Tasty Tuesday

               I'm throwing you a curve ball this week and letting the pumpkin posts have a little rest, but I'm still geared up for fall and winter baking, just stalled on breads, which are my weakness! One of my all time favorites is sourdough, even more so since I learned decades ago how to make it, so I thought I'd share this gift with you.
      Back in the 80's when I was a young wife, my hubby had notions of living a remote life in the wilderness, and being a young wife, I did encourage this notion and would of followed him anywhere!  To make a long story short, that was a marriage ago but I still have kept up with the back to basic longing we had then, only now, I share it with another husband and my son's. Making your own bread is a good beginners course for self suffiencity, it's easy once you find a good recipe and the rewards are better than store bought!
      Sourdough cookery is different than most bread making, and  with a few simple guidlines, you will make your own starter that is needed to bake sourdough bread. You will need a starter pot, always use a glass, ceramic or plastic bowl with plastic or wooden spoons to mix, never metal! You will need to store your starter pot in a warm, dry place and make sure it has a vent hole for gas to escape and room for the yeast to rise. You can bake your bread in a metal pan but don't use metal to store your starter in, it just doesn't mix well with the yeast and may interfer with the sour taste that makes this bread so famous.

Sourdough Starter

2 c. all purpose flour
1 t. salt
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. dry yeast
2 c. lukewarm water
With a wooden spoon, mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl and gradually add lukewarm water. Stir till mixture resembles a smooth paste. Cover with a towel or cheesecloth and set in a warm place to sour. Stir once a day at least, in 3-4 days the starter will be ready to use. Store in a heavy plastic container, with a hole in lid for gas to escape.

Quick Sourdough Bread

2 c. sourdough starter
1 t. dry yeast
3 Tbsp. warm water
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
3 Tbsp. powered milk
2 Tbsp. cooking oil
3-4 c. all purpose flour
Measure out sourdough starter ( replenish starter with equal parts of flour and water). In a small seperate bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add to sourdough starter along with sugar, salt, powered milk and oil. Mix well. Slowly add flour till dough pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead till smooth, add more flour if needed. Shape dough and place in well greased loaf pan. Cover with cloth, set aside in a warm place and allow to rise till doubled in size. Bake at 350 for about 45 min. or till done. Makes 1 loaf.

    Once you get this age old art down, you will find tons of recipes for sourdough starters, like pancakes, pizza crust, buns, cakes, cookies and rolls! So, explore the wild ways of baking bread, see if sourdough doesn't tame your thoughts of store bought goods!