Bread Recipes

 B  R  E  A  D !!!

 

Oh my goodness, there are more bread recipes than wheat kernels in a gallon jar. And, I think that proves one thing...you can't go wrong!! So, don't stress over exact measurements, baking or rising time. Our foremothers used what they had and I'm willing to say they each had their own spin on things.

So, here are some of my favs.  

SIMPLE WW BREAD    Here's a delicious whole wheat bread--no sourdough. Quick and easy.

 

 

 

PERFECT BREAD    This is the one I started out making when Mary Jane was new to the world. It's easy. The sourdough taste is mild and yummy...perfect for friends or family who are unaccustomed to the sour taste. And, since it has a little commercial yeast, if your sourdough isn't quite up to par, it will still rise.

BASIC SOURDOUGH BREAD     This third one is delicious. 100% sourdough. 100% pioneer! You may have to stand guard so it isn't sliced before it's time!

 

 

Can't eat gluten? Well, I couldn't either, but now I can!!!   

See my story in my book Favorite Flu Fighters Chapter "Mighty Microbes" page 75.    

      Available on Amazon or here at the farm. :)

 

How-To Tuesday Wild Sourdough

 

 

 

This is Mary Jane. She looks pretty in the jar, but I now keep her in a crockery bowl.

  

 

How to start your own sourdough:

flour, water, jar, cheesecloth, screw top, time, done.
 
Now wasn't that easy!!!!!  Really, it's that easy.

(You can purchase sourdough starter, but what's the fun in that?)

There's a gazillion "how-to's" out there, but the simplest is the best.   Get a canning jar. (Clean, of course.)  Add approximately 1/2 cup water (don't you dare use tap water!) and approx 1/2 cup of flour.  These DO NOT HAVE TO BE EXACT.  It's going to depend on how much moisture content is already in your flour.  You need  SOUPY sauce-like consistency. So, if it's too runny, add flour; too thick add water.  A 1/2 cup each is a good size to begin.  You can use more or less depending on your baking needs.  Just keep the flour:water ratio equal.

Stir it up and put it in a glass jar, top with cheesecloth or other suitable breathable fabric.  Just remember, the WILD YEAST NEED TO GET IN so you cannot put a lid on it.

Now, the fun part. Wait at least 12 hrs...usually it takes 24 hrs.  The ambient temperature will be a factor.  Cooler temps=longer time    Warmer temps=shorter time

12 hours old-just a few bubbles

If the wild yeast have arrived, it will have little bubbles in the flour mix.  If it doesn't, they haven't!  I get so excited when I see those bubbles!!!  Welcome little wild ones!!!

Sometimes I get a LOT of bubbles, sometimes I get NONE.  Don't give up!!  If you get a brown liquid on top, that's OK, just stir it in.
 
GOLDEN RULE:  Each day  feed your starter an equal  amount of flour/water, let it sit 12/24 hrs and repeat! 

 If you have a lot of bubbles you can feed every 12 hours, otherwise wait the 24.  It may take SEVERAL days before you get bubbles or it may only take 12 hrs.  Keep feeding.  If you are not getting bubbles after several days, you may consider composting it and starting over, although I think perseverance usually pays off.

Another consideration:  if you don't want or need several cups of sourdough, then use small increments of water/flour.  Say 1/8 or 1/4 cup each.  If you have a large family use 1 cup flour:water.  And, you can also take half the sourdough out (after the first day.  And it must be bubbling), compost it then add your feeding mix of flour/water.  This will help keep it to a manageable size. However, I don't like waste, so this "discard" can be used to make things that don't need a big boost to rise such as pancakes, waffles, etc.

You will outgrow your jar, so transfer to a clean bowl (or you can start out with a bowl--crocks are nice); you still need to cover it with cheesecloth.  Use a clean jar or bowl EVERY time you feed.  DO NOT USE PLASTIC.

