All About Sour Dough

Over the next few days I will try and explain the process of making a starter,  feeding it, storing and using it to make a loaf.  This is based on my experienced and I am not an expert.  but it works for me .

White Flour Starter.
Into a sterile glass jar mix 1/2 cup of bakers flour,  ( strong bread flour ),  with 3/4 cup of FILTERED water.
Place a Chux loosely over the top,  and place in a sheltered place outside.
You are going to capture wild yeast that lives in the air.
Leave for 3 to 4 days ,  to ferment.
You can bring inside now and sit it on the kitchen bench.
If it smells bad ,  chuck out and start again.
When it starts to have small bubbles on top,  stir in 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of Filtered water.
For the following 3 days feed with 1 tablespoon of water and flour.
When the starter is active,  ( with bubbles on the top and smelling a little like beer, ) , transfer to a larger sterile container and feed with equal larger amounts of water and flour.
This can be 1/2 cup of each.
This is to increase the amount of starter for use in following recipe.  ( you will need 400 g of starter.)
You can now use your starter to make bread or screw on top and place in fridge

Instead of going to all this trouble,  you may be able to get a small amount of starter from someone else. If you do,  just put it in a large sterile jar and feed it to increase the volume.

If you leave your starter on the kitchen bench ,  you will need to feed it every day.  Only do this if you intend to make a lot of Sourdough bread., or want to build up the amount of starter.
If you place your starter in the fridge, best fed once a week.  However it will last a lot longer without a feed.  I left mine for 13 weeks last year when we went OS.  I don't recommend this as it took a lot of refreshing.  I think it was sulking. LOL.
When left in fridge it will develop a grey water on top,  just stir this back in and feed it.
When you take your starter out of the fridge and feed it, it needs 7 hours or overnight to become very active.  It is then that you can make your bread.
 
Do not use all your starter, leave 1/2 cup in the jar and start feeding it again until you have enough for the next loaf.

Recipes.

It is best to start off simple.

This recipe is adapted to the TMX from 'Bread Revolution',  by Duncan Glendinning and Patrick Ryan.

Place into Tmx bowl,
400g active starter,
500g bread flour
250g warm water, filtered.
2 teaspoons of each salt and sugar.
Knead for 4 mins.
Scrape/pour into lined bread tin. Cover with plastic
Let rise , in a warm place,until at least double. 
Brush with egg wash.
bake in oven 200/220 o C,  with water in dish in bottom of oven.

NOTES
Look at Cookies variation,  for double rise method.
Can place in fridge over night,  then bring back to room temp,  before baking.
This starter is mild in flavour,  but the large amount of starter does not give an over powering sour taste.
The dough is very moist,  and I like to roll it around on a floured SIL mat to make it more manageable.
Make a plain loaf first,  then add seeds or wholemeal flour,  once you understand the method.

Bread sticks made with this recipe,  are as close as I have got to a genuine French Baguette.

KFC spice Marinade

When I make the spice for the Kerry Farm Chicken,  I make a lot.  Some is given to friends as gifts and some used in the original recipe,  where the chicken in left in a mix of spice and buttermilk, for a couple of hours or overnight.  Then dipped in a mix of flour ,  more spice and buttermilk and shallow fried or oven baked. 
For people looking for a GF and Lactose alternative,  I offer this recipe,  using the spice mix which is used to mix with flour,  but in this case with GROUND ALMONDS OR SESAME SEEDS.

I have used Dessertspoons as the basic measure but you could use teaspoons or even cups as long as the proportions  stay the same.  Just adjust to fit the amount of Chicken,  beef , pork, or veggies.

Mix together

2 Dessertspoons of KFC mix
1 Dessertspoon of crushed garlic
3 Dessertspoons of oil
6 Dessertspoons of fresh Lemon juice

(This can be kept in a jar in Fridge until required )

Marinade chicken or pork or steak or vegetables in above mix.
Roll marinated chicken etc in either Ground Almonds or Sesame seeds and cook in pan brushed with oil.  OR grill without coating.

Fish is not recommended as the lemon juice will 'cook' the fish.

Rustic Bread

This Bread is made with a recipe from the Agrarian Kitchen in Tasmania. The recipe is posted in this blog.

The bread was cooked for the first 30 minutes in this Le Creuset Pot, with the lid on.

Sourdough Buns

These were cooked in Muffin Top trays.

Late Winter Lemons

Chinese pickled red Cabbage and ginger

The dressing can be made in the TMX,  but the Cabbage is best cut by hand.   Love this dish as it keeps submerged in the dressing ,  in the fridge,   and can be served with hot or cold dishes.   I haven't come across anyone who hasn't liked this.  I have adapted this recipe from Belinda Jeffery's Collected recipes.
Need
750g RED cabbage,  1 small or 1/2 large.
3 teaspoons of salt
2 Tablespoons of fresh ginger, chopped
1  1/2  cups ( 375 mls. ) of rice vinegar
1  1/2 cups, (330g ) caster sugar
1/2 to 1 small red chilli seeded and thinly sliced, or 1/2 teaspoon of chilli flakes.
 Do
Shred cabbage as thinly as possible , by hand. 
Toss cabbage with salt and place in a colander over the sink with a plate on top.  Place a couple of tins on top to press the liquid from the cabbage.
Leave to drain for 3 hours , at room temperature.

While the cabbage is draining, Zap the ginger and chill  and sugar in the TMX.  Scrape down and Zap again. 
Add vinegar and mix on reverse until sugar is disolved.
Set aside.
Add to drained cabbage and store in plastic container in fridge for at least 8 hours.
Press cabbage under dressing while in fridge.

This has a nice sweet and sour zing.

Chocolate and Raspberry Pud, cooked in Varoma.

This is a good  hot Pud for a cold day, when you don't wish to light  the oven.  Inspiration for this delicious Pud came from the August edition of Gourmet Traveller.  It is easy and can be reheated.  I have deliberately made it for 4 serves.  Serve it with extra Jam , chocolate sauce and vanilla Ice cream.

Need
120g. Self Raising flour
1 Tablespoon of Dutch - processed cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
50g raw caster sugar.
70g butter, cold
65 mls milk
100g.  raspberry jam. ( I used home made mixed berry jelly)
Extra jam to serve,  Vanilla Ice cream

Chocolate cream Sauce.
200 mls. of thickened cream
150g dark chocolate. ( 70 % cocoa solids)

Do
Select a heat proof dish which will fit into Varoma ,  and can be firmly sealed.
Add, flour, cocoa, baking powder, sugar and butter  to TMX bowl  and mix speed 8 / 5 seconds.
Add milk, speed 4 / 17 seconds.
Form into a disk and chill for 30 minutes.
Lightly flour silmat.
Cut in 1/2 and roll  one half to fit heat proof dish which has been sprayed with oil.
Cover with jam.
Roll other 1/2 to fit on top of mixture in dish. Lift with egg slice or pizza peel,  and slide onto mixture in dish.  Press down lightly.
Seal container so no water can get inside.
Place 1 1/2 litres of boiling water into bowl
Place Varoma onto bowl and steam for 55 mins.
When cooked,  remove lid and allow to stand for 10 minutes for the top to firm up.
It can be served immediately or sealed again an kept to reheat in Microwave,

Chocolate Cream Sauce
Heat chocolate and cream in TMX bowl, 100 / sp 1 /5 mins.