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Farm Kitchen:  Bread the MaryJane Way  |
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lupinelady99
True Blue Farmgirl
113 Posts
Lisa
Massena
New York
USA
113 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 30 2009 : 6:14:26 PM
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OK, here is a new index. Not to step on wonderful Julie's toes, but I had some extra time on my hands tonight so wanted to put it to good use.
Mary Jane’s Bread Article pg. 1
Baked French Toast with Apples and Nuts pg. 12
Pancakes pg. 13
San Francisco Style Bread (Ronna) pg. 13
Old Fashioned Biscuits (celticheart) pg. 17
Pancakes (celticheart) pg. 17
Croutons pg. 18
Waffles pg. 19
Buttermilk Biscuits pg. 27
Whole Wheat Biscuits pg. 27
Basic Biscuits pg. 27
Pizza Crust pg. 32
Bagels pg. 43
English Muffins (Ronna) pg. 45
Carrot Cake pg. 47
Bread Machine White Bread w/ added yeast pg. 49
Pecan/Date Bread pg. 51
Dog Treats pg. 53
Banana Cake (pearlgirl) pg. 54
Honey Wheat Oatmeal Bread (parisknight) pg. 62
Croissant pg. 63
Mary Jane’s Flour pg. 63
Pumpernickel Bread pg. 65
Chocolate Chip Cookies (GailMN) pg. 66
Cake-Like Brownies pg. 67
Sideways Sourdough Fruit Cake (lupinelady99) pg. 67
Sourdough Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce (lupinelady99) pg. 67
Drying Starter (Ronna) pg. 67
Sourdough Bran Bread (lupinelady99) pg. 67
Sourdough Applesauce Cake (lupinelady99) pg. 68
Sourdough Chiffon Cake (lupinelady99) pg. 68
Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies (lupinelady99) pg. 68
Sourdough Spice Cookies with Maple Frosting (lupinelady99) pg. 68
Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies (lupinelady99) pg. 68
Black Bean and Chipotle Bread (lupinelady99) pg. 68
Seven Grain Cereal Bread (lupinelady99) pg. 68
Sourdough Oatmeal Coconut Cookies (lupinelady99) pg. 68
Sourdough Sugar Cookies (lupinelady99) pg. 68
Sourdough pretzel recipe (lupinelady99) pg. 68
Increasing Starter for more baking pg. 72
Too sour starter discussion/tips pg. 72
Oatmeal Quick Bread pg. 74
Sourdough Blueberry Muffins pg. 76
Blueberry Sourdough Breakfast Bread pg. 76
Chocolate Bread pg. 76
Sourdough Rolled Chocolate Cookies pg. 76
Shelburne Chocolate Waffles pg. 76
Sourdough Hot Cross Buns pg. 77
Tomato Basil Garlic Farmhouse White pg. 77
Adding Starter to recipes (Ronna) pg. 77
Starter Safety (Ronna) pg. 77
Freezing Starter (Mary Jane) pg. 78
Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies (GailMN) pg. 78
Rocky Mountain Corn Bread pg. 78
Dakota Prairie Muffins pg. 78
Doctor’s Sourdough Bread pg. 78
Sourdough Applesauce Donuts pg. 78
Converting Recipes & Reactivate Starter (Mary Jane) pg. 78
Adding sourdough to non-bread recipes (Willowcreek Julie) pg. 78
http://www.myspace.com/lupinelady99 |
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lupinelady99
True Blue Farmgirl
113 Posts
Lisa
Massena
New York
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - Mar 30 2009 : 6:39:12 PM
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Sourdough pasta
3 cups wholemeal flour
1 cup sourdough starter
6 egg yolks
A pinch or two of salt
Mix together the ingredients and knead into a smooth and elastic dough that doesn't stick to your hands (takes about 10 minutes). Depending on how wet your starter is you may need a little more water or a little more flour. Leave overnight for the sourdough beasties to do their thing getting rid of anti nutrients. Roll out as thin as possible and cut into whichever pasta shapes you would like (or use a pasta machine if you have one and want neat and fancy pasta). Use lots of flour (I used white flour for this) when rolling out and cutting. This can either be cook straight away (it only takes a moment to cook when fresh so beware of over cooking) or you can spread it out on the counter to dry. It takes a few hours but then you can store it to cook later.
