Back to Home Basics Winter Series—The 5 Secrets of Successful Sourdough.
On the following pages, you will find information from the Zoom workshop. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to us at 518-272-4210. You can email us at [email protected] , find us on social media Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter at CCE Rensselaer county. The program has been saved and will be posted on our YouTube Channel find us at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County. Visit our website at ccerensselaer.org
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Maintaining and Caring for Sourdough Starter
Upon bringing your starter home.
Transfer your starter to a clear, straight-sided container with a lid or other covering. Feed your starter with 60g (~½ cup) of flour, and 60g (~¼ cup) water; stir until fully incorporated. Leave the sourdough starter at room temperature, and feed again in 12-24 hours. At the next feeding remove all but 60g (~½ cup) of starter* then feed with 60g (~½ cup) flour, and 60g ( ~¼ cup) water and stir until fully incorporated. Using a rubber band, or erasable marker, mark the height of the starter. If the volume of starter doubles in the next 6-8 hours it is ready for baking. If not, continue feeding every 12-24 hours following above method until it is ready for baking. For the final feeding make sure to add enough starter, flour, and water to use in your recipe (as well as save some for future batches). For instance if the recipe calls for 227g (~1 cup) of starter then you would want to use 113g (~½ cup) starter, 113 (~1 cup) of flour, and 113g (~½ cup) water,.
*When measuring sourdough starter by volume make sure to stir down the starter beforehand in order to re- move air pockets.
If you bake everyday keep your starter at room temperature and feed every 12-24 hours.
If you bake less often you can keep your starter in the refrigerator. Measure out 15g or about 1 Tbsp of starter and put it in a clean container, feed the starter with 60g (~1/2cup) flour and 60g (~¼ cup) water: stir until ful- ly incorporated. Leave at room temperature for 1-2 hours before moving to the refrigerator for storage. Feed the starter every couple of weeks using above method. Starter that is stored in the refrigerator will require 2-3 (or more) feedings before it is ready for baking.
If you seldom bake, or want to take a break from baking, the King Arthur Flour website has directions for drying your starter allowing it to be stored long term without feedings. https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/ blog/2015/05/01/putting-sourdough-starter-hold
Fermented Flour Recipes
Maine Wild Blueberry Sourdough Muffins Source: Maine Grains Course: Dessert, Snack, Breakfast Muffins: 1 dozen Prep time 15 minutes Cooking time 25minutes Total time 40minutes
Ingredients 1 2/3 cups Maine Grains Organic Sifted All-Purpose Flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoons cinnamon 2/3 cup sourdough starter -- fed or discard (fermented from the fridge) 2/3 cup milk 1 large egg 1/4 cup oil 1/3 cup sugar 2 cups Maine wild blueberries, fresh or frozen Coarse sugar for sprinkling on the tops, optional
Directions Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease muffin tins or line them with paper. In a bowl, by hand or with a mixer beat sourdough starter, milk, egg, oil and sugar until all ingredients are well combined. Add dry ingredients and stir well. Gently fold and stir in the wild blueberries until well distributed. Fill the muffin tins 3/4 of the full. Sprinkle the muffin tops with coarse sugar if desired. Bake 425℉ for 20-25 minutes.
Sourdough Gingersnaps Source: Maine Grains Course: Dessert
Ingredients 1 cup Maine Grains Organic Whole Wheat Flour 3/4 tsp sea salt 2 tsp ground ginger 2 tsp ground cinnamon 3/4 tsp ground clove fresh cracked black pepper to taste fresh grated ginger to taste orange zest to taste 1/2 cup sourdough starter, preferably discard or unfed/cold 1/3 cup molasses 1/4 cup butter, very soft 1/4 cup turbinado, sucanat or maple sugar sugar to roll the cookies in
Directions In a medium mixing bowl combine starter, molasses butter and sugar. Blend on medium low speed until com- bined and smooth. Add remaining ingredients and refrigerate overnight, or at least 30 minutes, so they are easier to handle. When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone bak- ing mat. Form teaspoon sized balls with the dough and roll it into the sugar, place each cookie on a sheet a few inches apart from one another. Flatten the cookies thin, if you would like them to be crisper, use the back of a meas- uring cup, or anything on hand, or just press them flat with your fingers.
