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Farm Kitchen:  Bread the MaryJane Way  |
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 21 2009 : 4:00:56 PM
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I have seen the mocha bread I just had never heard of mocha biscuits. What a cool idea. Chocolate gravy is really popular in the south. Seems weird to me and I can't bring myself to eat it but I bet the people who love it would love to pour it over a mocha biscuit!
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
www.willowtreecreek.wordpress.com
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txbikergirl
Farmgirl in Training
46 Posts
Cindy
Elkhart
TX
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - Oct 21 2009 : 5:06:03 PM
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Cherry Pie,
Get your mother back going and you won't be sorry! I have been having so much fun with her since June. Once and awhile I don't feed her for ONE day - but that only happens about once every week or two. the rest of the time I am johnny on the spot with her... and probably because I am baking with her 2-3 times a week. she is such a blessing to our house. It took about 6 weeks for me to get a good bread loaf, but I started doing muffins at week one and those have always turned out great.
I did some pumpkin muffins last night and added 1 cup of chocolate chips to them... just something else to add a kick and my hubby and mom love them.
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Bread the Mary Jane Way
- started Mother 6/28/09
- Hodgson Mill Organic unbleached flour
- well water w/ reverse osmosis filter
- feeding twice as much once a day to eliminate excess hooch
- first sourdough loaf 7/25/09 - GREAT!
- using KA bread flour for loafs |
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txbikergirl
Farmgirl in Training
46 Posts
Cindy
Elkhart
TX
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - Oct 21 2009 : 5:16:21 PM
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I just wanted to share with everyone what a blessing having "mother" has been to my house and family. It was just the kick I needed to rejuvenate my interest in my kitchen, it was a motivator to jump back into cooking from scratch as since we are a two person working household that has slipped a bit lately...
And then in July I found out I would be off for 4 months this fall due to the economy. the good news is that I will be back to work in January, and the other good news is that since I was so motivated with my mother i just jumped whole heartedly into embracing being off work and not only being the happy housewife, but also using every from scratch and back to basics cooking and cleaning method i could in order to drastically reduce our household budget.
i am happy to say that 4 weeks into unemployment we are eating better than ever, all those fresh veggies and fruit are complimented daily by fresh honey oatmeal wheat bread for sandwiches, fresh muffins for breakfast (blueberry, peach, apple raisin, pumpkin), fresh pizza weekly, fresh sourdough bread to enjoy with dinner, etc... lots and lots of homemade goodness just oozing with love.
I hope lots of others are enjoying it as much as I am. "Mother" is a part of my daily life and blessing us so much... every day i call my feeding of mother "blessing my mother" as i want to take care of her and give back daily as much as I am getting out of her.
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Bread the Mary Jane Way
- started Mother 6/28/09
- Hodgson Mill Organic unbleached flour
- well water w/ reverse osmosis filter
- feeding twice as much once a day to eliminate excess hooch
- first sourdough loaf 7/25/09 - GREAT!
- using KA bread flour for loafs |
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txbikergirl
Farmgirl in Training
46 Posts
Cindy
Elkhart
TX
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - Oct 21 2009 : 5:26:17 PM
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To anyone new to their mother, if you haven't tried the "honey oatmeal wheat bread" recipe - see the index - you have GOT to try it. Yummy!
this has turned out to be our daily bread now, just wonderful! I still make the regular sourdough, but I do that in more traditional french bread loaf style and we use that for our "dinner" bread - whereas this honey oat wheat bread is used for sandwiches, toast, snacks, etc... everyone who has tried it just loves it.
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Bread the Mary Jane Way
- started Mother 6/28/09
- Hodgson Mill Organic unbleached flour
- well water w/ reverse osmosis filter
- feeding twice as much once a day to eliminate excess hooch
- first sourdough loaf 7/25/09 - GREAT!
