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Farm Kitchen:  Sourdough starter swap  |
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Huckelberrywine
True Blue Farmgirl
1607 Posts
Michelle
Rosalia
1607 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 03 2007 : 3:46:55 PM
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Have any of you tried Mary Jane's recipe for a sourdough starter? I have been thinking of giving it a try, and then I wondered if the starters from different regions would have different flavors, due to the regional yeast differences. I used to have a sourdough beastie, but it was a casualty when I moved.
Would anyone be interested in an experiment? We could start our own starters, then swap samples with each other, and have our own taste tests?
Let me know what you think.
We make a difference. |
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Cindy Lee
True Blue Farmgirl
510 Posts
Cindy
Sparks
Nevada
USA
510 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2007 : 3:59:47 PM
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Michelle, that would be a great idea but I think we all got our starters from Ronna and they would all taste alike!
Just kidding, I'm sure there are plenty of them out there to have fun with. I would join but I DID get mine from Ronna. I plan on making buscuits with it tonight! The recipe that I use is from MJ's book and is very good, not too crazy about the pancakes so use another recipe for those.
Good luck on the swap! Cindy
If life gives you scraps, make quilts! |
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jo Thompson
True Blue Farmgirl
603 Posts
Jo
the mountainside of the Chugach
in Alaska
USA
603 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2007 : 7:21:59 PM
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Ronna's is actually the best, I have three, all have uniquely different flavors. I've baked with all three and hands down, people say Ronna has a really excellent flavor, I love to take the top off of the starter and take a big whiff!! jo
"life is drab without a lab"
http://homepage.mac.com/thomja/Anchorage/PhotoAlbum15.html |
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Ronna
True Blue Farmgirl
1891 Posts
Ronna
Fernley
NV
USA
1891 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2007 : 8:33:37 PM
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Can you see me blushing? I'm so glad those of you who are using my starter enjoy it. Phil's
Ann says though mine smells different from her King Arthur, she did a side by side test baking and they taste the same when baked.
Ronna |
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Ronna
True Blue Farmgirl
1891 Posts
Ronna
Fernley
NV
USA
1891 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2007 : 11:38:55 PM
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Hey Jo, maybe the mushers need to carry some starter to smell when they get sleepy, it could be like smelling salts and wake them right up! I see the Iditarod has started. We know the dogs would just eat it :) Maybe I can have the rights to be the official Iditarod sourdough starter supplier?
Ronna |
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Huckelberrywine
True Blue Farmgirl
1607 Posts
Michelle
Rosalia
1607 Posts |
Posted - Mar 04 2007 : 10:14:57 AM
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Wow, that's great! I had a favorite one too. When one tastes just right, why mess with perfection? I got mine from a family friend. He brought it from Alaska, and in the 50's he used to have my dad's family over for pancakes Saturday mornings. I went to visit him in the 90's after my dad's family had moved. We got to talking about sourdough, and he said he'd lost his. I subsequently shared some of mine (a continuation of his) with him, and he was so moved I've never forgotten it. I really regret having lost that piece of living history. He claimed it was one of the old 100 yr. old Alaskan sourdoughs....like your Iditarod, Ronna.
I'm so glad to hear about your successes with sourdough, it's encoraging. What's the story behind your starter, Ronna? Sounds like it's a real winner.
We make a difference. |
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jo Thompson
True Blue Farmgirl
603 Posts
Jo
the mountainside of the Chugach
in Alaska
USA
603 Posts |
Posted - Mar 04 2007 : 5:55:02 PM
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I think "Ronna's Iditarod Restarter" sounds great! We were out hiking today, thinking you'd have to carry it on your chest to keep it warm! Ronna's is more vigorous than King Arthur's, I guess I would say more roBUST.......... Maybe I should market this,,,,,,,,,, hmmmmmmm jo
"life is drab without a lab"
http://homepage.mac.com/thomja/Anchorage/PhotoAlbum15.html |
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Ronna
True Blue Farmgirl
1891 Posts
Ronna
Fernley
NV
USA
1891 Posts |
Posted - Mar 04 2007 : 6:29:57 PM
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more roBUST..........
Love it JO.. Yes, I think that would keep it warm. Mother said she used to warm my baby bottle between her legs when they traveled, but I don't think I'd want to keep the starter warm that way :) I know the sourdoughs would keep it in the flour keg in the summer, away from bugs and sleep with it in the winter to keep it warm. My MIL said they kept it on the shelf above the wood stove in the Kansas winters.