The sourdough makes the pasta very easily digestible and it isn't overly sour.
http://www.myspace.com/lupinelady99 |
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farmmom22
True Blue Farmgirl
616 Posts
Tammy
Scottsville
KY
USA
616 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2009 : 10:13:11 AM
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Hi girls! I know this has probably been covered but I don't think my eyes can stand to read 70+ pages to find out the answer to my question!
This morning my mother had mold growing in it. I started it Sunday with distilled water and organic white flour. Each day I've been adding what it's called for and keep it covered with a dry dishtowel. So what did I do wrong? Do I need to start over? I'm assuming I do. Ugh! I was hoping for fresh bread this weekend. Thanks, Tammy
http://afarmgirljourney.blogspot.com/
Farmgirl Sister #492
Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. -Carl Bard |
Edited by - farmmom22 on Apr 01 2009 10:13:50 AM |
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sjs
True Blue Farmgirl
247 Posts
Stephanie
Oakland
CA
USA
247 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2009 : 10:26:43 AM
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Lisa, thanks for that recipe! Will DEFINITELY try that. I wonder if it will work with spelt?
Tammy, is your house very humid? I'm sorry about your mold :(
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Learning to live is learning to let go.
Visit my food blog! http://www.wasabimon.com - natural cooking to live for.
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lupinelady99
True Blue Farmgirl
113 Posts
Lisa
Massena
New York
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2009 : 10:48:24 AM
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Stephanie, it is worth a try.
Tammy, I'm not sure what happened to your Mother. There are a lot of factors so it is hard to single any one thing out. Once I read that starting a sourdough starter from scratch has many possibilities...great baking, mold, or wall paper paste...that is the adventure of it. On page 63 Mary Jane talked a lot about not all organic flour being created equally if you missed that it is well worth flipping back to read it.
I wish that there was something more helpful that any of us could give you for an answer. Try not to get discouraged because it really is worth the effort. If you don't feel brave enough to try this again there are many other starter recipes, you can buy a starter, or beg/borrow from a friend (someone on this list might have some to send to you if you cover the shipping).
http://www.myspace.com/lupinelady99 |
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sjs
True Blue Farmgirl
247 Posts
Stephanie
Oakland
CA
USA
247 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2009 : 11:40:12 AM
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While we're on the subject of fermented breads, has anyone here tried to make injera? It's the flatbread that you get with Ethiopian food. It's really, really amazing.
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Learning to live is learning to let go.
Visit my food blog! http://www.wasabimon.com - natural cooking to live for.
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candela59
Farmgirl in Training
35 Posts
Peggy
White Swan
WA
USA
35 Posts |
Posted - Apr 02 2009 : 12:26:35 PM
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Okay, I made the Sourdough Cake-like Brownies this afternoon and they're just wonderful! They have such a rich, not overly sweet taste and fudgy texture. I think Julie used an 8x11-inch pan for hers and I used a 9x13-inch pan, so mine were a little thinner and fudgier. Just a great, easy recipe. Thanks Julie :)
I also just took a loaf of the Farmhouse White Bread out of the oven and it is cooling on a rack. This is my second attempt at the bread and I can report so far a much more successful venture. It rose quite nicely in the pan all morning and I could tell it was much "lighter" and not quite so brick like when I took it out of the pan. It is still cooling, so I haven't had a piece yet. Also, I'm still full from the brownie! I don't think all of this baking is going to be very beneficial to my waist line!
I'll let you know how the bread turned out...
Happy Baking!
Peggy
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www.thewanderlustgirl.blogspot.com
"Happiness is not having what you want, it is wanting what you have."
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lupinelady99
True Blue Farmgirl
113 Posts
Lisa
Massena
New York
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - Apr 02 2009 : 1:38:11 PM
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Peggy, actually this baking is much healthier than doing things from mixes or buying stuff because YOU control what goes into them. In fact a lot of research is being done that is showing promising signs that sourdough is better for diabetic people because of the lactic acid in it.
Glad you had a great day in the kitchen.