- using KA bread flour for loafs |
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kofarmgirl
Farmgirl in Training
19 Posts
Kandra
Hedley
Texas
USA
19 Posts |
Posted - Oct 21 2009 : 8:03:25 PM
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| i was just wandering what you all are keeping your mother in? I have a ceramic bowl but it is not quite big enough to hold my mother in since we like to eat bread 2 to 3 times a week. Any ideas? By the way this starter has also inspired me to cook more from scratch. I love to read all of your posts. Thank you all so much for sharing! |
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HeatherAnn
True Blue Farmgirl
187 Posts
Heather
Rancho Cucamonga
CA
USA
187 Posts |
Posted - Oct 21 2009 : 8:17:07 PM
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Kandra as far as what I keep mine in, I was keeping mine in a big ceramic mixing bowl. But it was taking up so much of my counter and required one of my big dinner plates, which we use all the time, to cover it. And my other bowls ended up being too small. So i read online about someone who does their at home sour dough completely different in almost every way. They suggest you put yours in a very big wide mouth jar. I happened to have some very large bell jars hanging around and have been using that. It works just as well as the bowl for me. I wipe down the insides with a wet towel every other day or so to keep the mold from having a place to settle and since the sides are clean, I can just pour it straight into my mesuring bowl, wipe down the insides again and viola! I like it. It saves me a lot of space, I like having my big mixing bowl and my dinner plate back, and I love the look of a bell jar being used so well on my counter.
best of luck to you! I have only started over 4 (!) times, but I'm lazy and let it sit for too long and it gets yucky. I have made some awesome breads though, so I'm keeping at it. In my house with whole wheat pastry flour it's all yeasty and ready to make something in about 4 days.
Heather Ann
Apartment Farmgirl
"You got to look at all the good on one side and all the bad on the other and say 'Well, alright then.'" - Aunt Eller, Oklahoma
www.plumblossomknits.etsy.com |
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kofarmgirl
Farmgirl in Training
19 Posts
Kandra
Hedley
Texas
USA
19 Posts |
Posted - Oct 22 2009 : 08:53:32 AM
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| thank you Heather I will be on the lookout for some wide mouth jars. I think they are beautiful to look at anyway! |
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K-Falls Farmgirl
Chapter Leader
2096 Posts
Cheryl
Klamath Falls
Oregon
USA
2096 Posts |
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Farmers Daughter
True Blue Farmgirl
90 Posts
DiAnn
90 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2009 : 08:20:22 AM
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Well I'm going to start another mother today!
I can't tell you how much I have been missing her and the wonderful tasty bread. Been making beer bread, but just not the same.
If I start her now, I hope she will be in full swing by Thanksgiving. Oh gosh turkey on toasted sourdough. oh....
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
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homemom
True Blue Farmgirl
1593 Posts
Ruth
Warwick
RI
USA
1593 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2009 : 4:28:41 PM
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My mother was in hibernation all summer and then I brought her out because everyone wanted bread. I made my usual loaves and my sponge never rose and the bread did not rise either. The starter was bubbly and looked happy but the bread just wouldn't rise. I tried two more times and it hasn't worked. My last loaf I left out all night to rise and it did but it was too, too sour. I don't know what happened.
Any tips? What could be wrong? I dumped out most of my starter and just saved a very little bit. I washed the bowl in nice hot water and then fed it again. It looks great but haven't used it again. I am afraid it will fail again. I miss the wonderful loaves of bread I was making. Please help!!
Thank you ladies!!
Ruth
Living the farm life in my heart.
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Ruth
http://farmgirlinmyheart.blogspot.com |
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HeatherAnn
True Blue Farmgirl
187 Posts
Heather
Rancho Cucamonga
CA
USA
187 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2009 : 4:32:45 PM
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Ruth,
oh this happened to me! I solved it by sticking the whole thing in the oven on the warm setting for an hour and then it rose right up! my house was right around 70 when it wasn't riding at all, maybe that'll help you too!
Heather Ann
Apartment Farmgirl
"You got to look at all the good on one side and all the bad on the other and say 'Well, alright then.'" - Aunt Eller, Oklahoma
www.plumblossomknits.etsy.com |
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homemom
True Blue Farmgirl
1593 Posts
Ruth
Warwick
RI
USA
1593 Posts |
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HeatherAnn
True Blue Farmgirl
187 Posts
Heather
Rancho Cucamonga
CA
USA
187 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2009 : 8:31:23 PM
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oh what a bummer. I have sucessfully killed mine four times. ha! but I keep trying because the bread is so amazing and I am just so in love with the idea that all I used is water, flour and salt! It just delights me.