I emailed Michelle the ''history'' of the starter, didn't want to bore anyone with the details again and was too lazy to find the post in the archives.
Ronna |
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Vintage Redhead
True Blue Farmgirl
233 Posts
Kaylyn
Saint Charles
IL
USA
233 Posts |
Posted - Mar 07 2007 : 08:29:53 AM
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I'm *SO* glad I found this topic here!!
I just started my starter on Sunday evening. I hope I'm not the fool that I think I may be in this arena. My starter isn't bubbly yet, and it isn't very smelly yet. (I know - it's still only Wednesday...but I live in the 'burbs, I get impatient! ;-) )
Anyhow...I'm hoping that I didn't screw it up by using MJ's "Whole Wheat Budget Mix." I know it said to use flour, but I've never done this before. And oddly enough, I generally don't keep plain flour around the house (DH and I try to avoid a high-carb diet.) Since it didn't have any shortening or oils added to the mix, I figured why not go ahead and see what happens?
But now I'm second guessing myself...and wondering if anyone else has ever done this "experiment" before. ~ K
~ Kaylyn
(Living in Suburbia with a FARMGIRL Heart!)
My Current Cause: http://nickspavilion.blogspot.com/ |
Edited by - Vintage Redhead on Mar 07 2007 08:31:12 AM |
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Ronna
True Blue Farmgirl
1891 Posts
Ronna
Fernley
NV
USA
1891 Posts |
Posted - Mar 07 2007 : 10:34:46 AM
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Kaylyn,
Me thinks you aren't going to have a starter using MJ's Budget Mix. It's just going to sit there. Baking powder and baking soda aren't in sourdough and salt is added when you're making a loaf of bread, not in the starter. I'd better clarify that a bit; some recipes for sourdough bread do have a bit of baking soda, but not most.
I don't mean to be rude, but if you're avoiding carbs, why make sourdough?
If you really want to make a starter, you'll need flour. Sorry to burst your bubble.
Ronna |
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Huckelberrywine
True Blue Farmgirl
1607 Posts
Michelle
Rosalia
1607 Posts |
Posted - Mar 07 2007 : 1:56:51 PM
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Well, Kaylyn, I'm glad you found this topic too. I hope Ronna's advice helps, it's right on the money. You are NOT a fool. Sourdough starters are confusing at first. There is a lot of variety in the flavor you get, depending on what kind of wild yeast you are lucky enough to catch.
Be sure you have a recipe for sourdough starter, not a sourdough recipe that already requires you to have a starter. And be sure you know what to feed it. Some take milk and flour, some water and flour. If you have a potato starter, I've heard they prefer potato rinse water, but I haven't tried one of those. Don't let metal touch your starter, it reacts with the acids and yeast and can kill your yeast beasties. I use glass and wood. It doesn't matter so much what you do with the part you take away from the starter "mother" since you're about to cook it anyway.
I hope I'm not making this sound worse than it is.
Hang in there Kaylyn, and start again. I'd be interested to hear how it goes for you.
We make a difference. |
Edited by - Huckelberrywine on Mar 09 2007 3:52:10 PM |
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Vintage Redhead
True Blue Farmgirl
233 Posts
Kaylyn
Saint Charles
IL
USA
233 Posts |
Posted - Mar 07 2007 : 2:23:45 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Ronna
I don't mean to be rude, but if you're avoiding carbs, why make sourdough?
It's not that we avoid carbs altogether, it's that we try to avoid a high-carb diet. DH consumes *way* too much bread, but I for the most part take it or leave it. (Except for croissants and sourdough. And I'm certainly not going to spend days folding butter into dough to make croissants. Sourdough starter is much easier.)
The other reason for doing it: I've never done it before. And there are certain things that I must do in my life. As a cook, it has always been a personal objective to cultivate my own sourdough starter and share it with my friends. It is one of those quirky "Life Accomplishments" that I can check off of my list ten years down the road when people roll their eyes or run the other way if they see me coming with a batch of sourdough starter! ;-)
I'm also a big fan of kitchen science. I know that when I can show my boys something around the house that uses math and/or science in a "...practical application..." they get interested. I think it's fine that a 6- and 7-y/o understand that bread is both a mathematical equation, a chemical process, and a semantic deviation. They certainly aren't learning any of those concepts in school at this age...and by the time most of their peers will, the opportunity to have captured their interest and imagination will have been long-since passed.
