a quart canning jar. Have had it for years. If kept refrigerated you only have to feed it once a month. Another advantage of refrigerating (providing it is at least one month old starter) is that it doesn't overflow all over the place as it sometimes does left on the counter and you don't have worry about it going bad. To feed it just replace what you took out with equal amounts of water and flour. Sometimes if I want more starter for the next week I up the amount as much as twice what I took out.

We also use it in everything. Here's my favorite sour dough bread - it is the real thing and looks just like a picture when it comes out:

First be sure and stir it up real well. It separates into a watery solution at the top and real thick on the bottom, so stir, stir, stir! Measure out 1 1/2 Cups of the starter and put into a bowl and let come to room temp. Add 1 Cup warm water, 1 package yeast (or 1 Tablespoon bulk yeast), 1 teaspoon salt, and about 3 cups of flour. Mix real well and then add more flour until you have an almost stiff dough (total of about 4 - 4 1/2 cups of flour). Knead it until it is smooth and elastic(I mix and knead in my Kitchenaid with the bread hook attachment - but have also done it by hand). Put in a greased bowl and let rise until double. Punch down. Shape into a smooth round ball on a cornmeal sprinkled cookie sheet or (better if you have it - a bread/pizza stone) and let rise until almost doubled. Cut 3 slashes on the top with a razor blade. Put into a preheat (important it is preheated) oven at 425 degrees. Use a plant mister and mist the bread and the sides and bottom of the stove and quick close the door. Mist again after 5 minutes. This gives the bread a beautiful color and gives it that crispy crust and soft inside. Take it out and cool when it is a deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

Easier than it sounds and you will not believe what it looks like when it comes out of the oven -- very professional. You will get ohhhs and ahhhhs! And how delicious!!!

-- Karen (db0421@yahoo.com), January 20, 2002.

Thanks for all the great advice. I just took three lofes out of the oven. WOW is this good, When the kids came home from church the did not even get their coats off before they started grabing slices. I will try all your recipies out and give a update you should have seen my wifes eyes when she tried it. I think she forgave the mess from last night.

-- (raines@rainesridgfarm.com), January 20, 2002.