I put a cup of starter into the freezer as a "back up" supply today. Next week I've got to be out of town for my daughter in law's surgery, so am worried about losing my starter. Decided to send it out to my late-husband's father to babysit for me since he is a whiz in the kitchen and is always so willing to do things to help me out. As I sat making arrangements for the house, my pets, my plants, my sourdough, and all those things it made me laugh to be picking out "suitable" baby sitters for each like I had to do when putting the kids in daycare of and on over the years when I would work outside the house.
http://www.myspace.com/lupinelady99 |
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candela59
Farmgirl in Training
35 Posts
Peggy
White Swan
WA
USA
35 Posts |
Posted - Apr 02 2009 : 3:04:03 PM
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Lisa~ I've read many good things about sourdough. I actually have some digestive problems and it is one of the few breads I can eat without experiencing painful side effects! I'm one of those people that when I eat the super-duper fiber/nuts/healthy bread I feel like I need an intestinal transplant...ouch! I've always most of my food from scratch. I've never been into "time-saving" mixes and things like that. I find them very unappetizing. Hope your starter does okay at the babysitters! It is like anything that we invest our time, love and care in...we want to keep it safe....
Okay, I couldn't wait any longer and I went ahead and tasted my freshly baked farmhouse loaf. I was in taste bud heaven. It had such a nice crumb, crispy but thin crust and just the right amount of "sour" taste. I am baking mine in a stoneware 2 qt. casserole because I can't find a cast-iron saucepan anywhere and I refuse to pay more in S&H charges than the pot costs! It was soooo good. I'm so happy with the result. I was really beginning to doubt the ability of the starter to carry a loaf on its own without the addition of yeast. I'm so glad I was proved wrong!!
www.thewanderlustgirl.blogspot.com
"Happiness is not having what you want, it is wanting what you have."
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bookchick
Farmgirl at Heart
4 Posts
Donna
Ft Worth
TX
Ukraine
4 Posts |
Posted - Apr 02 2009 : 5:03:31 PM
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I live near Ft Worth and found the only problem with the wild weather occured on baking day. I left it on the counter to rise but unfortunately didn't have the heat on (much to the kiddo's dismay). It didn't rise. I think this week I'll try leaving it in the oven with the oven light on.
donna
quote:
Originally posted by janiee
I have a question....I live in Texas and right now the weather is jumping up and down (lows in 30 highs in 60-70)...will that effect my starter? I live in an older house (very drafty) stove is right by north side back door ...so cannot leave it in the kitchen area..maybe a bedroom on the south side of the house might work (away from windows)...??
janiee
farmgirl #390
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bookchick
Farmgirl at Heart
4 Posts
Donna
Ft Worth
TX
Ukraine
4 Posts |
Posted - Apr 02 2009 : 5:07:50 PM
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Connie-
A word to the wise...stout doesn't smell like cat vomit. LOL! For a few days my daughter was complaining that the cat must have thrown up in the kitchen. Then hubby started complaining. Turns out my "mother" went bad. Not sure what happened. I did use a metal spoon one day to stir it, but not sure if that would do it. I started another one and it smelled like sourdough all week.
donna
quote:
Originally posted by KansasConnie
When I rec'd my magazine this week I was so excited! I love sourdough and usually use the type that involves yeast...but this will be so much better!! I can't wait to start the mother! Has anyone started any yet?
Kansas Connie
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bookchick
Farmgirl at Heart
4 Posts
Donna
Ft Worth
TX
Ukraine
4 Posts |
Posted - Apr 02 2009 : 5:14:35 PM
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My suggestion is that you start another one at the same time. My first one smelled gross, my second one smelled just like sourdough. I threw the first one out and chalked it up to experience. As mentioned previously, the bad one smelled like cat vomit. Sorry to be so gross, but I can't think of a nice way to put it. The comparison should help, though.
donna
quote:
Originally posted by homergirl1957
ok i am on day 4 of my starter and the mother she a smella quite a funky. sour in a pungent sort of way, not particularly beer like. but it is bubbling already . could someone help me out with the smell. can it go bad?
thanks,
cathy
in the midst of difficulty lies opportunity.-a. einstein
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bookchick
Farmgirl at Heart
4 Posts
Donna
Ft Worth
TX
Ukraine
4 Posts |
Posted - Apr 02 2009 : 5:18:58 PM
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Annie-
I also had the no rise issue. This week I have grey spots around the edges (no fur) but I'm wondering if it's mold. Do I have the plate too open, not open enough? Should I keep wetting my towel or is the plate keeping the towel wet and encouraging mold?
Also, does it smell differently the 2nd week? It smelled like sourdough the first week, this week it seems a bit stronger.
donna
quote:
Originally posted by Amie C.
