Crusty 10-Grain Sourdough Bread Loaves... using a starter.

Crusty 10-Grain Sourdough Bread Loaves... It was one of those days when I needed a break... what better way than to relax in the kitchen:). Love to bring out the flour and bake bread.

I confess I wasn't planning on making this particular bread... nor posting it. It was just that I really needed to use my starter as I was going on vacation for a few weeks... wanted to use most of it, if I could. I hoped the rest of the sourdough starter would somehow survive in the back of the fridge until I came back.

As I looked at my starter sitting on the counter from the night before, all fed and ready to be used, I thought of all the possible ways I could use it. I could of course make bread. But what kind of bread? I suppose the possibilities were endless... rolls would be easy to do, as well as flatbreads, or pizza doughs... even sweet breads could be made. But you see, I had this 10-grain hot cereal mix sitting in my fridge... could I possibly use it? It would be fun to come up with a new recipe. I really wanted to experiment... didn't want to rely on a specific recipe from a bread book. Sort of wanted to be on my own...

Truth be told, I wasn't expecting a stellar end-product... neither was I expecting something fabulous. At least most times when I experiment, the end result isn't always something to be proud of. But I knew the worst that could happen was to have some really dense flat breads with a crumbly, coarse crumb. I wasn't really worried as I could always turn it into breadcrumbs:)... but deep down I wanted my loaves to be successful. So I forged ahead and combined the ideas/techniques I learned from the Almost No Knead Bread, the Multigrain Sandwich Bread, and the Sourdough Walnut Bread to bake bread.

As I started getting all my ingredients out, I decided to get a pen and paper, along with my camera:)... just in case the loaves would be a success. I've made plenty of other recipes where I didn't write down measurements... and wished I had! Needless to say, I was thrilled with the final result....the bread loaves were fantastic! I could hardly wait to cut through it and see how the crumb was... springy, soft and well, you can see it in the photos. The crust was nice and crispy with a nice crunch. Wonderful for making hot or cold sandwiches, or next to a soup or saucy entree... or simply topped with some butter and jam. Loved the sunflower seeds and the various grains throughout the bread. Interestingly enough, I was planning on adding a bit more whole wheat flour to the dough...but found out last minute, that I only had 1 cup of spelt flour in the house. Ended up making the bread with what I had in the house. Next time, I'll add more whole wheat flour.

Years ago, I received quite a few Corningware casserole dishes as wedding gifts... at the time, I thought, "When would I ever use them all?".... How thankful I am for those dishes! They really come in handy... especially when baking bread. I know other folks use dutch ovens for baking bread, but I like to use the Corningware. I can make smaller loaves, and freeze some for later. Plus, the bread gets just the right kind of crust...golden and not too crusty.

In any case, I am posting the recipe for my own personal reference...and for those of you who care to try it. By the way, the sourdough starter survived in the back of the fridge until I came back... ended up making this bread again, except a sundried tomato/basil version. Hope you enjoy...

Note: While I used a 10-Grain Hot Cereal( Bob's Red Mill), you can easily use a 7 or 8-Grain Hot cereal.

Tip: You can use any baking dish/es that are oven-proof to at least 450 deg F(just decrease the pre-heating temp).... the lids must be oven-proof as well.

You will need:

2 1/4 cups sourdough starter, fed from the night before

1 cup 10-grain cereal

2 cups boiling water

2 1/2 tsps kosher salt

2 TBS honey

1/4 cup olive oil( or meted butter)

1 cup whole grain spelt flour

3 1/2-4 cups bread flour, or as needed

1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds( or other seeds of choice)

Directions:

1. In a medium pot, boil water, remove from heat and add 10-grain cereal, honey, and oil,(or butter if using). Mix and set aside until mixture reaches 120 deg F. I just stir the mixture continuously so that I speed the cooling.

2. To a mixing bowl(with a kneading hook), add the sourdough starter, salt, the cooled 10-Grain mixture, the spelt flour, and 3 1/2 cups bread flour.

3. Knead mixture using a dough hook for 5-6 minutes...at this time check to see that the dough isn't overly wet...it should release from the sides of the bowl as it is kneading, but stick to the bottom. The dough will start out very sticky, then gradually start to come away from the sides of the bowl. You can stop midway through, scraping the sticky dough off the sides, and then continue kneading. The dough should climb the hook for the most part. If it is still sticking to the sides, continue adding more flour, 1 TBS at a time, until the dough releases from the sides... I needed the whole 4 cups. But be careful as you don't want to add too much flour.

4. Continue kneading for an additional 3-4 minutes for a total of 9- 10 minutes. During the last minute of kneading, add the sunflower seeds and knead to combine.

Note: The dough is still a tacky sort of dough, expect it to stick to the sides as you stop the mixer from kneading.

