Chores, Coffee, Bread, Winter

Oh what a beautiful day we had yesterday! I has some pictures on my phone but this morning my computer doesn't want to transfer photos. Hello Monday! Since we are experiencing yet another cold blast this week, I will post older pictures from days when the weather was warm and spring like.

I spent a good part of the morning yesterday cleaning out the garden beds and trimming the rosebushes. Yard work is a chore that I cannot bear to do unless the weather is mild. Zeb also helped me collect our cattle panels as we will soon need to construct a lambing/sheep area. Lambing season begins in February and we have quite a bit to do in preparation.
This morning my arms are pathetically sore as I have not done much labor this winter.

Today we are busy with school, and I am hoping to get a new sewing project finished. Sewing has been a difficult task lately, and I suspect it is the piles of cow feed and buckets situated behind my sewing table that are to blame. I really need a week to organize.
 In celebration of another cold week I have a crockpot steaming away with chili. Fresh bread has been baked and cookies are not far behind.

Every winter I get a craving for some fresh sour dough bread. Sour dough toast with a farm fresh fried egg is an amazing comfort food. If you want to make your own starter CLICK HERE.

It's a week long process but worth your time. I promise.

After I finish this post and my coffee we are headed to get some firewood. Usually we have plenty to get through our Southern winter but not this year. We will load up and be prepared to keep the stoves running all week, and then the mild temps will again return. So will the rain. Spring will be here soon, though. The rain will help make my corner of the world green and bright.

Have a great Monday! Stay warm!

Baking Sour Dough Bread

Just joining? You can catch up:
Sour Dough Starter Day 1
Sour Dough Starter Day 2
Sour Dough Starter Day 3,4,5,6
Sour Dough Starter Day 7
Maintaining Sour Dough Starter



Now that your starter is ready it is time to actually bake a loaf of bread.
There are two things I must emphasize before we get started.

1) Sour dough bread takes a bit of time. Do not bake on a day when you are out running errands. Plan  baking on a day when you are home. There are a few rise times involved so baking this bread is great for days when I am home cleaning or doing laundry.

2) This is an artisan bread. If you want to bake a plain loaf then you can certainly bake this like you would any other dough, but it truly is best when you bake it artisan style. For this you will need a hearth-like oven. You can accomplish this by baking on a stone if possible and adding steam. Placing an empty cast iron skillet on the very bottom rack of your oven will work. You will add some water to that skillet just as you start baking the bread and the steam will create an authentic artisan loaf.

Let's get started!

Sour Dough Bread or Pain au Levain

5 C all purpose flour
3/4 C whole wheat flour
1 3/4 C water
2 1/2 C starter
2 1/2 tsp salt

Combine the flours in a bowl. The whole wheat flour gives the starter a little extra nutrition!
In another bowl combine the starter and the water. Add the flours and mix until combined but not smooth.
Cover with plastic wrap loosely and let rest 20 minutes.

Add salt to the dough and knead until it's smooth. Try not to add flour, you want the dough to be slightly sticky. Adding too much flour will ruin the texture of your bread.
Cover loosely with plastic and let rest 1 hour.

 

Gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

 



Gently flatten the ball of dough out with your fingers. Be gentle so that you do not push all of the air pockets from the dough.

Now that you have a flatter piece of dough, you want to fold it up. Fold one side over, then the opposite side. Repeat with other two sides until you have folded your dough. Be gentle:-)

Your dough should look something like this. Now return it to the bowl, keeping the seam side down. Allow to rest and rise  for an hour. Cover loosely with plastic wrap.

Now it's time to take the dough and form a ball. Gently turn the dough out and fold the sides under until it's a ball shape. Be gentle and do not stress too much about the shape:-)

Now the dough needs a final rise. You can allow it to rise on a lightly floured surface or you can place it in a bowl to rise. The advantage to a bowl is that it will keep a more rounded shape. I use a brotform bowl, which is a bowl  made up of bamboo. Before I had the brotform I would line a bowl or basket with a floured tea towel.

Which ever method you use, you will need to flour the surface. Now the dough will rest for 2 hours. It's time also to prep your oven . Place a cast iron skillet on the bottom rack so that you can place water in it later. Preheat oven to 450.

Turn your dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. You will need to place two slits across the top of the dough. Be quick and decisive and try not to smoosh the dough. These slits will allow the dough to rise and expand while baking.

Place the dough in the oven. Pour about 1 cup or so of water into your skillet or whatever pan you have on your bottom rack. Close the oven door! Steam will be released immediately and this will give your bread a nice, hard artisan crust.
Allow bread to bake about 50 minutes. This is a large loaf and will turn a nice rich color when finished.

Allow bread to cool on a rack. Pat yourself on the back for baking a wonderful loaf of bread from scratch!!!!

Time for an egg in a blanket! Don't forget to feed the little bit of starter you had left! Give it 1 C of warm water and 1 C flour! It will be ready tomorrow for another loaf if you are ready.

Maintaining Sour Dough Starter

Your sour dough starter is now active and has bubbles throughout. Right? Good.

We will be baking a loaf of bread but first I want to cover  how you can maintain your starter.

