2020. COVID. Lockdowns. Unemployment. Businesses closing. Borders closing. Political uprising. Protests from voices which needed to be heard.
We each had our own way of responding to the year, and many of us broke the monotony and anger cycles by starting new hobbies. We had more free time from not visiting friends and family. Same for me. I started several new hobbies which I truly enjoy, but I think I’m turning into a grandmother. Knitting, baking, making vinegar, canning. And I’ve taken to drinking tea and wearing cardigan sweaters. I plan to carry cough drops and hard candy.
I do not deny the hardships many of us have faced, be it great loss or the whelming sense of pent up emotions. Each of us have done the best we can with the tools we had. Well done, you! You’ve made it through 100% of your bad days.
Besides turning into a grandmother, I’m returning to writing this blog so I can continue to document recipes that worked out well, and that I want repeat. You’re welcome to join along. Let me know what you’ve tried in your own kitchen and what you’ve liked. Or what you want to try.
Sourdough Part 1
How I Treat a Sourdough Starter
Real talk. I couldn’t make a starter. I tried. I honestly did. In fact, I tried twice, but it got old before it’s time and just didn’t survive.
A very good friend gave me a starter. She knew my plight and took pity on me.
The starter was healthy and came from a prestigious lineage: It was the child of Scout and the grandchild of Sprout. I named this child Scamp. It has since generated another offspring, Scooter. And then another sibling which I have passed to another of my best friends.
That’s a beautiful part of sourdough. It’s alive and it’s a part of the celebration of life. It’s meant to provide for us just as we continue to sustain it.
First of all, I treat it like a pet. It needs food, water and a good growing condition. When I received it, it was in a glass quart canning jar. The lid was loose to let air in and out. It had already eaten so I fed it some more.
100g starter
100g unbleached bread flour (I use King Arthur)
60g room temperature water
I stirred all of the ingredients until it was well combined and the consistency of thick peanut butter, then put it back in the jar, lid loose on the top, and let it rest on the counter for an hour or two. Then into the fridge next to the milk.
A week later, on Saturday morning, I took the starter out of the fridge and let it rest on the counter to warm up a little. I could have used it (or most of it) then, but I wanted to have a bit more to continue to grow and some to use. I split it into two and made sure I had enough to get 227g to cook with and still have more to grow. Now I have a lot of starter and usually make two loaves on the weekend and maybe biscuits or pancakes.
Each week I repeat the process, usually on Saturday. If I need it midweek I take it out of the fridge and leave it on the counter for a day. If I’m a day or two late in feeding, It still seems alright. And I haven’t washed the original jar out. Scamp and Scooter are both happy and growing.
For recipes, try:
Cheddar Cheese Biscuits
Yields 6 biscuits that are too large for healthy eating
120g unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, super cold (I put it in the freezer for a bit first)
227g sourdough starter, unfed/discard
A fist full of shredded cheddar cheese (I don’t really measure this. If you have both hands cupped, the loose shredded cheese fills your hands)
Water, as needed
Preheat the oven to 425°F with the rack somewhere in the middle. I also have a baking stone on that rack. (I don’t know if this adds anything to the experience other than making me look like I know what I’m doing.) Grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment.
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a box grater, grate the butter into the flour and toss together until the mixture is sort of well mixed. Add the cheese and toss together some more. Add the starter, mixing gently until the dough is cohesive. Add water if needed to bring it all together. I probably over work it and it always turns out fine.
Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and gently pat it to about 1"-thick.
Use a biscuit cutter to cut the biscuits. Use whatever size you want to get the biscuits you want. I use a vintage Bugs Bunny glass. The opening is about 3 inches across. It’s no biscuit cutter, but it works like a champ.
Sprinkle any remaining cheese on top.
Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, until they're golden brown. The cheese on the bottom will get good and crispy.
Don’t worry about how to store them.
Sourdough Bread in One Day
227g Starter left out for 12-24 hours
604g Unbleached Bread Flour
2 1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 c lukewarm Water
You can use 1-2 tsp Yeast if you want a faster rise
Combine all of the ingredients in a stand mixer. Mix on low with a dough hook until everything comes together in a smooth ball, then mix it for a couple minutes more for good measure.
Lightly dust a clean smooth surface with flour. Dump the dough onto the counter. It’ll be a bit wet and sticky. You want that. Knead the dough for 7 minutes. I like 7 minutes but you can probably do a little more or less. Some people do a lot less, but I haven’t tried their bread. The dough gets smoother, but it doesn’t get elastic like you see on the cooking shows on TV. I think that’s ok.
Put it into a bowl big enough to let it double in size plus a bit more room. Cover with plastic wrap and leave it in a place that stays around 70°F. Let it hang out for a few hours. It’ll spread out in the bowl and it won’t really look like it’s rising for a while. And then it will. If you’re using yeast, it’ll rise in an hour or so. If not, plan on three hours, but in either case, check on it every hour to see how it’s going.
When the dough ball has doubled in size, cut it in half and put each half into a VERY well floured cloth (like a tea towel), loosely wrap and lay each dough ball into it’s own large bowl. Let rise for an hour or so. After about 35 minutes, set the oven:
For the oven and the bake, here’s what I do. Adapt as you need to.
I use a large Dutch oven with a lid. Preheat the oven, with the Dutch oven inside, to 475°F. (I know I was using grams before and now I’m using Fahrenheit instead of Celsius. What can I say? I’m cosmopolitan.) I cut a couple pieces of parchment paper and sprinkle each with cornmeal. When the dough is risen to your satisfaction (you don’t need to go nuts with waiting; it will rise more when it bakes), put the loaf onto the cornmealed parchment. Don’t shake off the extra flour. Take a very sharp knife and cut two deep slashes across the top. This keeps the loaf from splitting as it bakes. Using the parchment, put the loaf into the Dutch oven. Spritz water with a spray bottle over the loaf and then cover with the Dutch oven lid. Turn the oven up to 500°F. Set the timer for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, take the lid off and turn the oven down to 475°F. Bake for another 20-25 minutes. The top should be a deep brown and the internal temp should be 190°F. Repeat with the other loaf.
The hardest part is waiting while it cools, but give it a half hour.
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