I know it probably sounds really corny, but that's why I limit my carbs - *and* want to make sourdough. I don't see the two as being incongruous. ~ K
~ Kaylyn
(Living in Suburbia with a FARMGIRL Heart!)
My Current Cause: http://nickspavilion.blogspot.com/ |
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Cindy Lee
True Blue Farmgirl
510 Posts
Cindy
Sparks
Nevada
USA
510 Posts |
Posted - Mar 07 2007 : 6:31:30 PM
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| Ronna, The bread we make from your starter ISN'T carb free? I suppose it isn't low cal either! You're lettin' me down girl! |
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Ronna
True Blue Farmgirl
1891 Posts
Ronna
Fernley
NV
USA
1891 Posts |
Posted - Mar 07 2007 : 10:09:40 PM
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Well Cindy, I suppose if you just eat the starter, it's not to high in carbs or calories. I understand from Jo that Lab's love it! Personally, I'll pass. I never understood how son Jerry's buddy thought it was hollandiase for broccoli, the kid who at dog chow at home as a kid. Maybe if you can eat dog chow, sourdough starter isn't bad...I do like the sourdough smell, but don't care to taste it.
Kaylyn, try again and you'll probably do just fine. Only color that's bad is red for starter, if it turns red, it's gone bad and has to be tossed. Otherwise, stir the ''hooch'' back in when you feed it and enjoy.
Once you get it going, it's very forgiving.
Ronna |
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Huckelberrywine
True Blue Farmgirl
1607 Posts
Michelle
Rosalia
1607 Posts |
Posted - Mar 08 2007 : 07:10:48 AM
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Well, I've gathered up all my sourdough starter recipes and I've decided it's time to start a few with different ingredients. Experiment 1: potato starter
Experiment 2: yogurt starter (Ronna, I found the 1988 Sunset article)
Experiment 3: MJ's Whole Wheat starter
I'll keep you up to date with the results. If it works, I'll have some to share. If anyone else wants to try their own new starter experiments, and chat about the results here and/or start a swap for those of us who missed the last one, let me know. Wish me luck. I'll have a taste test and compare these with the one Ronna is sending (thanks so much Ronna).
We make a difference. |
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Vintage Redhead
True Blue Farmgirl
233 Posts
Kaylyn
Saint Charles
IL
USA
233 Posts |
Posted - Mar 08 2007 : 10:55:16 AM
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My *experiment* has gone bubbly and stinky!
I had several meetings yesterday, so I didn't pitch it during the day. When I got home last night, I lifted the towel to pitch it and *VOILA!* it had nearly halved again in size and was super bubbly...but not too much of an odor. Well, *that* changed this a.m. which I noticed when I walked into the kitchen. Who'da thunk it?
Of course, the final proof will be twofold: how it serves as the sponge (I think *IF* it serves as a sponge could be more accurate); and how/if it will bake the loaf. I don't know what to expect...but it certainly is funny at this point. DH keeps calling it my "Flour Frankenstein."
So what do I have to lose? If it doesn't work, I get the correct ingredients and start over. And I demonstrate to my boys that it's okay to make a mistake (and the importance to start with the right ingredients!)
Thanks to all of you Sourdough Divas for your fabulous sense of humor about this. And for all of your awesome tips and stories! And most especially: for going easy on me and not (in the virtual arena) smacking me upside the head. I'm not a *total* dolt - just green. I appreciate your expertise and words of wisdom and kindness and encouragement! ~ Kaylyn
~ Kaylyn
(Living in Suburbia with a FARMGIRL Heart!)
My Current Cause: http://nickspavilion.blogspot.com/ |
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Cindy Lee
True Blue Farmgirl
510 Posts
Cindy
Sparks
Nevada
USA
510 Posts |
Posted - Mar 08 2007 : 7:08:29 PM
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| Kaylyn, Sounds like you are off and runnin' It's a lot of fun to play with and a word of advise, make the buscuits from the Mj book and your husband will be thrilled! CINDY |
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Ronna
True Blue Farmgirl
1891 Posts
Ronna
Fernley
NV
USA
1891 Posts |
Posted - Mar 08 2007 : 8:04:40 PM
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Michelle,
It will be interesting for you to compare a ''new'' starter from the Sunset magazine recipe with one that's been going for about 10 or 11 years. Usually, the aroma gets better with age, but we'll see if the end product is any different. I honestly don't remember what they said to feed it with-I use warm water and flour. Glad you found the recipe, I know I had it in a file for awhile before using it. I'll get mine out of the fridge and feed it tonite so I can share.
