Wandas Basic Sourdough Starter

• Make and maintain your own sourdough starter
• you can make your own.
• you'll need a volume of at least one and 1/3 cups.
• There are several ingredient combinations for making wildshopping list
• yeast sourdough:
• - One is to grate a raw potato. Then add enoughwater to cover
• and enough flour to make a thin batter of about a cup and a
• third in volume.
• - Another method is to use water that you've boiled potatoes
• in instead of the grated potato and watercombination.
• - You can also use flour, sugar and water. Use one cup of
• flour, a tablespoon of sugar and enough water to make a
• pancake consistency batter.
• - Yet another is to simply mix together equal amounts of water
• and flour (whole wheat is best for this).
• Anything that provides food for the yeast and a good growing
• environment will work. yeast needs sugar or carbohydrates
• (which it converts to sugar), and clear liquid.
• Make your choice based on what you have handy and just because
• that's what you'd like to try. Don't worry about whether or
• not one set of ingredients will work better than another,
• because the chances are that they will all be equally
• efficient in attracting wild (sour) yeast. There is no exact
• recipe because there are so many other variables in each house
• that will invite or dissuade wild yeasts from entering the
• mixture. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. The
• most important thing is the method.
• When you have decided on the ingredients you want, put them in
• a glass container that will hold at least three times the
• volume of the ingredients. Mix lightly with a wooden or
• plastic spoon as some metals will react to it. The working of
• the starter will mix itself.
• Leave the mixture undisturbed and loosely covered with a cloth
• or perforated plastic (to allow gases to escape) at warm room
• temperature until it begins to froth or "work" and expand.
• This is a sign that wild yeasts have made themselves at home
• and that's what you're after. The new starter will rise up in
• the container, then fall again. When it has, it's ready for
• use. (Note: It will smell sour!)
• When you use it, always leave some in the container and add
• flour and water back to equal what you've taken out. Most
• recipes call for a cup of starter, so replace it with a half-
• cup of flour and a half-cup of water and set it in a warm
• place to work again.
• You will probably see a liquid covering the top at one time or
• another. This is called "hooch," and it's exactly what it
• sounds like, but don't drink it! Actually, it's harmless, so
• stir it back into the starter if the starter is thick, or if
• it's thin, just pour the hooch off. It's nothing to worry much
• about either way.
• Keep sourdough in the refrigerator unless you use it at least
• every third day. If you use it that often, you can leave it on
• the counter or any place where it's safe. If you can't
• refrigerate it, you can keep it fresh by throwing out a cup of
• it every second or third day and then replenish withflour and
• water. Wait until it "works" again before counting days.
• A properly cared for starter can live indefinitely, but if you
• leave it out without using it for too long, the yeastcan
• literally suffocate in its own waste products. If the starter
• looks off color (grayish is normal) or turns pink, toss it and
• start fresh.
• What can you make with sourdough? Besides the traditional
• bread, you can make biscuits, pancakes, pretzels,bagels,
• muffins, cornbread and even cookies! Once you're comfortable
• using it, you can experiment with your favoriteyeast or
• baking powder recipes. Simply put, you substitute sourdough
• for leavening and part or all of the liquid.

• The basic recipe for plain sourdough bread:
• 1 cup starter
• 1 Tbsp. of fat (margarine, butter, vegetable oil or olive oil)
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• Enough flour to make a dough that can be handled without
• sticking, but is still pliable
• Knead by hand or machine until it's smooth, then cover and let
• it rise until it's doubled in bulk. This will take longer
• (sometimes over an hour longer) than yeast leavened bread, so
• don't give up and throw it out! Make sure you keep it warm,
• but not hot, while it's rising.
• Again, there is no hard and fast rule because circumstances
• are so variable. Your starter might be more or less robust, or
• thinner or thicker, or your kitchen may be warmer or cooler.
• After it's risen, punch it down and knead enough to remove all
• the bubbles, then form it into a loaf shape and put it in a
• lightly greased bread pan. You can sprinkle a little corn meal
• in the pan and on top of the loaf if you like. Let it rise in
• the pan, then bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.
• Baking sourdough bread is a learned skill and one that takes
• practice, but even if your first loaf doesn't meet your
• expectations, it will be edible. Once you become familiar with
• the process, you can experiment on making just about anything
• that is leavened. Biscuits, cookies, pancakes, cornbread,
• specialty breads and even cakes can be made using sourdough
• starter instead of yeast or baking powder.
• Besides creating incredibly delicious baked goods, you'll save
• a bundle of money over time by not buying yeast!