I'm going on three weeks right now and this will be my longest yet I think!
we can do this! it's worth the trouble! mmm... i'm about to eat my last piece of 7-grain bread...
Heather Ann
Apartment Farmgirl
"You got to look at all the good on one side and all the bad on the other and say 'Well, alright then.'" - Aunt Eller, Oklahoma
www.plumblossomknits.etsy.com |
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2009 : 04:45:46 AM
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Ruth what was you process for "hibernation"? Let me know and perhaps I can shed some light!
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
www.willowtreecreek.wordpress.com
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homemom
True Blue Farmgirl
1593 Posts
Ruth
Warwick
RI
USA
1593 Posts |
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Farmers Daughter
True Blue Farmgirl
90 Posts
DiAnn
90 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2009 : 06:20:25 AM
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[font=Comic Sans MS]When I was using my original mother she got very sour. Some where back in the many pages of this post (For some resaon I am thinking it might have been March or April that I read it cause my mother was started in FEB and she would have need some time to get sour.) I read to add a bit of baking soda when mixing up the bread. I can't right now remember exactly how much 1/2 tsp or 1 tsp???? I would add it to the starter that I pulled out for making my bread only and then add my other ingredients to make the bread. It really helped.
Maybe someone can remember the exact amount or the page this was talked about.
Just remember ONLY add it to the bread your mixing.
DO NOT to the mother itself.  |
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Farmers Daughter
True Blue Farmgirl
90 Posts
DiAnn
90 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2009 : 07:00:04 AM
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Ok I found the question about being to sour on page 49. It is the 3rd post from the bottom of the page. It mentioned a pinch of baking soda.
Look in a few pages past page 49 for an responce but didn't see one. Might have been scanning to fast or maybe didn't read far enough.
I know I use my measusing spoons to measure out the baking soda when my starter go to sour, but for the life of me can remember how much. |
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2009 : 2:52:36 PM
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Ruth - I apologize for taking so long to respond to you. The refridgerator is really meant to be short term storage and will still need feeding while in the fridge. It can usually handle a day or so without feeding but it is still active (albeit very sleepily) while in the fridge. By going long periods without feeding it you are in a sense starving it. Down here in the hot and humid south I found my starter functioned better in the fridge during the hot months. By keeping it in a bowl with a TIGHT fitting lid and just removing it for about an hour a day to feed it, it remained very active and healthy. When I was going to use it for baking I would remove from the fridge the night before so it would come up to room temperature before using it.
If you want to store your starter for a long period of time the best way is to use the freezer method. MaryJane described this on page 78. This is what she said "In the next couple of weeks, we have many food recipes and food shots due for our next magazine. Meaning, we aren't going to be baking any bread for a couple of weeks so I popped my mother into the freezer. If you hit a rough patch (get sick, lose enthusiasm, etc.), you can easily pop your mother into the freezer. I have some ceramic bowls that have fitted plastic lids that I use, but plastic containers will work. I gave her a morning feeding, let her bubble for a bit, and then I tranferred her to my freezer. She can stay there a few months if need be but I'm sure we'll have her back out much sooner than that. After I remove her from the freezer, I just set her on the counter, covered in a cloth, and she thaws and starts to bubble in no time. As soon as she is completely thawed, I give her a feeding. "
I have also used this method with great success.
DiAnn - I am not sure about the addition of baking soda to combat the sour flavor. I like the sour flavor so I havent tried this. I have heard that pouring off any accumulated hooch will help with this. If you try it out yourself please report back to us on your findings. Again sorry it took so long to respond to your questions!
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
www.willowtreecreek.wordpress.com
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2009 : 2:56:05 PM
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HOLIDAY BAKING
Hi Everyone! With the holidays and colder weather coming up I figure everyone will be more in the mood to do some baking. I am looking for recipe suggestions. If you have a recipe for a holiday treat you would like to see done with sourdough please let me know. It doesnt have to be a sourdough recipe just give me something youd like me to try and I can write the recipe to fit it. Also be sure to refer to our current recipe index on page 105 of this topic. I will repost the index when we reach page 110! Thanks everyone and happy baking!
