New Favorite Hobby

I have been gluten free or gluten reduced for a number of years. It really had to do with digestion so a friend of mine and fellow Yoga For The Special Child teacher, introduced me to sourdough when taking a training with her. I did not have any issues so she gave me some sour dough starter. I thought this week I would share recipes I have tried and gotten quite good at.

• 

• 

• 

• 

“Rustic” Sourdough bread

Starter: Take 1 cup starter from your crock, add 2 cups water, 2 ½ cups bread flour, stir, cover and set in a warm spot for 12 hours or overnight. Then return 1 cup starter to the crock.

Bread:
3 cups refreshed starter
½ cup water
2 ½ tsp salt
3 ½ to 4 cups bread flour

Mix, knead, put in lightly oiled covered container and let rise until double in size.
Divide dough in half, shape into loaves, put in lightly oiled loaf pans, let rise to top of pans.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Deeply slash loaves so the oven rise doesn’t tear the sides.
Bake 35-45 minutes, I check at 35 minutes, for me it takes 45 minutes in cast iron loaf pans to reach internal temperature of 200 degrees on an instant read thermometer.

Variations: done in first mix before rise in bowl.
Whole wheat: substitute 2 cups whole wheat flour for a heartier whole grain loaf.
Everything bread: add 3 Tblsp Detweiler’s Everything But the Bagel spice mix.

Can be made into any shape above. This is the recipe I used for baguettes, one loaf, or the sandwich bread pictured above. I have not tried the whole wheat version so maybe next week.

Sourdough Everything Bagels
easy to make, easy to enjoy, these bagels are all you need 😉
Prep Time
6 hrs
Cook Time
20 mins
Servings: 9 bagels
Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 cup sourdough starter make sure it’s active and bubbly
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
Instructions
add all the ingredients into a kitchen aid bowl (if your using one); use the dough hook to knead the dough on speed level 1 for 7 minutes; if doing by hand, add all the ingredients to a large bowl and knead for about 10-15 minutes
lightly spritz the dough with water, form into a ball, and let rest in the bowl covered with a towel for about 5 hours
take the dough out of the bowl and place onto a lightly floured surface
form the dough into a rectangular shape, and use a bench knife to cut it into equal halves and then equal size strips of dough
form each strip into a bagel by rolling it into a ball, then poking a hole through the center, and gently shaping it
meanwhile, boil about 5 cups of water with 2 tbsp baking soda
once the water is boiling, drop 2-3 bagels into the pot at a time. they should float to the surface within a minute; use a slotted spoon to remove bagels from water and place onto a lined baking sheet (use parchement paper) then sprinkle heavily with everything but the bagel seasoning (from Trader Joe’s)
bake at 450F for 18-20 minutes

Rosemary Tomato Sourdough Bread

Starter: Take 1 cup starter from your crock, add 2 cups water, 2 ½ cups bread flour, stir, cover and set in a warm spot for 12 hours or overnight. Then return 1 cup starter to the crock.

Bread:
3 cups refreshed starter
2 Tblsp olive oil (from dried tomatoes if they came in oil)
4 Tblsp water
1 Tblsp sugar
1 Tblsp salt
2 Tblsp rosemary (chopped)
1 cup dried tomatoes (chopped)
3 cups bread flour (substitute 1 cup whole wheat flour for a heartier whole grain loaf)

Mix, knead, put in lightly oiled covered container and let rise until double in size.
Divide dough in half, shape into loaves, put in lightly oiled loaf pans, let rise to top of pans.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Deeply slash loaves so the oven rise doesn’t tear the sides.
Bake 35-45 minutes, I check at 35 minutes, for me it takes 45 minutes in cast iron loaf pans to reach internal temperature of 200 degrees on an instant read thermometer.