Bake for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Bake them up to 15 minutes if you would like them to be crispy. If you find that they still aren't crisp, they can be baked five to ten minutes in a 325°F oven.
Sourdough Pie Crust Recipe by Ellie Markovitch
1 1/4 cup of whole grain flour 1//2 cup butter 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar (optional) 6 tbsp of sourdough starter from the fridge
Sourdough Crackers Recipe Adapted from King Arthur Baking Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 18-20 minutes Total Time: 1 Hour 10 minutes Yield: about 80 crackers Catergory: sourdough, appetizer Method: baked Cuisine: American Diet: Vegetarian
Description Easy and adaptable homemade sourdough crackers are full of tangy wholesome flavor. A perfect use for your sourdough discard! Add seeds and herbs or keep them simple!
Ingredients 1 cup (113 grams) flour (AP, or use 1/2 rye, teff, cornmeal whole wheat etc.) plus a little for rolling out if needed 1 cup (227 grams) sourdough discard starter, unfed 4 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil ½ teaspoon of sea salt, 2 tablespoons fresh herbs, chopped or 2 teaspoons dried optional: whole spices like fennel seeds, sesame seeds, everything bagel spice, zaatar (see notes)
Directions Combine together flour, sourdough starter, butter or oil, salt, and herbs until in comes together into a ball. Cut the dough in two pieces, and refrigerate for a half hour or up to a day. Set oven temperature to 350 degrees. . Working with one portion of dough at a time, place on a piece of parchment paper. Flour your surface and dough as needed. Roll out evenly to about a 1/16 of an inch. If adding spices and seeds, sprinkle on top of dough and lightly roll the rolling pin over to get them to stick. Transfer dough and parchment to a baking pan. Using a pizza cutter or knife score into desired shapes. Prick with fork. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Turning pan halfway through baking. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Notes Experiment with alternative flours for flavor and texture such as cornmeal, semolina, rye and teff. Tailor to your tastes! Add fresh herbs, spices, coarse or flaked salt, dukkah, zaatar, seeds, lemon zest, gar- lic, nigella, sumac, fennel, chili flakes, nutritional yeast…..have fun experimenting with flavors. Optional: Brush top of crackers with olive oil or melted butter before baking if desired. This is especially helpful if adding spices to help them adhere.
Resources Flour sources: From Honest Weight: Farmer Ground Flour --organic NYS grains, stoneground Champlain Valley --roller milled and stoneground, not all their grains are NYS Online ordering with Hudson pickup: Sparrowbush Bakery -- stoneground NYS grains https://sparrowbushfarm.com/the-bakery
Other mills from other regions ship online too. I keep a list on my website of mills in North America: http://amyhalloran.net/mills/
Remember to visit Harvest Connection, https://www.harvestconnection-ny.com/ for sourcing ingredients locally in the Capital District . Tools & Tips Any electronic scale that measures at least 10 pounds. Any instant-read thermometer. 2-4 loaf pans of the same size or a long pullman pan. Fresh flour keeps for six months from the time it is mailed. Best to store it in the freezer if you don’t bake frequently. When reviving neglected sourdough, I'd pour off any liquid before trying to revive.
Stories & recipes Civil Eats, The Counter & The Kitchn Instagram @flourambassador Website AmyHalloran.net
The “5 Secrets to Successful Sourdough” is part of CCE Rensselaer's 'Back To Home Basics' series of free webinars which are recorded, edited, and posted for viewing on our CCE Youtube channel. CCE Rensselaer works to engage and improve the lives of all residents! Please send us your suggestions for future webinars.
5 Secrets of Sucessful Sourdough with special guest Amy Halloran, author of “The New Bread Basket”
February 2, 2021 webinar notes:
Get to know your starter (observe, experiment and share)
Follow one standard recipe at first (the process and practice helps you make the best bread reliably)
Take it easy – TIME is the muscle. Fermentation is 'working' the dough (kneading sourdough is minimal), Hydration of dough is important. Shaping loaves with watered hands helps.
