Sourdough Basics From Starter To Finish

* Exported from MasterCook *

SOURDOUGH BASICS FROM STARTER TO FINISH

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Breads

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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1 Info

"Those hot griddlecakes the forty-niners forked from
the frying pan before setting out to dig for gold
were, no doubt, sourdough pancakes. The hot biscuits
so treasured by cowboys riding the dusty trail were
most likely sourdough biscuits. The life sustaining
bread baked by pioneer women in crude stone ovens was
probably sourdough bread. After the California gold
rush, when the Klondike prospectors sailed from San
Francisco to Alaska, they carried precious sourdough
starter with them - and ever since sourdough bread has
been assiciated with San Francisco. And in Alaska, a
prospector with a pot of sourdough strapped to his
back was quickly nicknamed a "sourdough".

"As the population swelled westward during the last
century, the practice of keeping a small amopunt of
yesterday's dough alive to "start" tomorrow's bread
was carried from one coast to the next, just as it had
been carried from the Old World to the New.
Archaeologists claim that leavened bread was first
developed around 4,000 B.C., when using starters must
have been the only way to accomplish leavening. Surely
ancient bakers guarded their supplies zealously, just
as thousands of years later propectors would tuck the
sourdough pot into their bedroll at night to keep it
warm and safe.

"To this day, the distinctive flavor of so many
European and Russian breads, as well as the famous San
Francisco version of sourdough bread, is derived from
the use of a sourdough starter. A starter is simply a
self-perpetuating yeast mixture. Traditionally it was
made by mixing flour and water with a cooked potato or
fruit such as wine grapes or ripe bananas. Organisms
in the flour and the germenting fruit attracted the
wild yeast spores ubiquitous in an unpollouted
environment, and a starter was easy to begin. Today,
this method is not always reliable owing to variables
such as chlorinated water and pesticide treated flour,
fruits and vegetables.

"We've developed an easy sourdough starter by
combining unbleached all-purpose flour, bakers active
dry yeast, and water. With minimal care, the starter
can be maintained for years and stored in the
refrigerator (see box). Since yeast is a single-cell
fungus, its metabolic activity causes fermentation.
As the yeast cells multiply and feed on the
carbohydrates in the flour - which in turn give off
carbon dioxide, alcohol and other compounds - the
ongoing activity gives the sourdough starter its sour
aroma and tart flavor.

"Keeping a pot of sourdough going in your refrigerator
opens up all sorts of possibilities. Breads have an
assertive tang and keep longer than other home-baked
breads. Biscuits share the same distinctive flavor
and are moist and fluffy. Sourdough pancakes have a
delicate texture and a subtle flavor that your family
will clamor for on Sunday mornings. We're sure that
once you begin baking with sourdough, you will become
a convert for life.

"SOURDOUGH STARTER MAINTENANCE

"o Using and maintaining a sourdough starter is a
cyclical process; you must always replace what you
remove from the crock. If well maintained, a
sourdough culture will last a lifetime. Each time you
take a portion of the starter for a recipe, replace
that amount with equal quantities of water and flour.
For example, if you remove 1 cup of starter to make
Sourdough Country Bread, you must replace it with 1
cup of lukewarm water (100F) and 1 cup of unbleached
all-purpose flour. Whisk these ingredients into the
starter until blended but not completely smooth. Any
remaining lumps will dissolve as the mixture ferments.
Cover and leave the starter at room temperature for at
least 12 hours or overnight. The starter is now ready
to be used again, or can be refrigerated.

"o Use a 2-quart non-metal crock or bowl to store the
starter. This wat, the replenishing starter
ingredients can be mixed directly in the storage
container.

"o Maintain the starter by stirring it at least once a
week. This invigorates the yeast and expels some of
the alcohol. If you do not use the starter every two
weeks or so, refresh it by removing 1 cup of the
starter (give it to a friend or discard it), and
adding 1 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour and 1 cup
of lukewarm (100F) water. Whisk until blended. Cover
and leave at room temperature 12 hours or overnight
before returning it to the refrigerator.

"o If you plan to be away or know you will not use the
starter frequently, freeze it in a sterilized,
air-tight freeezer container. Thaw the starter two
days before you plan on baking with it, transferring
it to a 2 quart non-metal storage container. Refresh
the starter withg 1 cup each of water and flour.
Cover and leave at room temperature for 12 hours or
overnight before using. It's a good idea to freeze
the starter in two containers; you can keep the second
one frozen indefinitely to serve as a backup should
anything happen to the thawed starter."



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