5. Oil your hands and divide dough in 3 equal parts... shape the dough in 3 balls.

6. Place each dough ball on it's own parchment paper( you will need the parchment paper to help you place the dough in the baking dish...) and lightly cover with an oiled plastic wrap.

7. Allow to proof for 2 hours...

8. After 1 1/2 hours of proofing time, place 3 Corningware casserole dishes(with lids) in oven( big enough to allow the bread to rise inside when baking)....and pre-heat oven to 475 for 30 minutes.... the Corningware is in the oven during the preheating of the oven...the full 30 minutes.

9. After 2 hours of proofing(and 30 minutes of preheating) slash the loaves( 1/2 in deep)... you can make one slash in the middle or 2 as I have done.

10.Using oven mitts, remove the corningware from the oven. Remove lid and place proofed bread loaves(along with the parchment paper) in each of the 3 Corningwares. Cover with lids and place in hot oven.

Decrease oven to 450 Degs F

11. Bake loaves for 30 minutes. Remove lids and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes...or until the inside of the bread registers about 205-210 Deg F. You may need to cover the top with aluminum foil to prevent the loaves from burning.

12. Allow bread to cool completely(preferably 1- 2 hours) before slicing... Wrap well and freeze, if you like.

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Sourdough Starter... and Walnut Bread Recipe.

Sourdough Starter... and Walnut Bread.

I've been meaning to make a sourdough starter for a VERY long time now. Every so often I would stumble upon a great bread recipe and realize that I needed a starter. Sadly I would look at the recipes, but couldn't try any of them without a starter. I guess I was a bit hesitant to attempt making my own starter as the process looked and sounded too complicated. And even though I am never put off by long or complicated recipes, I had a hard time when it came to making my own starter. Why, I wonder? Well, at first I had wanted to make a wild yeast version....you know the one that has no commercial yeast added to the starter...it's simply made from flour and water and the natural occurring yeast that's found in the air as well as in the flour. But there's always that small risk that the starter won't work...so that was one of the reasons why I put it off. Then I was scared the bread would end up being too sour...I like sour, but don't prefer an overly-sour bread. And probably the biggest reason for not making my own starter was that I felt I would have to bake bread all the time... just so that my starter would be kept alive and well. Most times I have plenty of bread in the freezer, and actually don't need to bake bread every week. But after doing a bit of research, I realized that the starter could be fed weekly (or so) with a just a tablespoonful of water and flour....and a few weeks can go by without actually using the starter...so that wasn't such a valid fear anymore. I also realized that I could use the starter in other recipes.... in pancakes, pizza dough, flat breads, quick breads, muffins, cakes etc.

In any case, those were some of the things I was struggling with...

So while I was contemplating making the sourdough starter, I ended up talking with my sister on the phone. And in the course of our conversation, we ended up talking about what we had been baking... about breads...and sourdough starters. She mentioned how she had great success with her current sourdough starter and thought I should give it a try. As always she's good about sharing her recipes with me...and even mailed me my own copy:).

At the same time, I "talked" with my friend Megi from LindenTea and loved her enthusiasm over sourdough breads...the health benefits when using a sourdough starter... and appreciated her helpful tips. Then I kept thinking about the walnut bread that I had seen earlier on her site. It looked so good and I knew I had to make it. Really wanted to make it. Kept thinking about it. So I finally decided to attempt making my own starter...with a bit of help from commercial yeast:). I had the recipe...used what I had in the house... and proceeded to make my very own starter. It was a success...and it wasn't difficult at all!:)...

Now, I am definitely not an expert in sourdough starters...I am continually learning. But I thought I would share how I overcame my fears over sourdough starters:)... and in the process share a beginner's version which gave me incredible results. Not to mention that it's also fascinating to see how a tiny bit of yeast can multiply and multiply and multiply...and continue to do so as long as you feed it some flour and water.

I have to say this bread was incredibly delicious...we just LOVED it! In any case, I am posting it for my own personal reference, and in case some of you would like to try it. While the recipe looks complicated...with lots and lots of writing...the actual recipe is quite simple to make. So please don't be put off by the very long post....I've tried to make it as simple as possible...with lots of explaining along the way:). Maybe I've over-explained it... Hope you enjoy...

Note: I had taken pictures of the whole starter process and somehow, the memory card failed to record my pictures:(...so I was only able to take photos of the final stages of baking. On the other hand, I have tried my best to explain the process in words...hope it helps a bit.

To date: I meant to post this recipe some time ago...and never did. But after a few months, my starter is still doing well and I absolutely LOVE using it to make breads... epecially pizza dough/flatbreads....the only thing is... I don't seem to be using my regular yeast as often anymore:).

