Sourdough starter
WEST BRATTLEBORO — In a ceramic or glass bowl, mix with a wooden spoon:
¶{1/2} cup flour
¶{1/2} cup water (not from the tap)
Mix until flour and water are just combined, like a pancake batter. Cover lightly and leave on the counter overnight. Refrigerate the next day.
Every day, check on the mixture. It will begin to develop a delicately sour smell - tangy like yogurt. It will smell weird, in a good way - fragrantly yeasty.
After about a week, your starter will be ready to use. Add to any bread recipe to boost its flavor, nutrition, and texture.
Use half the starter - about {1/2} cup - and then feed or replenish after each use. Bring the starter back to its original amount - about {1/4} cup water and flour. Stir and let set on the counter overnight. Then, back to the refrigerator, until needed.
It's best to feed starter using the same organic whole- wheat flour. I have substituted rye, barley, and other whole grain flours in a pinch, though, and my starter is still alive and well.
Once a month (or whenever you remember), clean house. Transfer the starter into another container. Remember, your starter is alive, so keep it well.
Sourdough bread
Stir:
¶2{1/2} cups warm liquid (water, milk, or nut or grain “milk”)
¶{1/2} cup sourdough starter
¶1 big spoon sweetener
¶1 big spoon yeast (optional)
¶1 big spoon fat (optional)
Measure:
¶7 cups flour, whole grain and white combined
Add enough flour to the liquid to make a thick batter. Let it rest overnight.
In the morning, add the remaining flour. Add:
¶1 small spoon salt
Stir until firm, and then knead dough for 10 minutes.
Shape dough into a ball. Let rise in warm area about 1–2 hours, until dough doubles in size.
Punch the dough to remove the air, knead a couple times, and shape into a round loaf or place in a greased loaf pan.
Let dough double in size again. The second rising takes about half the time.
Bake in a hot oven - at 450 degrees F - for 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to a medium oven - 350 degrees F - and bake for about another 30 minutes, until done. (Tap the bottom of the loaf. It will sound hollow, like a drum, when the bread is done.)
Remove from oven and pan.
Allow bread to cool before eating - ideally, overnight.