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
www.willowtreecreek.wordpress.com
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homemom
True Blue Farmgirl
1593 Posts
Ruth
Warwick
RI
USA
1593 Posts |
Posted - Nov 09 2009 : 4:33:34 PM
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Thank you, Julie!!
I threw out most of my starter and just started feeding it again. I made the most amazing bread last Thursday. I will post pics of it on my blog soon!!
Thank you for the advice. I don't think I should have left it in the fridge. Lesson learned. It is now happier than it ever was.
Ruth
Living the farm life in my heart.
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Ruth
http://farmgirlinmyheart.blogspot.com |
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gramadinah
True Blue Farmgirl
3557 Posts
Diana
Orofino
ID
USA
3557 Posts |
Posted - Nov 09 2009 : 5:03:00 PM
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I put mine in the fridge every couple of weeks for up to 10 days when I pull it out I pour off the hootch and feed her and she is ready to go again.
Diana
Farmgirl Sister #273 |
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campchic
True Blue Farmgirl
312 Posts
Erin
Nebraska
USA
312 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2009 : 06:07:01 AM
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I'm starting my mother up again for the winter. We get so busy in the summer & it's way too hot to bake anyway. Wish me luck!!
We loved the sourdough pizza crust!!
Erin
Farmgirl #190
www.concrete-and-grace.blogspot.com |
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
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mom2my2boyz
True Blue Farmgirl
56 Posts
Sarah
MN
USA
56 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2010 : 4:05:25 PM
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I've never posted here before, but just thought I'd drop by to add a couple things I've learned...
Over the summer, life got too busy that I was unable to keeup up with my "mother" so i put her in two quart jars and put her in the freezer! Just last week, I got her out of the freezer, let her thaw in the fridge and then transferred her to my favorite stoneware bowl on the counter. Yay! I missed her so much! Here's what I have learned so far....I had placed the bowl next to my coffee pot on the counter (but on the other side of the wall it was sitting against - was the famous fridgid Minnesota winter temperatures - recently reaching as low as 25* and 30* - BELOW ZERO!) and she just wasn't working and bubbling like I knew she should be - so I moved her to a counter in the middle of my kitchen - where the wall it is sitting against is an ambient temperature - and oh, the difference it has made! She is bubbly and happy now! Also: my "mother" is happiest with white (or whole wheat) flour - I tried rye flour for a few days and she seemed to kind of come to a screeching halt - so I switched back to feeding her white flour and she is happy again.
As for the rising time (again, this is what works for me in our frigid MN winters!) - if left on the countertop to rise, she doesn't hardly move at all - too cold! So today, I placed her near a heat vent and what a difference it made! She rose beautifully (I let her rise for seven hours) and I just pulled her out of the oven (after 50 minutes) - and she is cooling and gorgeous on the counter! :o) Yum!
Also, I don't know about anyone else, but my bread always takes MUCH longer than the 20 minutes Mary Jane says in her magazine to get to 195*-205*...mine takes more like 45-55 minutes!
One last thing (this is getting long, I know...) for supper tonight, I used some of my "mother" starter in my homemade tortilla recipe! I'm not much for measurments, but this is my best guess for what I ended up using....
Sourdough-Based Soft Tortillas
1 3/4 c. sourdough starter
1 c. cornmeal
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1 farm-fresh egg
1/2 c. water
1/4-1/2 c. flour (as much as you need to make the consistency like a thin pancake batter!)
I just dumped everything into a bowl, mixed it thoroughly, and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
Heat griddle to 400* - 425*
Pour approximately 1/2 c. batter onto pre-heated griddle and (with the back of a soup spoon) start in the middle of the batter and slowly work outwards in concentric circles, creating a thin tortilla. Flip when edges begin to turn up and let cook for approx. another 1-2 minutes. Keep warm until ready to serve.
My family loves these and always asks for more!
"So I threw my hands in the air. I was done with Wal-Mart and Wonderbread. I wanted something real."
-Excerpted from Jenna Woginrich's book, "Made from Scratch" a must-read! |
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Farm Kitchen: Bread the MaryJane Way |
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Bread the MaryJane Way
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