SOURDOUGH BREAD AND ITS BUDDIES

 

 

After various tries, I finally made a successful batch of sourdough starter. I followed all the guidelines before, but sourdough is its own little person and can be persnickety once in a while. I had to get it right to my house temperature, my flour and my timing. Then I made my first sourdough loaf of bread and it was love at first bite.

Sourdough peaked my interest because it is usually tolerated better than regular yeast breads for those of us with stomach issues. It is actually touted as the healthiest bread because of the fermentation process which produces probiotics to keep the gut happy. 

It draws its rising power from wild yeast and lactobacillus rather than commercial yeast. This yeast neutralizes the phytic acid which is found in the bran part of the wheat. The lower phytate levels make it more digestible and nutritious and less likely to spike blood sugar levels. The downside is that the wild yeast requires a longer rising time, However, this in turn starts breaking down the bran of the grain, making it more digestible.

The trouble is that, every time you “feed” the starter, you discard part of it or it would literally take over your kitchen. This seemed such a waste. So, I started doing a little investigating and found that sourdough isn’t just for bread. There are sourdough pancakes, waffles, cookies, pizza crust, dumplings, gravy, white sauces, batter for root vegetables and fish, flatbreads, soft tortillas, cakes, muffins and more!

So, move over bread, and let us try some of your buddies like:

 

SOURDOUGH PANCAKES

 

4 oz sourdough starter (can be the discard)

1 ½ cups buttermilk

1 ½ cups flour

1 T honey

2 eggs

4 T melted butter

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

Mix the first four ingredients and let it set in fridge overnight. Add the rest of the ingredients and then drop by ½ cup fulls on hot griddle.

 

PIZZA CRUST

 

1 ½ cups flour

½ cup sourdough starter

½ cup water

2 T olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 T honey or sugar

Mix the flour and salt then add the rest for a rough dough. Knead 5 to 7 minutes then place in an oiled bowl, turn once to coat all sides. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let set for at least 6 hours and up to 10.

Preheat oven to 450* then turn dough out on stone or pan. Flatten to a disc, taking care not to deflate all the gases. Keep pressing outward until desired size. Oiling hands helps it not to stick. Top with your favorites and bake 10 to 15 minutes.

 

SOURDOUGH ENGLISH MUFFINS

 

2 ½ cups flour

1 ¾ cups warm whole milk

1 cup sourdough starter

2 T honey

2 ½ cups bread flour

¼ cup softened butter

1 ½ tsp salt

Cornmeal for dusting

 

Mix the all purpose flour, starter, milk, honey and butter. Cover with a cloth and let stand 30 minutes.

Add bread flour and salt and work dough until completely combined then knead 5 to 8 minutes. Grab a small bit and pull on it, if the fibers tear quickly, keep kneading but if it stretches and pulls smoothly the dough is ready. Form the dough into a smooth ball, cover it and let it rise at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours until it puffs up soft and spongy. After this rise, it can be put in the fridge overnight or cooked immediately.

Sprinkle a clean surface with cornmeal, roll dough to ½ inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter or a wide mouth Mason jar ring to cut rounds. Set on parchment-lined baking sheet, cover and let rise 1 to 2 hours.

Cook 7 to 9 minutes on each side in a hot griddle sprinkled with cornmeal. A thermometer should read 180* in the center when they are cooked through.

 

SOURDOUGH DOUGHNUTS

 

2 cups all purpose flour

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp salt

 

¼ tsp nutmeg

½ cup milk

¼ cup canola oil

1 egg

½ cup starter

 

GLAZE

 ¼ cup milk

2 cups confectioners sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Combine all doughnut ingredients, knead 2 to 3 minutes until dough is soft and supple, not sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest 30 minutes to an hour. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours or make immediately.

Roll dough to ½ inch thick, cut doughnuts and lay on tray covered with parchment paper. Cover with a towel and let rise 1 to 1 ½ hours. Pour 2 inches of oil in a 3-quart pan. Heat to 350*. Drop 2 or 3 doughnuts at a time in. They will sink to the bottom then float to the top. Cook a couple minutes on either side.

For glaze, heat the milk until simmering, whisk in the confectioners sugar then add the vanilla. Dip the doughnuts in the glaze or roll in your favorite sugar.

 

SOURDOUGH IMPOSSIBLE PIE

 

1 ½ cups starter

3 eggs

Salt to taste

Mix all and pour over any casserole filling such as stew, pot pie filling or others. Bake at 350*, pie crust will rise to top of dish and the filling will stay moist under it.

 

GRANOLA BARS

 

2 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup starter

1 cup dried fruits

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds

1/3 cup walnuts

2/3 cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup maple syrup

Mix all ingredients, pour in medium sized pan and press dough down. Bake at 350* 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cut into bars.

These are just some of the ways to use discarded starter or regular starter. The discarded can also be refrigerated for a few months or frozen for up to a year. It also makes a great batter for fish or roasted vegetables, just add your own spices to it.

Sourdough anything is healthier for your digestive system than regular yeast. Sometimes it takes a little getting used to that tangy flavor but once you do it will make all those breads, cookies and other baked goods so much better for you.

Sourdough isn’t just for bread. Once you start using it for all these other treats, you may just fall in love with that natural bubbly little pet yeast in a jar sitting in your fridge!