Gack Yack

I ordered a sourdough starter from King Arthur Flour. I followed the directions and ended up with what I think is a good solid starter. Yesterday I decided to make my first sourdough bread. I used a recipe from here with a few minor changes:

* 2 Cups of starter
* 2-3 Cups of whole wheat flour (recipe called for 3, I could only knead in 2)
* 1/2 tablespoons of oil (next time I will omit the oil)
* 4 teaspoons of sugar
* 2 teaspoons of no-salt

To the starter, add the sugar, salt, and oil . Mix well, then knead in the flour a half-cup at a time. Knead in enough flour to make a good, flexible bread dough. I did the kneading with my bare hands.

I let the dough rise in a warm place – about 4 hours. Some starters take less time. Hint: When a finger poked into the top of the dough creates a pit that doesn’t “heal” (spring back), you’ve got a risen dough.

I punched the dough down and kneaded it a little more. Placee it on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. I also put a slit the top and covered it and put in a warm place to rise again, until doubled in bulk (mine didn’t quite double).

I put the risen loaf in the oven at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. Hint: The loaf is done when the crust is brown and the bottom sounds hollow when thumped with a wooden spoon.

Result:

A very dense but tasty loaf. I’ve already eaten half of it. It did take a lot of work but I am hoping that once I get the hang of making this it won’t take as much time.

Also, I went to feed my starter and I accidentally put in whole wheat flour. We’ll see how that changed things.

1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (any flour will do)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup healthy egg substitute or 1 egg
2 tablespoons oil (I omitted this)
3/4 cups milk (could use buttermilk too)

In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients and blend in all the wet ingredients. Heat griddle with medium heat. Check the batter’s thickness before cooking. The cornmeal absorbs more moisture the longer it sits there. If it’s too thick, add 1 tablespoon of water or milk at a time, until it’s a pancake batter consistency. Pour about a 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle and cook 1 1/2 – 2 minutes, then flip. Cook another minute until golden brown on both side. Just like when you’re making regular pancakes.