Ronna |
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Phils Ann
True Blue Farmgirl
1095 Posts
Ann
Parsonsburg
Maryland
USA
1095 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2007 : 08:51:00 AM
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Cindy, I made MaryJane's sourdough bisquits yesterday and, like you, was very pleased! So light... and really good.
There is a Redeemer. |
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Cindy Lee
True Blue Farmgirl
510 Posts
Cindy
Sparks
Nevada
USA
510 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2007 : 6:22:34 PM
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| Ann, They are great huh? But....the pancakes....ah, I'd try another recipe. Take my word on that one! Cindy |
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Phils Ann
True Blue Farmgirl
1095 Posts
Ann
Parsonsburg
Maryland
USA
1095 Posts |
Posted - Mar 10 2007 : 08:06:13 AM
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Cindy, I posted a pancake recipe under the thread about MaryJane's Sourdough.... a search might help, but as I remember, it was under the heading "Try This". I make thin pancakes, so if you like them thicker, do add some flour. My recipe has maple syrup in it, but another sweetener would work fine, I feel sure.
Ann
There is a Redeemer. |
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Huckelberrywine
True Blue Farmgirl
1607 Posts
Michelle
Rosalia
1607 Posts |
Posted - Mar 13 2007 : 07:34:47 AM
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Of the three starters on my fireplace mantle, the potato starter was the first to bubble up and begin to look right. The yogurt starter has a way to go, as does the MJ starter.
Once they have matured, I'll have to give those biscuits a try, they sure look good.
Here's my favorite sourdough bread recipe. The tang in the apricots goes so well with a nicely aged sourdough.
1/2 cup starter (room temp.)
1/2 cup warm milk (90 deg.)
1 1/2 cup flour
1 lg. egg
1 cup sugar
3 TBsp salad oil or melted butter
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup each walnuts and dried apricots (all chopped)
Mix starter, milk and flour in bowl, let sit a day in a warm spot until it bubbles.
In a lg. bowl, beat egg, sugar, oil, and starter mixture.
In a sep. bowl, combine the rest of the dry ingredients. Add to the wet mixture and stir until evenly moistened.
Pour batter into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 55-60 min.
Source: Sunset Mag. 1988 from Nell Rogers Lane, Novato CA
We make a difference. |
Edited by - Huckelberrywine on Mar 13 2007 12:33:31 PM |
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Phils Ann
True Blue Farmgirl
1095 Posts
Ann
Parsonsburg
Maryland
USA
1095 Posts |
Posted - Mar 13 2007 : 08:54:49 AM
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That looks like a GOOD bread recipe, Michele! Thanks for posting it.
Ann
There is a Redeemer. |
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Ronna
True Blue Farmgirl
1891 Posts
Ronna
Fernley
NV
USA
1891 Posts |
Posted - Mar 13 2007 : 7:17:53 PM
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It does sound like a good recipe, Michelle. Usually can't go wrong with a Sunset recipe (or
Southern Living). You should have received the starter I sent you and can play around with it too. Look forward to more reports from you.
Ronna |
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Vintage Redhead
True Blue Farmgirl
233 Posts
Kaylyn
Saint Charles
IL
USA
233 Posts |
Posted - Mar 14 2007 : 08:39:41 AM
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Well ladies - it was an interesting try! I'll be the first to admit, it didn't work. My "attempt" with MJ's Budget Mix seemed to take off the middle of last week. But I've baked enough bread and eaten enough sourdough to know that the sponge wasn't working properly. There wasn't enough loft...no matter how long I extended the rise time.
Suffice to say: I'm getting *flour* and starting over! No big. I'll just start it this weekend so I can always "borrow" on the weekend.
What type of jar / bowl / receptacle do you all use? I was using a glazed ceramic bowl and covering it with a towl (per MJs recipe) but it just keeps getting dried out on top. Whatever I use needs to be pretty sizeable. Any suggestions? ~ Kaylyn
~ Kaylyn
(Living in Suburbia with a FARMGIRL Heart!)
My Current Cause: http://nickspavilion.blogspot.com/ |
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Phils Ann
True Blue Farmgirl
1095 Posts
Ann
Parsonsburg
Maryland
USA
1095 Posts |
Posted - Mar 14 2007 : 2:18:01 PM
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I cover mine with saran wrap while it's out of the fridge, but it isn't taut, but sort of loose. When it's inside, I use a 1 quart crock with a lid.
There is a Redeemer. |
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Farm Kitchen: Sourdough starter swap |
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Sourdough starter swap