Daily

When you maintain it daily, you will have to feed the starter each day.
You will discard all but 1/2 C of the starter and then add:

1 C warm water
1 C flour

Mix well, cover loosely and all to set at 70-80 degrees temp.

If you plan to use the starter the next day, feed it twice with at least 6 hours between feedings.

I admit that daily feedings for a long period of time can become a chore, but I do suggest that you keep it daily until you have baked a few loaves of bread and become familiar with your starter.

Weekly

Weekly feedings can be great for a busier schedule. You will discard all but 1/2 C starter and add:

1 C warm water
1 C flour

Mix well and allow to sit on counter for 2 hours. After this 2 hours place the starter in your fridge for a week.
After a week, remove starter and feed again in same manner.
When you want to bake bread you must start a couple of days  early by removing starter, feed it and allow it to set out for 24 hours. The next day feed it twice and keep it out on counter. The NEXT day you will feed it and after 6 hours it will be ready for use.
All of the work those 3 days increased the activity of your starter.

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Now, we will bake a loaf of bread Saturday. Let's keep the starter on daily feedings and it will be ready to go then!

Sour Dough Starter Day 7

You can catch up with:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3, 4, 5, 6

Day 7!!!  It will not be long now and you will be baking a loaf of sourdough bread!

Today, you need to stir your starter and discard all but 1/2 C of the starter.

You will need to transfer your starter to a larger container that is about 2-4 qt and either glass or plastic. I use a plastic ice cream bucket.

To your starter add:

1 C warm water
2 C all purpose flour

Mix well and until the lumps are all gone.  Your starter should now be active with bubbles. For another day or two we will keep the starter on a daily feeding schedule.
Keep the starter in its warm spot. Tomorrow we will feed it again, only a different amount.
After a coupe of days we will bake some bread!
After we bake bread we can place the starter in the fridge for weekly feedings if that suits your schedule better.

I will be back tomorrow!

Sour Dough Starter Days 3,4,5,6

You can catch up by visiting

Sour Dough Starter Day 1

Sour Dough Starter Day 2





Today when you look at your starter you will likely see some small bubbles. Don't fret if you don't, but give the starter a stir and see if some bubbles are not present.

 

 

For the next 4 days we are going to simply feed the starter, only we need to feed it regular flour and twice a day!

Days 3,4,5,6

Discard half of the starter.
Add :
1/2 C warm water
1 C all-purpose flour or bread flour.
Mix well and place in warm spot for 8 hours.
Repeat in 8 hours.

 At this point you are feeding the starter twice a day. Now if you forget a feeding, do not worry much. just pick back up and feed it.

                *****Starter after being fed bread flour and water. It's ready for warm spot for 8 hrs****

By day 7 you should start noticing a sour smell, if you haven't already. I will be back with instructions at that time because we will need to increase amount of starter and transfer it to a larger container. I will use a plastic ice cream bucket.

Congratulations!!!! You will be baking bread next week!

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Sour Dough Starter Day 2

 If you are just joining, you can catch up !**** Sour Dough Starter Day 1****

Today is the second day of making a our dough starter.
I know that you can go online and buy a ready to go starter but sometimes it's more fun to make it yourself and it's always good learning  new skill.

Your starter might look like this:

So now you need to take your starter and stir it a bit. you might notice a sour smell already.
DISCARD half of the mixture and add:

1/2 C warm water
3/4 C rye flour

Combine and place in your warm spot for another 24 hours.

                              ******Starter is ready for another 24 hours of warmth******

Tomorrow the routine changes a little and we will switch to all purpose or bread flour. Make sure you have some ready!!

In about 5 days we will start baking!!!!

See you tomorrow!

Sour Dough Starter Day 1

So I was craving sour dough bread and decided to post how I make my starter. It's really simple if you can be patient. It can take a week or more for your starter to be ready for use.
If you bake quite often and use yeast then your starter with ripen quickly as the starter will pick up the micro flora that is roaming in your kitchen air. If you are a novice it might take a little longer.

Day 1

You need to use a non-reactive bowl. I use a glass storage bowl to start and will later move my starter to a plastic ice cream bucket. You need a lid but you will not be tightly sealing the lid.
The molasses is a starter food source for the starter. Yes, you need rye flour. Don't fret if you end up with extra rye flour, in the event you had to buy a 5 lb bag of the stuff. I will show you a yummy and easy way to make deli style rye bread soon.

In your bowl combine the following:

1/2 C warm water
1/8 tsp molasses
3/4 C rye flour

Stir these things up and place lid on bowl but make sure it is loose. Place your starter in a warm area to start working for 24 hours.
This can be difficult in the winter. I usually use an electric heat pad with a kitchen towel wrapped around it and place my bowl on top. This year, however, my heat pad is in the garage under old towels for the cats to sleep on and stay warm. I actually went to shop for a new heat pad but the new ones have automatic 2 hour shut off. Bummer.

What I have decided to do, and is working great, is I place the bowl in my oven on the top rack and turn the oven light on. This light keeps the temperature about perfect for the starter, 70-80 degrees.

So this is all you do for the first day. I will be back tomorrow to tell you what to do for Day 2.

*****The mixture is ready to be placed in warm area for 24 hours*****

                   
               ***********Your oven light is a warm source for your starter************



See you tomorrow!!!