I had the heavy loaf/no rise problem the first Saturday I baked, so I just want to report that I got much better results this weekend. Delicious, in fact!
I'm not sure if that's because my starter was a week older and that much more mature, or if it's because I set the dough to rise on top of a heating pad (low setting). Either way, lovely bread.
I did make another rookie mistake in following the directions. I was doing the pan-free bread baked on a cookie sheet. Mary Jane's recipe says to make "2 grapefruit-sized loafs" or "4 orange-sized loafs". Well, when I looked at the "sticky water balloon" of dough in my hands, it looked like I had 1 grapefruit. So I just made 1 loaf, and as it rose it burst and spread all over the place. No big deal, but I got a very wide, flat loaf. I think perhaps the instructions mean to say "grapefruit-sized after rising". Either that or my conception of what a grapefruit looks like is way overblown.
Bottom line: make 2 loaves, whether it looks like a grapefruit to you or not.
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
Posted - Apr 02 2009 : 6:14:32 PM
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Yes the grey spots are mold. I would suggest scooping it into a new bowl and continuing but watch closely for mold. I alwaystry to scrape down the sides of my bowl well
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
www.willowtreecreek.wordpress.com
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Londa
Farmgirl in Training
21 Posts
Londa
Savona
NY
USA
21 Posts |
Posted - Apr 02 2009 : 6:20:09 PM
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| Thank you Mary Jane for posting pictures back on page 38. I am new here and am on my 4th week of sourdough bread. First week=rocks, second week=doorstop, third week= bread, but did not rise very well. Still ate it! This week I am going to try the olive bread. Seeing your pictures has helped me alot! I just love this site, your magazine, all the Farmgirl sisters... I just can't seem to get enough. I have a wedding to help prepare, but don't know which forum to go to, to ask for help. Anyone out there give me directions, I will be very greatful. Thank you kindly. Love, Londa |
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Farmers Daughter
True Blue Farmgirl
90 Posts
DiAnn
90 Posts |
Posted - Apr 03 2009 : 07:49:31 AM
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| Speaking of olive bread. I was thinking about giving the olive garlic bread a try. When it says 1/2 cup of pitted chopped olives. Can I just use the black olives in a can that are already chopped up? I don't buy olives that often, so really don't know to much about what is the best to use. In the magazine the picture of the bread looks like they are black olives, but guess they could be the green ones too and they turn dark when baked???? Just checking. |
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candela59
Farmgirl in Training
35 Posts
Peggy
White Swan
WA
USA
35 Posts |
Posted - Apr 03 2009 : 09:14:36 AM
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DiAnn~ Your boss! I would use whatever I liked best. That's the beauty of baking from scratch...you control what and how much goes in. Experiment and find out what works best for you and your family! Happy baking! Peggy :)
www.thewanderlustgirl.blogspot.com
"Happiness is not having what you want, it is wanting what you have."
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urban farm girl
True Blue Farmgirl
80 Posts
Melissa
Posen
IL
USA
80 Posts |
Posted - Apr 03 2009 : 7:04:44 PM
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| today I made the olive garlic bread and I used kalamata olives because thats all I had....mmmmm big time Yum. I really liked the flavor it gave...the bread was very moist...I was pleased...just a happy farm girl!!! |
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lupinelady99
True Blue Farmgirl
113 Posts
Lisa
Massena
New York
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - Apr 04 2009 : 12:45:00 AM
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I was doing a little reading on the subject of Desem in a book written by Laurel Robertson and came across something that might apply to our sourdough experience. The Desem is similar but not exactly what we are doing with Mary Jane's methods. It has the same ingredients of flour and water.
The book stated that using distilled water was not good because the Desem needed the minerals in the water to get going properly. It said that if your tap water was chlorinated that it would be acceptable to boil it and then leave it uncovered overnight. So if you are using distilled water for your sourdough and it is working...then keep doing what you are doing. However, if you aren't having good luck with distilled water then maybe try using spring water or dechlorinated water.
Another interesting aspect mentioned is once the Desem gets mature, it states that if you have a drop in performace (rise and or density of loaves) the problem may be too much alcohol in the starter. It states that you have to revitalize it by dilluting it with flour and water to return the proper balance. It might mean tossing some of the starter out but the end result is worth it if the performance returns to the expected. I think my starter is having that problem and I'm going to try to fix it up in the morning. Today my starter wasn't as active as it has been and it really smelled alcoholic tonight. So, in lieu of "ify" bread I think that I'll concentrate on using my excess starter to make a big batch of doggie treats.
