Sourdough!

I stopped buying bread for my family long ago for a few reasons:  one - my Fella is a bread snob, and won't eat the super-soft Mrs. Baird's-type breads that rip apart when you spread peanut butter on them; two - I am cheap, and the bread he likes costs roughly $4.00 for a small loaf; and three - the amount of sugar and other unnecessary ingredients in bread blows my mind.  I'm not the kind of mom who bans sweets - I just have the opinion that if I want some sugar in my life, I want to do it up good with a piece of cake or some cookies, or the entire pan of zucchini blondies that I may or may not have eaten the other day...rather than get my entire sugar intake from bread.  My sourdough starter does have some sugar in it and the bread has 1/3 cup between two loaves, but at least it's not high fructose corn syrup.  I am also not opposed to food that comes out of a box, but I am trying to get better about feeding my family things that are free from preservatives and have natural ingredients. 

I am also insane.  I decided one spring while the first child was a toddler, and the second child was nary a thought-that-crossed-my-mind, that I wanted to try my hand at sourdough.  I remember my mom having this huge jar in the fridge with her starter, and how the entire house would smell amazing when she would make the bread.  I roused a sleeping monster within me once I got the hang of it.  I became obsessed.  I kept the starter alive until that Christmas, when I accidentally miscalculated how much I had and used it all to make rolls for my in-laws' Christmas dinner.  After that, I had a series of about four starters that I killed.  So last August, I decided that I would try one more time, but I did a little research first in order to try to find the reason for my previous starter mishaps.  I had to conquer, and I did!  I have kept this one alive, although I confess I have abused it a little and had to bring it back from its death-bed once.  She is faithful and going strong, and oh so tasty.

I do want to give a shout-out to the busy working parents out there and tell you that this is totally doable.  It is not time-consuming at all.  You simply need to be mindful of your starter and replenish it every 5 to 7 days.  Contrary to what some sources say, you CAN store a starter in your fridge.  I take mine out and bring it to room temperature before I use it, and then replenish after using.  I will share my recipe here with you, and in the next posting I'll give the bread recipe. 

I don't know the origin of this particular starter - my mom got it from a friend of hers many years ago.  I do not recommend using whole wheat flour in this.  There are other starters that use whole wheat flours, and those recipes vary in their ingredient list.

2 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon dry yeast
2 cups lukewarm water

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and gradually add water.  Cover with a wet towel and let sit for 3 days.  Stir 2 to 3 times each day. 

After 3 days, your starter is properly fermented and ready to use.  After using, replenish by adding 1 cup warm water, 2 Tablespoons potato flakes (instant mashed potatoes - plain, not flavored!), 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 cup flour.  Stir, cover with a damp towel, and allow to sit out for 12 hours. 

Some helpful tips:

• The starter will often separate and have a yellowish liquid on top.  This is normal - just stir it before use. 
• I highly recommend waiting to refrigerate the starter until it has been going for a week or more.  I found that my starters were dying because they weren't strong enough before storing in the fridge.  I kept this one out for around 10 days, and replenished every day until then.  If you keep your starter at room temp, you will need to replenish every other day at the very least. 
• When replenishing, don't worry if the flour is not completely incorporated and the starter looks lumpy.  The lumps will be "eaten" by the starter over the 12 hours it sits out.
• Most importantly, use ONLY wood or plastic mixing spoons, measuring cups and spoons, and mixing bowls.  Everything I have read says the same thing. 
• Store the starter in a glass or plastic container.  I use a glass pitcher covered loosely with plastic wrap.  If your container has a lid, punch a few holes in it to allow gases to escape. 
• If you aren't using the starter within 5 to 7 days, simply toss out 1 cup and then replenish with the above recipe. 

Good luck, happy eating, and thanks for reading!