welch@osu-eddie.UUCP (Arun Welch) (03/04/86)
Does anyone have a good recipe for a sourdough starter? Many years ago I had
this *great* french bread. The bakery had been in existence for at least
a century, so that may have had something to do with it, but a good
starter is somewhere to start from....
--
Arun Welch
Lab For AI Research
Ohio State Univ.
{ihnp4,cbosgd}!osu-eddie!welch
welch@ohio-state.{CSNET,ARPA}reid@glacier.ARPA (Brian Reid) (03/07/86)
SOUR-START(B) USENET Cookbook SOUR-START(B)
SOURDOUGH STARTER
SOUR-START - Starter for a large number of sourdough recipes
Many people think of sourdough as something from the Gold
Rush days. Not so! Sourdough was the first way raised
breads were made. ``Way back then,'' there was no such
thing as active dry yeast, and all breads (along with a
number of other goodies) needed sourdough starter to rise.
There are a number of recipes for sourdough starter, but
this is one I've used, and it works fairly well.
INGREDIENTS (about 2 cups starter)
2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees Fahrenheit)
2 1/2 cups
flour
1 pkg. active dry yeast (optional)
PROCEDURE
(1) Get a container for the starter. Crockery is
best, but just about anything can be used, except
metal. Try to get something with a lid. I use a
Tupperware-like container.
(2) Mix flour and water (and optionally yeast).
(3) Let the starter sit (uncovered or loosely covered)
in a warm place until bubbly and sour, about 3-5
days.
NOTES
If you do a lot of bread baking, there will probably be
enough yeast spores floating around your kitchen so that the
added yeast isn't needed. The less yeast you add to the
starter, the more "authentic" the flavor.
If the starter starts turning orange or green, throw it
away. Other nasty things have started growing in it!
After the starter is ready, it can be used immediately. Try
to use some of the starter once every few days, or it will
start to die. The starter can be refrigerated to last
longer (use at least every other week). Make sure the star-
ter is at room temperature before using.
After using some of the starter, replenish what you take
with equal amounts of warm water and flour. Let the starter
sit until nice and bubbly before using again.
Usually, the first starter made will need a while to "come
up to strength." Best bets for first recipes are ones that
don't require much raising, such as pancakes, or ones that
have additional yeast.
RATING
Difficulty: easy. Time: 5 minutes preparation, 5 days wait-
ing. Precision: no need to measure.
CONTRIBUTOR
From the kitchen of
Bill Turner {hplabs!}hppsdc!bill
Hewlett-Packard Personal Software Division
3410 Central Expressway
Santa Clara, CA 95051
(408) 773-6434
Printed 1/16/86 2 Jan 86 2
--
Brian Reid decwrl!glacier!reid
Stanford reid@SU-Glacier.ARPA