I've been meaning to pass along a few of my sourdough bread recipes for
some time. Now that someone has asked, I guess that its about time to
do it.
Here is how I made my starter:
1 cup water
1 cup flour
4 tablespoons milk (or buttermilk)
2 tablespoons sugar
Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl and allow to stand in
a warm place for a few days (or maybe a week). The starter will smell
wonderfully sour and be about the consistancy of pancake batter when
the fermentation gets going.
To feed my starter, I always add equal parts of milk and flour
along with a "scoop" of sugar (about 1/4 cup per cup of milk and flour).
I find that it is the sugar that really determines how quickly the starter
recovers after a feeding.
Sourdough French Bread:
1 cups "proofed" sourdough batter
1 1/2 tablespoons dry yeast
1/2 cup tepid water
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
Make the batter the night before. This is done by taking 3/4 cups of the
starter and adding 3/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup warm water and letting it sit
out overnight. What is not used the next morning, can be tossed back into
the starter. To finish the job, just toss all of the ingredients into the
machine and enjoy. (Note: I usually use the "french bread" setting on my
Welbuilt, but I don't think it is critical.)
Sourdough Chili Bread:
This one combines three of my favorite things: sourdough, chiles,
and my bread machine. Make the dough as above, adding two 4-oz. cans of
chopped chiles (or better yet fresh chiles). I also like this recipe made
into about a dozen rolls.
Sourdough Pancakes:
This one isn't made in the bread machine, but it is the best use
of sourdough that I know of. These are the ones my grandmother made me
when I was young, so I may be a little biased.
1 cup sourdough batter (I don't proof this one)
1/3 cup oil
1 c flour
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
Combine the ingredients with a plain old mixer and spoon by 1/4
cupfulls onto a hot pan (I don't put any grease in my pan, but Pam helps
if it isn't non-stick).