Friday, July 26, 2013

Sourdough Crackers

These were easy to make and had an amazing taste.

Here is the recipe for you.

Sourdough Crackers (from I'm Naturally Simple)

1 Cup Sourdough Starter
1 Cup(ish) Flour
1/4 Cup Melted Butter (I substituted coconut oil the second time I made these and it worked beautifully)
Salt and/or Spices of your choice
... Melted Butter or Olive Oil (your choice, I used olive oil)

Combine flour, starter, and butter. Add enough flour to form a stiff ball. Cover and let sit aside for at least 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes has passed roll dough out very thin. Baste with melted butter or olive oil, sprinkle with salt and/or spices to taste. Cut dough length wise then cross wise to create cracker shapes. Transfer to baking sheet. Prick the top of each cracker with a fork.

Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes has passed begin checking your crackers. Depending on how thin you rolled them will depend on how quickly they cook. My batches average 14 minutes. You want the cracker to be crisp and lightly browned. These burn quickly so pay close attention.

Remove from oven and let cool. Leave them on the cookie sheet as they continue to crisp as they cool. Cool completely before transferring to storage container.

Enjoy!

Don't forget to try these with our South African (whole wheat culture) or our Polish or New Zealand (rye culture). 





Please share with us your twist on this recipe!

Thursday, July 11, 2013

One of our employees, Margie, tried out our sourdough to make cinnamon rolls.  They looked fantastic.  We are now trying to convince her that she needs to have a taste sampling of them at work.  Don't you think that is a great idea?  Here is the recipe that she used. 
Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls (printed from cooks.com)
1/2 cup starter
1 cup evaporated milk
2 cups flour
1/4 cup butter
3 tbsp. sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour (approx.)
1/2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. melted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped nuts
Melted butter
Combine starter, milk and flour (2 cups) in a large bowl.  Cover and leave at room temperature overnight.  Next morning, beat together the butter, sugar and egg.  Blend into sourdough.  Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, soda and baking powder and mix with other mixture.  Turn out on floured surface and knead until shiny.  Add flour as needed.
Roll out to an 8 x 16 inch rectangle.  Brush surface with melted butter, sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and nuts.  Roll up dough, cut roll at intervals, dip in butter and place in 9 inch square pan.  Let rise about 1 hour and bake at 375° for 30 to 35 minutes.
Icing: 
1/2 stick butter melted
3 tbsp. evaporated milk
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Her family went nuts for these cinnamon rolls.  Even the sourdough skeptic husband (who said he never eat sourdough is now converted). 
Happy baking and please send us your stories, pictures or ideas!!!

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

RED, WHITE, AND BLUE BREAD!!!!


RED, WHITE, AND BLUE BREAD!!!!

Cranberry-Blueberry Rye

If you are so fortunate as to have them, fresh blueberries or huckleberries are even better here than frozen. The blueberries and cranberries, along with a light touch of rye, make for a fabulous sourdough. Makes two 1 1/2 pound (680 G) Loaves

2 cups (480 ml) Culture
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup (60 g) sweetened ...dried cranberries
1/2 cup (75 g) frozen blueberries or huckleberries (fresh if you have them)
2 cups (200 g) light rye flour
2 3/4 cups (385 g) unbleached all-purpose flour

Dough Proof-
Pour the culture into a mixing bowl. Add the water, salt, cranberries, and blueberries to the culture and mix well. Add the rye flour and mix well. Add the all-purpose flour a cup (140 g) at a time until the dough is too stiff to mix by hand. Turn out onto a floured board and knead in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and satiny.
Proof the dough overnight (8 to 12 hours) at room temperature, about 70°F (21°C), in a large bowl covered with plastic wrap. During this time, the dough should double in size. After the proof, use a spatula to gently ease the dough out onto a floured board. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes. If marked flattening occurs during this time, knead in additional flour before shaping.

Loaf Proof-
After the 30-minute rest, divide the dough in two. Flatten each half slightly, then lift a portion from the periphery and pull it toward the center. Continue this around the dough mass to form a rough ball, then pat and pull into the loaf shape you desire. Place the shaped loaves, seam side down, on a baking sheet or in bread pans and proof for 2 to 4 hours, until they double in bulk or reach nearly to the tops of the bread pans. For a good combination of sourness and leavening, proof the loaves for the first hour at room temperature and then at 85° to 90°F (29° to 32°C) in a proofing box.

Baking-
Place the pans or baking sheet with the shaped, proofed loaves in a cool oven, then turn the temperature to 375°F (190°C) and bake for 70 minutes. When the loaves are baked, remove them from the pan and let cool on a wire rack for at least 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.

Great recipe for the 4th. Have a safe and happy holiday!