Collins Country

Sourdough Journal #5

Quick Note:

The "floured loaves" are great for toast, becasue the bread is dry and firm.  I won't use it for sandwiches (other than grilled).  It looks prettier than the "sticky loaves", but taste is what it's all about as far as I'm concerned.

So, I may add a tad more flour for workability, and the sticky loaves rule!

I have a question about sourdough:  I know that if you don't use it, you need to remove a cup of starter and feed it. 

Is there any limit to how many times you can remove starter from the batch?  For example, would it mess things up if I made bread one day, fed the starter and then removed starter the next day for sourdough pancakes?

Thanks for any help!

Untitled Comment

{ 01:15 , Thursday, August 17, 2006 } { Posted by Jonash2004 }

Pattisea, I love your blog! I just can't keep up! ;)

Oh, the mirror story! How sad! I think your family sounds like wonderful tenants. My parents own rental property, so I hear about it all the time. Bad tenants = trash in yard, and don't pay rent. Your family is the kind of family my parents dream about renting to . . . . just so that you know, unless you aren't mentioning you're behind rent six months, I think your landlord would have to be crazy not to find you wonderful people to have in their house. You sound as though you have really made it a home! :)

And I like to hear about your sourdough. I might never make it, but I love to hear about your adventures with it!!

laters!
Ashley

Untitled Comment

{ 02:26 , Thursday, August 17, 2006 } { Posted by maa }

Thanks for the comment about pressure cookers. I have a pressure cooker and a pressure canner.

The cooker is a small one just the right size for a chicken or a roast, the canner is very large and I anly use it for canning.
maa's mom

Sourdough

{ 06:02 , Friday, August 18, 2006 } { Posted by HarvestMom }

Hi Patti,
I experiment with this often. Here is what I've read. Each time you make a loaf of sourdough add 1 cup of your sponge back to the starter to replenish what you use. So if you use it for pancakes the next day it your starter should be fine. You do the same thing any time you use it so it gets replenished with some of the original starter. If you do not use the starter every two days, store it in the refrigerator and feed it once a week by pouring off the liquid on top, adding 1/2 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of water. Let stand on the counter overnight before returning to the refrig; I'd let it sit there all the next day too! Now I'm in the mood for some sourdough, I think I'll go fill the crock!
Hope that helps, Blessings, Theresa