Sourdough fits into your life - it is resilient! You are not tied to your bread bowl (using general timelines and strategies help)
Temperature is the key to bread meeting it's promise. Use high temperature baking.
7 'take aways' from this sourdough bread baking webinar:
Feeding your sourdough starter by ratio is generally 1:1:1 (equal parts starter, flour and water). Measuring by volume works fine but by weight is ideal – meaning more consistent making your bread baking more reliably successful!
Keep making one recipe - tweaking your approach - so you gain confidence and mastery!
You can use different temperature locations in your home to control the speed of fermentation (of starter or dough). It is cooler in the fridge, room temperature on the counter or warmer by a sunny window, near a wood stove or room heater. Cooler temperature usually slows rate of fermentation. Sourdough bak- ing can fit your preferred baking time this way. Note: a slow long rise changes the flavor.
Use the floating starter test - 'How can I be sure the fed starter is 'ripe' to use in mixing my dough?” Scoop a teaspoon of fed starter, drop in a glass of water. If it floats it is ready! However, this test does not work for rye starter.
Troubleshooting – my timing of my shaped, unbaked loaves was off. They were left too long, fell flat and will not rise. You can work in active dry yeast (proofed) to already mixed and rested sourdough. Re- shape. allow to rest (and rise), then bake.
Did you find your starter in the back of the fridge from months ago? No problem. It is resilient! It is nor- mal for a grey liquid to form on the top, this is harmless and can simply be poured off. Stir starter, take a tablespoon out and feed with a tablespoon water and a tablespoon flour and leave at room temperature. It may take a couple of days or longer but bubbles will begin to form. Start feeding regularly with the 1:1:1 ratio.. It will thrive, healthy and robust in no time!
The leftover 'fermented flour' of starter feeding is the basis in so many great recipes other than raised sourdough bread. Easiest are pancakes, crepes, cookies, flat breads, and great tangy crackers! Use the great fermented flour to expand your palette and pantry! (Fermented flour is sometimes called 'discard', a misnomer used to describe the starter 'left behind' when you feed your growing starter. The fermented flour is tangy, healthy, nutritious, and actually helps increase shelf life.
Baking Outreach – An Inspiration and Invitation to Rensselaer County
“Community Loaves” of Seattle, Washington with special guest Katherine Kehrli
Sharing is Caring. “Community Loaves” of Seattle, Washington, an community outreach effort, is inspiring and welcoming other communities to follow their lead! CCE's special guest Katherine Kehrli of Seattle, Washington coordinates this effort by training beginner bakers and pros alike to feed others in their commu- nity, especially during this pandemic, by baking breads in their own home kitchen and donating them to local food pantries. Their carefully formulated bread recipes uses the highest quality and freshest locally grown flours, beautiful packaging - with ingredients list and labeling - and efficient delivery method bringing the fresh loaves to the kitchen tables of recipients as quickly as possible. This is an inspiring story - a heartfelt way to help others and feed your own in the process with their idea for volunteer bakers to “bake four loaves keeping one and giving three”. Thank you 'Community Loaves'! Katherine welcomes any community to fol- low their model and help feed others nutritiously and joyfully.
Are you interested in a community outreach in Rensselaer through baking? Contact Cornell Coopera- tive Extension of Rensselaer County Executive Director Bernadine Wiesen: [email protected] or 518.272.4210
Acknowledgements for this Sourdough webinar:
Content Specialists Panelists - Erin Walsh and Mary Lee Kopache, CCE Rensselaer Master Food Preservers
Producer and Creative Director - Hali Bey-Ramdene, Friend of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County
Guests - Amy Halloran, author of The New Bread Basket, writer, teacher, and cook also Katherine Kehrli, Founder and Organizer of Community Loaves—https://communityloaves.org/
Production Coordinator - Bernadine Wiesen, Executive Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County
Marketing and Materials - Marcie Vohnoutka, Communications Coordinator of Cornell Cooperative Exten- sion of Rensselaer County