Another interesting point was made about temperature. I know that many of us have commented about how our starter performs, acts, or smells when the weather changes at home. This author stated that if the temperature is above 70 degrees the souring organisms are in an optimum environment, and if the temperature falls below 50 degrees the leavening organisms go into hibernation. This must be a pretty universal measurement and might be something to watch and see how it correlates to our own sourdough.
Now I know that our sourdough starter via the Mary Jane Method is slightly different than the Desem method, but these points seemed worth bring up to spirit some thought, discussion and learning. If anyone feels confused, just stick to Mary Jane's advice and disregard my post.
Happy Baking!
http://www.myspace.com/lupinelady99 |
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pamcook
True Blue Farmgirl
228 Posts
Pam
Chapel Hill
NC
USA
228 Posts |
Posted - Apr 04 2009 : 06:37:17 AM
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Week 1 - my bread dough felt like biscuit dough. I seperated it into 2 loaves - one had oatmeal added to it (using the whole cracked grain recipe in the magazine article) and the other was the cinnamon raisin recipe. When I got home from work yesterday, they hadn't risen at all (about 68 degrees in the house). I put the loaves in the oven overnight with the oven light on. This morning - did they rise? maybe a tiny bit? What the heck, I baked them in some Longaberger serving bowl pottery pieces at 400 degrees (should have put parchment in the bottom). Oh please, oh please, let them be edible...in the mean time, I watched mother bubbling away (week 2 could be better!).
Does anything taste better than homemade bread?? Yes, homemade bread with homemade butter. Success!! Okay, they could have risen more but the taste & texture...yuuummmm...(hm - don't know how to add a photo)
www.ikat.org |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Apr 04 2009 : 07:41:44 AM
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Pam- it usually takes about 4-6 weeks for the mother to really mature into good rises, so don't give up if the first couple bakings don't rise very well. There are some great recipes on this thread for adding flavor to pancakes and other things that are a perfect use for the more immature starter the first couple of weeks.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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lupinelady99
True Blue Farmgirl
113 Posts
Lisa
Massena
New York
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - Apr 04 2009 : 09:43:45 AM
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Ok, yesterday my starter was really pouting (it was the end of week 5). There was no mold, and only a small amount of bubbles. It also had a very alcoholic smell to it but no visable "hooch". This week was busy and I didn't plan on doing much baking so only was feeding her once a day to keep the volume to a manageable level. The weather has also been really unpredictable here with 60s earlier in the week and then down to the 30s.
So I decided early this morning to try to dillute the acidity/alcohol of the starter and see if that would get it active again. I fed the approximately 2 cups of starter with 1 cup of flour and 3/4 cup of water and stirred it up really well. Placed the cloth back over the bowl and went to the other side of the kitchen to fix a cup of coffee and rinse the bowl scrapper. It was one of those rare times when the house was entirely quiet and before the time it took me to put cream in my coffee you could hear the starter come alive. Walked over to the bowl and was shocked to see how quickly it had started to bubble madly. Several hours later I gave it a good stirring and a single feeding and the bubbles were all throughout the starter again and it had a slightly poofy texture. The smell was much more mild too.
So, I guess the problem was that my starter was out of balance and starving. It had grown accustomed to having 2 to 3 feedings a day and pouted when I slowed down to only 1 per day. Of course it means that there is a lot of starter now. So, I'll make a couple big batches of dog treats and freeze some, share them with friends and the animal shelter.
http://www.myspace.com/lupinelady99 |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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lupinelady99
True Blue Farmgirl
113 Posts
Lisa
Massena
New York
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - Apr 04 2009 : 2:59:55 PM
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Alee, they sure seem to. I had one of those creepy minutes out in the kitchen while fixing coffee when it came awake where once again I was reminded that I read too many horror novels, lol. Scoped out the nearest exit just in case.
I should have spent the starter down a lot more before cutting back on the feedings in hindsight. When I cut the feedings down so much, I still had an awful lot of hungry beasties in there and they obviously got angry with me and I'm probably lucky not to have lost the whole thing. So, just another learning experience in the kitchen!
http://www.myspace.com/lupinelady99 |
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Farm Kitchen: Bread the MaryJane Way |
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Bread the MaryJane Way
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