Sourdough Time Again

Every year about this time, I feel the need to start another batch of sourdough.  I have to start again every year, because I can’t really bring myself to do a lot of baking in the summer.  Also, the sourdough starter can get a bit feisty in hot weather, so I gather it up in the spring and put it in the freezer until the weather starts to get cooler.  Late September is a good time to start baking again.

Of course, starting a batch of sourdough is not a step to be taken lightly.  It will demand some time and attention, and it will want to be baked whether you feel like baking it or not.  All the same, the taste is delicious, and it is just full of all those lovely nutriments that we want in our diet.

At this moment, I have a sourdough starter that is foaming away nicely in the fridge.  Its name is Bubba (short for Bubble).  Bubba is made with a mixture of flours, and you can use most any kind of flour that you like.  Here is a recipe to get your starter started.  It is not completely authentic (like using free-floating yeasts in the air, for example), but it works.

1 tsp. dry yeast
2 c. warm water
2 T. honey (or Stevia that measures like sugar)
2 c. flour (white, whole wheat, spelt, or buckwheat)

Combine yeast, water (not too hot or it will kill the yeast), honey, and flour in a glass mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon.  Apparently, sourdough does not like to be around metal, so keep that in mind.  Cover with cheesecloth, set in a warm place (85 degrees is good) to ferment.  In two or three days, your own sourdough starter will be ready to use. 

Store in a clean plastic or glass container with a fitted cover (with an air hole) in the refrigerator until needed.  If a clear liquid collects on top, that is called ‘hooch’ and it is perfectly normal.  It means your starter is probably hungry.  Either pour off the liquid or stir it down.  Take some starter out to bake with at least once a week.  Then feed and water your starter with equal portions of warm water and flour.  If you leave your starter out of the fridge,  it will need more attention.

One of the easiest things to make with your starter is quick bread. 

1 cup sourdough starter
1 egg
¼ cup vegetable oil (I use canola oil)
½ cup Stevia (the kind that measures like sugar)
1 t. vanilla extract
1 cup flour
¾ cup almond, spelt, or buckwheat flour
1 t. baking soda
¾ t. cinnamon
1 cup almond milk
You can also put in 1/4 t. of salt if you want to.   

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  In a medium bowl, mix sourdough starter, egg, oil, stevia, and vanilla; combine well.  Sift together the flours, baking soda, cinnamon and salt (if you use it).  Add this to starter mixture and stir to combine (don’t overmix—a few lumps are okay). Pour into a greased 9” square pan, and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.  Serve warm.

Have a great time with your new sourdough starter.  Bubba says ‘hi.’