A word about flour:  They say rye is the best for attracting wild yeast; I have not seen a difference myself. It doesn't contain as many phytates as wheat and maybe that effects it.  You can use any kind of flour white (not recommended-but if you do use white use unbleached), whole wheat, Einkorn, etc.  I LOVE EINKORN. You can START your sourdough with rye then BAKE with any kind of flour.  Be brave--make your own rules.  It's your kitchen!

 

You can also "enrich" your sourdough by adding sugar and/or using milk as the liquid.

After a couple of weeks you should have a concoction that smells a little yeasty. It should have been a bubbly mass then settled down a bit. If it doesn't have a mass of bubbles, or you don't have enough for whatever you're going to use it for, then keep feeding it twice a day until you do. When it rises up like it's going to take over the world, then settle's back down for a rest, it's ready to use!! I keep a muslin cloth over Mary Jane and frequently she touches the top. She's feisty like that.

Always save about a quart if you have a large family; at the minimum, a cup, of sourdough to start your next batch. Depending on what you are baking: LOAVES of bread or a simple batch of pancakes. You will get adept at judging how much to save back to begin your next sourdough starter.

Happy sourdoughing!     I will have recipes in a different blog post.

 

PS For more detailed sourdough information and the scoop about other cultured foods, see my new book FAVORITE FLU FIGHTERS coming out late summer 2023.     :) 

 

Mary Jane in my grandmothers crockery bowl.

Summer On The Farm...

Summer on the farm. In my mind: warm breezes, glorious garden produce, relaxing with a glass of iced herb tea. In the real world: triple digit temps, bugs ,weeds and a failure to thrive, chasing the dog who is chasing the chickens. Don't misunderstand me--I love, no I adore my farm. But the idyllic notion of a working farm is better served in Hallmark channel specials. This summer I have sweated out all my electrolytes, suffered through poison ivy, battled toe to nose chiggers, hospitalized with anaphylactic shock, shed tears over the loss of favorite chickens (drat that fox-Bigg Hoss is gone and I'm down to one little Mable--I've gone from 75 chickens to 36) and despaired over Rocky's persistence in "playing" with the chickens. In spite of it all, I wouldn't trade my farm life now for my old corporate life. I love watching the sunrise from my bucket seat on a huge boulder. The goat's bells tinkling softly as they forage in the trees, the chickens clucking and scratching waiting to be let out of their pen, the gardens laying quietly waiting to be weeded and harvested. I love the beginning of each new day; it's so full of promise. I am so thankful for what I have, who I am and where I live.

BOOK REVIEWS: Now, on to more practical matters. You know I love to culture food and I just ran across a new book by Caleb Warnock: "The Art of Baking with Natural Yeast". Check out his blog: calebwarnock.blogspot.com Caleb is generous enough to share his natural yeast starter. THANKS CALEB! For culturing other food "Real Food Fermentation" by Alex Lewin is a wonderful resource and "how to". I also just got "Quick Fix Healthy Mix" by Casey Keller and Nicole-Keller-Munoz and it has fabulous time saver mixes. All of them are not as healthy as I would like so am having to tweak them some, but it's a great little book to get you started on making your own "package mixes" from scratch. Finally, "Dinner Is In The Jar" by Kathy Clark has recipes for making premix dinners. This is a great thing to do with all that food storage sitting in your closet or under your bed! You can check out any of these books by clicking on the Amazon button in the right column. We have loved the way our chickens kept the bug population down but now they have discovered TOMATOES! Cassie, our little Australian Shepherd does her best to keep them at bay, but she just can't seem to manage it. Besides, we are hoping she's "with puppy" --several puppies--so she will have her hands full of other chores. 

I am loving our CSA family. Putting all that just harvested produce in those lovely red bags is so satisfying. Last week one of our families came out to help and their twin 6 year old boys harvested the remainder of my garlic. What great workers! Well, better go check on Rocky...he cannot quite be trusted with the chickens....