Rustic Sourdough Pasta

Rustic Sourdough Pasta (adapted from Mummy, I Can Cook)

Yields: 6 servings

1/2 cup sourdough starter
1 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs

Pour the starter into your mixing bowl.
Add the flour and egg, and mix until it forms a ball (this takes forever)....
Allow the dough to sit on the counter for a few hours, up to overnight. It won't rise much, if at all.
Dump the ball out onto a floured counter.
Roll it out as thin as you can possibly make it.
Slice the noodles into whatever shape you like (and fill it , too, if you want).
You can now either boil them immediately to eat, or allow them to dry on the counter.

Hope you like this one. Happy Baking.

Sourdough Orange Cake

Sourdough Orange Cake
From Trick or Treat

1 cup sourdough starter
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 melted butter/oil
1/2 cup fresh orange slices
1/4 cup orange juice...
1 tsp baking soda

Method

Preheat oven @ 180° C. Grease 7 inch round pan. Cut orange segments out of their connective membranes and place them in a bowl.

In a small bowl, combine orange juice, butter, sourdough starter, soda and salt.

Pour in orange juice mixture to the flour, mix until well incorporated. Add in orange slices, stir until just combined.

Transfer batter onto prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean in a preheated oven.

Cool in pan 5 minutes, unmold and transfer onto rack to cool.

Might be a good vitamin C boost too! Happy baking!

Winter has set in for us in Idaho and it seems like the perfect time to have a cup of coffee and a piece of Sourdough Coffee Cake and curl up in front of the fire. We found this recipe on Food.com by AlaskaStephanie. We hope you like it.

Sourdough Coffee Cake

About This Recipe
"One more way to use your starter! Sometimes I skip the topping and just drizzle white frosting over the top."

Ingredients:

Cake:
1 cup sourdough starter
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg (slightly beaten)
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons margarine
1 tablespoon flour

Directions:
1. Combine sourdough starter, oil and egg
2. Stir together dry ingredients and add to sourdough mixture.
3. Put dough into greased 9 inch square pan.
4. Crumble topping ingredients together (I use a pastry blender) and sprinkle topping on top of batter.
5. Bake for 35 minutes at 350°.
6. Enjoy

Hope this warms you up in these cold winter months. Happy Baking!

We get so many calls about our cultures, what do I do when I get it, what do I use, it isn't doing what you say in the time or it is doing this too fast...

Our best advice when it comes to sourdough is to play with it, experiment with it, try things.

Sourdoughs are amazing things. Each has it's own personality and traits. I have to laugh at mine sometimes because they react so different to the same treatment. I had 3 out at one time and working with them. One took off like a race horse out of the gate. Quick activation. Fast leavening. Just wow. One was average. Just took the suggested time and amount of flour and water. Was happy to be going along at an average speed. My third one was being slow and moody. It was stubborn to activate. It wanted more attention. Didn't rise as fast. But it was well worth the wait.

When customers call with all these questions, our best advice is to play with your culture. Try new things. Try different flours. The seasons can affect sourdoughs. Some like more flour and water than others. You don't need to be precise. Just try and see what works best for you. This is why we suggest that when you first activate your culture that you split it and keep a back up, in case you do something that can't be reversed.

By trying and experimenting, you might come across that amazing bread that no one else has ever come up with. That is the fun in baking with sourdough. The possibilities are endless.

Let us know what your favorite "experiment" with sourdoughs have been....happy baking.

Oh-So-Fluffy Cast Iron Sourdough Pancakes

This recipe is included in Sourdough A to Z eBook and/or demonstrated on video on Sourdough eCourse.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons melted butter, coconut oil, or olive oil (not too hot)
1/2 teaspoon salt (if using refined salt, might want to use a bit less)
1 egg
2 tablespoons sweetener (honey, maple syrup, sucanat)...
1 teaspoon pure vanilla or vanilla/almond combo (more or less or none at all)
a generous sprinkle of spice (I use a self created spice blend-see below)
2 cups of sourdough starter (fed the night before-I feed mine an equal amount of water and flour, but it shouldn't really matter)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon water
fresh or frozen fruit (optional)
yogurt and maple syrup for serving (optional)

Directions:

Begin by heating your cast iron skillet. I turn my electric burner to level 3 (of 11). I want my pan hot, but not too hot or the bottom of the pancake will burn. If you don't get a perfect golden brown the first time you try this method, take note of what you did and make a change the next time. A golden fluffy-beyond-your-wildest-dreams pancake is worth every effort!

