Recipe | Sourdough Starter

I am so blessed to have a number of nieces and nephews, now grown into remarkable young men and women, that brighten my life in countless ways. One such niecey, Laurel, is a newly-wed living in Chicago and working from home like so many of us during these times.

Laurel is bright, beautiful, and always takes actions based on intent. Recently she shared her ambitious quarantine activity of creating her own sourdough starter, and the resulting loaf of bread she made with it made my mouth water!

In Laurels own words - here’s how she approached the project:

“Very thrilled with my first sourdough loaf!!

Everyone says baking is a science and an art, which are two things that are not necessarily my specialities (especially science). However, I've spent the last eight days creating a starter from scratch, sticking to a feeding schedule, and being amazed at its growth and change.

Many blogs said it would take between 5-14 days for my starter to be ready. Given my past experience with baking, I had prepared for the long haul and unsure if it would even work. When my starter was ready on day 6/7, I was shocked!

And through the 30 hour process of baking this loaf, I was filled with hopes, expectations, fears, and curiosity at each step.

I know this season of life is crazy. But it too is filled with hopes, expectations, fears, frustrations, and more. My situation is so different than yours, but I hope that even though none of us know how long this will take, I pray that it hits the short end of the range, just like my starter did. And if it doesn't, I pray you can still see change, growth, progress, and find joy in it. And still, if not that--if your starter dies or your bread burns or turns out horrible--I pray that you can begin again.”

Remember how bright and beautiful I said she was??? Yep! Now you know what I’m talking about! If you don’t have a friend like I do that will share a bit of their starter with you, here’s what you need to do to create your own!

Sourdough Starter Recipe

Ingredients:

To begin the starter -

• 1 cup whole wheat flour

• 1/2 cup cool water

To “feed” the starter:

• scant 1 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

• 1/2 cup room-temperature water

Instructions:

1. Day 1: Combine the whole wheat flour with the cool water in a glass, crockery, stainless steel, or food-grade plastic container; a quart jar works perfectly!

2. Mix everything thoroughly - If you put a lid on tightly and shake vigorously, this works too. Make sure there's no dry flour anywhere. Cover the container loosely and let the mixture sit at warm room temperature (about 70°F) for a full 24 hours.

3. Day 2:  First things first, discard half of your mixture whether you see any activity or not (something is happening, trust me.)

4. Now add a scant 1 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, and 1/2 cup water.

5. Mix well, cover loosely and let it set at room temperature for another 24 hours.

6. Day 3: By now you’ll probably see fermentation happening - bubbling, expansion, etc. Now your “baby” is big enough to need twice-daily feedings.

7. First, stir the starter thoroughly, then discard all but a generous 1/2 cup.

8. Next, add another scant 1 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, and 1/2 cup water to the starter. Mix starter, flour, and water, cover loosely, and let the mixture rest at room temperature until the next feeding (at least 8 hours/ideally 12 before repeating.)

9. Day 4: Stir, then again measure out your generous 1/2 cup of starter that you will keep, discarding the rest.

10. Feed, wait 8-12 hours and repeat the measuring, discarding, feeding step two more times.

11. Day 5:  At the end of this day, your starter should be at least twice the size it was in the beginning, there should be lots and lots of bubbles, and it should smell fresh and tangy.

    If this isn’t what you’re seeing, repeat the measuring, discarding, feeding steps every 12 hours for 2-3 more days.

12. Measure, discard, and feed one last time, then let rest for 6-8 hours.

13. Follow the directions on your recipes of choice, using the amount of starter necessary.

    (It shouldn’t be more than about 1 cup.)

14. Find a crock or jar use for storing your 1/2 cup of starter long-term. The top should be secure enough to prevent spilling, but loose enough to allow air flow (to keep the cultures alive.) Store in the refrigerator.

15. Feed it once a week or more often if you are using frequently.

I hope your experiment goes splendidly and you are baking and making with your sourdough starter soon! What will you make?

Rhubarb Nut Bread

I recently posted a photo of myself and one of the GIANT rhubarb leaves from my garden on Facebook. At the time, I ask my visitors for their favorite rhubarb recipes - I’ve got enough for every recipe out there! Many were kind enough to send me their best-loved, tried-and-true, blue-ribbon-winner rhubarb treats.

From fruit leathers to sauces, pies to puddings, and bars to breads, I’ll never have to ask myself “What am I going to do with all this rhubarb?!” again!

Here’s the first of many recipes I’ll share. This one comes from Bonnie - thank you!

Rhubarb Nut Bread

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

• 2/3 cup veg. oil

• 1 egg

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2-1/2 cups flour

• 1-1/2 cups fresh rhubarb stalk, cleaned and diced

• 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans

• For Topping:

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

  • 1 Tblspn softened butter

Directions:

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, salt and baking soda.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine wet ingredients: brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla, blend well.

3. Add dry mixture to large bowl, stir to combine and add diced rhubarb and nuts.

4. Pour into greased and floured bread baking pans.

5. Blend the Topping ingredients in a small bowl with a fork, sprinkle over tops of bread batter.

6. Bake at 325 degrees approximately 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

7. Cool, slice, and enjoy with a cup of tea!!!

Cheesy Jalepeño Loaf

Fall is in the air, in fact, we tried to have a BBQ at the studio recently and even though the sun was shining brightly, the wind was from the north and so cold we picked up our plates and headed in to eat in the dining room!

I can't think of a better way to eat my way through this transitional time that with a mix of fresh veggies and fruits from the garden and some warm comfort foods like soups. Paired with those items, there can be nothing better than a thick slice of this dense cheesy bread.

Made with a beer batter base, and incorporating a little spice (not too much) with jalepeño peppers, it's just the ticket to a tailgater, an office potluck, or your next family meal.

It's "Steve Made" of course, so you know it's been tried and tested.  Here ya go!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup packed shredded pepper jack cheese
• 1/4 cup pickled jalepeño peppers, chopped
• 2 tablespoons green onion (green part), chopped
• 12 ounces of beer 
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Grease a 9 x 5 bread loaf pan with butter.
3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, garlic salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
4. Add the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, jalepeños, and green onion, stir until combined.
5. Add beer to mixture, using a spatula stir until combined and batter is wet.
6. Transfer the batter to the greased loaf pan. Use the spatula to level the top.
7. Add the melted butter to the top of the batter, making sure to cover the entire top of the batter.
8. Bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the middle of bread comes out clean.
9. Remove bread pan from oven to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Then remove bread from loaf pan and let cool on wire rack for 5 more minutes.

Mmmmm. Thanks Steve!