Sourdough Starter... adapted from EHow Food

Ingredients:

2 cups flour*

2 cups warm water

1/4 tsp active yeast( original recipe uses 1/2 tsp)

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*unbleached white, whole wheat, spelt or rye... or a blend of a couple of flours.

I used 1 1/4 cup unbleached bread flour and 3/4 cup rye flour, as that is what I had at the moment.

Directions:

1. Mix the flour, water and yeast together in a large ceramic/glass bowl until thoroughly combined.

• Use a clean glass/ceramic bowl. The acidity of the starter will discolor any metal as the dough ferments... including stainless steel. Try to use a large enough bowl as the starter expands a bit.

2. Cover the bowl with some plastic wrap....make sure it is loosely covered....I like to just place a large plastic bag over it. Do not cover the bowl with a lid or tight cover.

• CO2 gas is a natural byproduct of the fermentation process...so it needs to vent.

3. Place the bowl in a warm spot in the kitchen....I like to place it in the oven( I briefly heat it up for a few seconds ...just until it feels a bit warm, turn the oven off and place the starter inside...some people leave the oven light on. You basically want a temp of high 70's or low 80's). Let the dough ferment for 3 days, stirring once daily.

On day 2, I added 1 teaspoon sugar just to make sure it had a bit of food:)...this is totally optional.

• You will notice some liquid accumulating on the surface of the starter... with a few bubbles. This is a natural byproduct of the fermentation process and is simply mixed back through the dough.

4. The starter is now ready to use....or if you want to stretch it for a bread recipe that requires you to have a larger amount of starter, you can do what I did:

On the evening of the third day( or 12 hours before actual baking) "feed" the starter by adding 1 cup warm water and 1 cup flour....or equal parts of flour and water.

• Leave the starter out( loosely covered) at room temp.... and do not refrigerate.

The following morning the starter will be ready to use in the recipe.

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HOW TO USE THE NEWLY MADE STARTER:

If your recipe only requires one or two cups of starter, you can use the starter immediately, or after the third day( no feeding required) and store the remaining cup for another use.

However, if your recipe requires more than two cups you will need to stretch your starter before you bake....see step 4 above, or below.

HOW TO "STRETCH" YOUR STARTER:

To stretch your starter begin the evening before you plan to bake and add enough equal parts flour and warm water to provide starter for your recipe plus one cup to reserve. Mix thoroughly, cover loosely and allow to rest over night.

• Your dough won't need any further yeast... it makes its own yeast colony during the time it ferments.

HOW TO MEASURE FOR A RECIPE:

You will need to thoroughly stir the entire starter before you want to measure the amount required in a recipe.

• It is important to reserve at least one cup so that you can stretch and use it for your next recipe.

HOW TO STORE YOUR STARTER:

Store your starter in a glass container, making sure it is loosely covered... Store it in the refrigerator.

• The starter is a living organism... and will live if you feed and use it regularly.

HOW TO FEED THE STARTER:

To feed the starter( or yeast colony) and to make sure that it remains active and healthy, just add about 1 tablespoon or so of flour and equal amounts of warm water once every few days or once a week. Make sure you give the starter a good thorough mix and place it back in the fridge.

• If you are not planning to bake with your starter, do not leave it outside the refrigerator.
• If you do not use your starter often, it will keep in the fridge with a weekly feeding.

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Sourdough Walnut Bread Recipe

You will need: adapted from LindenTea...do check out Megi's blog for the original recipe which includes different flours.

Yields: 2 Large Loaves

550 grams(2 1/4 cups) sourdough starter, fed

600grams(4 cups) unbleached bread flour( you can also use a variety of flours)

220 grams(1 cup) just-warm water

2 TBS sugar( you can use 1 TBS, if you like.)

1/2 tablespoon salt

1-2 cups chopped walnuts*

* the walnuts will give the bread dough a slight lavender/bluish tinge...so don't be alarmed.

Directions:

1. In a mixer bowl, add all the ingredients.... except the walnuts. Knead for about 5 minutes until smooth. The dough is a bit sticky, but shouldn't stick to the sides of the bowl too much.

2. Add walnuts and knead till the walnuts are combined throughout the dough. Cover and let rise for about 2 hours... or until double.

3. Cut dough in half and shape dough gently into a round /oblong shape.

4. Place shaped breads on a lightly greased parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Cover with a greased plastic wrap.

5. Preheat oven to 500 degs. and heat for 30 minutes.

6. Let the formed bread dough rise again( in a warm spot)...while the oven preheats and heats for about 30 minutes. The dough should proof a bit more during this time.

7. Slash the bread dough gently... and sprinkle a bit of flour if you like...for a rustic look:).

8. Lower oven to 450 and bake bread for about 40-45 minutes...inside temp. should be close to 205 degs. F when checked with a thermometer. Timing depends on your oven. Cool completely.

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