While the skillet is heating, take a medium size bowl and whisk together melted coconut oil/butter or olive oil, egg, salt, sweetener of choice, extract of choice, and spices of choice. Pour in two cups of sourdough starter that has been fed the night before you want to make the pancakes. Stir well with whisk. Set aside.

In a small cup combine 1 tablespoon of water with 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Set aside.

Take a bit of butter or coconut oil and grease the bottom and sides of your hot cast iron skillet.

Pour the water/soda mixture into your waiting pancake batter. Quickly stir to incorporate.

Pour the batter into your waiting skillet. How much? Oh, I don't know for sure. Maybe an inch thick...maybe a touch more? Out of my batter, I make one large and one small cast iron pancake and two griddle pancakes.

I would not recommend letting unused batter sit while you wait for your skillet pancake to finish. You might want to make one skillet pancake and finish the rest of the batter off as regular pancakes. (Or give the wait a try and let me know how it turns out!)

Now, watch for bubbles. I let mine cook for 4-5 minutes on the stove.

If you choose, now is the time to add fresh or frozen fruit. Give the fruit a little push to sink them down into the batter.

Toward the end of this initial cook time, I turn on the broiler. "Finish your pancake off by placing it in the oven. Do not use the very top shelf; the second or third shelf will work best. Remember, your pancake bottom will continue to cook while the top cooks and browns.

This looks like a great recipe to us. Can't wait to hear your results with it. We have been getting so many questions about pancakes we thought you would like this. Happy baking!

Cheesy Sourdough Spelt Popovers from Bread Experience

Note: These popovers are made with sourdough and spelt so they have a different texture than popovers made with regular white bread flour. They are yummy nonetheless.

Makes 6 Popovers

Ingredients:

1 cup milk (can use almond milk)
3 large eggs...
1/2 cup sourdough Spelt starter, fed or unfed
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste
1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup All-Purpose White Spelt Flour

Directions:

Warm the milk until it feels just slightly warm to the touch.

Combine the warm milk with the eggs, sourdough starter and salt, crushed pepper and parmesan, then mix in the flour. Don't over-mix; a few small lumps will be fine. The batter should be thinner than a pancake batter, about the consistency of heavy cream.

Heat a muffin or popover pan in the oven while it's preheating to 450° F.

Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven, and spray it thoroughly with non-stick pan spray, or brush it generously with oil or melted butter. Quickly pour the batter into the cups, filling them almost to the top. If you're using a muffin tin, fill cups all the way to the top. Space the popovers around so there are empty cups among the full ones; this leaves more room for expansion.

Bake the popovers for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven heat to 375° F and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until popovers are golden brown.

Remove the popovers from the oven and serve immediately.

Happy baking!!!

Maple Oat Sourdough Dinner Rolls

Maple syrup, oat flour, and sourdough starter unite to form a nutritious, unique, and delicious dinner roll.

Author: Kristen @ Smithspirations

Ingredients:

1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs, beaten...
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup sourdough starter
2 cups oat flour
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons salt
Additional butter or oil
2 Tablespoons milk
1/4 cup rolled oats

Instructions:

In a medium mixing bowl with pouring spout, combine butter, eggs, syrup, milk, and starter and mix well.

In the mixing bowl for a large stand mixer, add oat flour, 2 cups wheat flour, and salt.

With the dough hook attached to the mixer, turn on to the speed for mixing bread doughs, and allow the flours and slat to combine. Slowly pour in the liquid ingredients until a wet batter forms.

Gradually add additional wheat flour, 1/4 to 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms, allowing the dough to remain moist but not sticky.

Allow the dough to rise, covered, in a buttered or oiled bowl on the counter for 12-18 hours or in the refrigerator for 24-36 hours, or until doubled.

Punch down the dough and place on to a lightly buttered or oiled counter. Divide into 24 equal pieces. Butter a 9x13 glass baking dish.

With buttered or oiled hands, gently shape each dough piece into a round roll and place in the buttered baking dish. You will have six rows of four rolls.

Allow the rolls to rise until doubled in a warm (and turned off) oven for 3-6 hours, on the counter for 12-18 hours, or in the refrigerator for 24 or more hours.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Gently brush the risen rolls with milk and sprinkle each with rolled oats, gently pressing the oats onto the rolls.

Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm and with butter.