English Muffins

Sourdough English Muffins
Sourdough English Muffins are a delicious use for sourdough starter removed when feeding and easy enough for novice bread makers.
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Resting time
8 hrs
Total Time
50 mins
American Servings: 12 muffins Calories: 130kcal Author: Jade Jones
Ingredients
1/2 cup sourdough starter
1 cup milk
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
cornmeal for dusting
Instructions
Combine starter, 2 cups flour and milk in a large bowl. Stir to combine, cover with plastic wrap, and leave out for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
After the overnight rest, add the remaining flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda and mix well.
Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead 4-5 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
Roll out to 1/2″ and cut into rounds. You can re-roll the scraps but you need to let the dough rest at least 10 minutes before cutting more muffins from them.
Place muffins on a piece of parchment or cookie sheet dusted with cornmeal. Let rest for at least 60 minutes (longer is better).
Spray griddle or skillet lightly with oil. Heat to medium-low and cook muffins for about 6-8 minutes on each side or until browned on top and bottom and cooked through.
Notes
They will keep for about 3 months in the freezer. To reheat, microwave 45 seconds to 1 minute. Split and toast as usual.
Always make sure you use a fork to stab all the way around the muffins to separate the halves instead of using a knife.
Also, the longer you can allow the cut muffins to rest, the larger the nooks and crannies will be.
If the center is still slightly underdone you can always stick them in the oven at 350°F for about 5-10 minutes until they are done.
Use a digital kitchen thermometer to make sure the muffins have cooked through. They should be between 195° and 200°F
Nutrition
Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 3g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 259mg | Potassium: 57mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1.3mg

These do freeze nicely and had one for breakfast yesterday.

Apple Cake Recipe

CAKE:
1 cup ‘fed’ sourdough starter
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup honey
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1-1/2 cups apples, peeled cored and diced

TOPPING:
2 tbsp butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan (or an 8 or 9-inch square pan).

2. Place starter in a large mixing bowl. Add all remaining ingredients for the cake and stir gently until well blended.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. Mix all topping ingredients in a small bowl until they form crumbs. Sprinkle crumbs over top of cake.
5. Cook in a 375°F oven for about 35-40 minutes until center is set and toothpick comes out clean.

Servings: 16

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 179 calories, 59 calories from fat, 6.8g total fat, 17mg cholesterol, 158.3mg sodium, 67.9mg potassium, 28.3g carbohydrates, 1.6g fiber, 16.2g sugar, 2.6g protein, 14mg calcium, 1.7g saturated fat.

I did not use walnuts and used a vegan butter.

Ingredients
For the bread dough:
3/4 cup active fed sourdough starter (5.8 ounces/ 165 grams)
3 cups all purpose flour 14.75 ounces/ 415 grams
2 tablespoons honey 1.5 ounces/ 22 grams
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons butter softened
1/2 cup whole milk
1 egg
For the cinnamon sugar filling:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
Mix all ingredients except the salt in a mixing bowl until they form a shaggy dough. Cover with a clean tea towel and allow to rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Add the saltand knead by hand, stand mixer, or bread machine, until a smooth, soft dough forms. If the dough seems very dry and is not coming together, add a tablespoon or so more milk. If its very sticky and is sticking to the bowl or bread machine, add a tablespoon or so more flour. (If using a bread machine, select the DOUGH cycle and skip to step 4. Check the consistency of the dough. and adjust as needed before walking away.)
Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Place in a warm place to rise for 3-4 hours, until almost doubled in size. (The time for this will vary depending on the strength of your starter and warmth of your room.)
Grease a standard loaf pan with butter. Stretch the bread dough into a long rectangle, making the short side the same length as your loaf pan. Combine the cinnamon and sugar in medium bowl and sprinkle over the rectangle of dough. Roll up like a jelly roll and pinch all sides of the loaf. Place in the loaf pan and cover with greased plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm place for 3 hours, until the bread rises 1-2 inches over the edge of the loaf pan. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in the center.
Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 40-50 minutes, until the loaf is very golden brown and 200 degrees in the center. Remove from loaf pan and allow to cool completely before slicing.
Store at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze, tightly wrapped, up to 1 month.
Notes
If you want a very fluffy, high rising loaf, add a teaspoon of instant yeast with the salt and cut the rising times in half.
You can slice the entire loaf, freeze it, and toast the frozen slices.

Nutrition
Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 233mg | Potassium: 147mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 27IU | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg

I will continue to share my sourdough adventures. I have made pasta, crackers, and several other items but have not perfected them yet. So with all this yummy baked goods, how have I not gained a ton of weight? I have actually lost 14 pounds and counting. Want to know how………….