Sourdough starter

[smwon]

Instant Potato Sourdough Starter

3 tbsp instant mashed potato flakes
3 tbsp white sugar
1 c. warm water
1 ¼ tsp active dry yeast

Combine instant potatoes, sugar, water, and yeast in a covered container. Let the starter sit on a counter for 5 days, stirring daily with a wooden sthingy. On the morning of the fifth day, feed the starter with 3 tbsp instant potatoes, 3 tbsp sugar, and 1 cup warm water. In the evening, take out 1 cup of starter to use in sourdough recipe. Refrigerate the remaining starter. Every five days, feed the starter 3 tbsp instant potatoes, 3 tbsp sugar and 1 cup of water. If starter is not being used in a recipe, keep it refrigerated and discard (or give away) 1 cup of starter after each feeding.

A friend's sourdough starter and bread recipe, this starter they had had for 2 years and it is still going strong. They sent me a sample and I fed it and it is now mine

Keep starter in refrigerator -- feed once a week. Add:
¾ c. sugar
1 c. warm water, and
¼ c. instant potato flakes

Set on counter (or in the oven) uncovered for a day or a night (8-12 hours)
If not making bread, throw away (or give away) 1 cup of starter. Put starter back in fridge and do not tighten lid... leave on loose.
If making bread, mix these ingredients in a large bowl:
1 cup starter
1 Tbs. Salt
6 cups flour
½ cup sugar
½ cup oil
1 ½ c. warm water

Stir together. Cover top of the bowl with a piece of oiled wax paper. Let it stand overnight or all day.
Next morning, or that night... push dough down with hand, divide into 3 parts... knead each part on a floured surface 20 times. Put each kneaded part into a greased or sprayed loaf pan. Let rise 4-6 hours or overnight.
Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from pans, brush with butter and cool.

I have made this three times so far. two made with white flour, once with 100% whole wheat flour. The last batch I didn't add any extra sugar other than what was in the starter. It had to sit for 2 days to rise enough to bake, but even so it wasn't sour, or maybe just a tiny amount. I was pleased.

I've tried making sourdough by catching the wild yeast. Unfortunately I didn't have much luck with it.

[Chuck]

smwon said:

Instant Potato Sourdough Starter

Let the starter sit on a counter for 5 days, stirring daily with a wooden sthingy.

I've tried making sourdough by catching the wild yeast. Unfortunately I didn't have much luck with it.

Oops! Posted again as Chuck. This is really Jenny here this time.... so I edited to add the disclaimer for Chuck

;D ha ha ha ;D "sthingy" ? ;D You must have found it amusing that I got distracted when posting my marshmallow reply? ;D I was hoping nobody would notice. Oh well, at least we all know what a sthingy is ;D

Sounds like delicious bread! Yummy on the tummy ! ! ! I've only made potato bread once, but not from potato sourdough starter. It wasn't bad, but not the greatest, either. This sounds better.

I was just looking for my sourdough starter recipe. Must have left it at the homestead. I never added yeast to make it. Seems like I mixed about 1/2 cup warm water or milk with about 1/2 cup flour in a glass jar. Can't really remember how much flour, but it was about the consistency of fairly thin pancake batter. I also added about 3 Tbsp sugar or honey. I'd cover the jar with cheesecloth and set outside on the porch if the weather wasn't too cold. When it gets to smelling a little sour, and looks bubbly, add a little more milk or water, flour and sugar. If it's doing really good, I'll add, say another 1/c each of the liquid and flour, and about 3 more Tbsp. sugar or honey. If it's not doing so great after 3 days, I only add about half as much of each.

I used to use sourdough nearly everyday, so I made quite a bit. I just kept adding to it without using it until I got a good 3 cups. We like it kind of sour. Anyway, I don't know if this matters, but I usually made it in late spring or early summer. Since we don't have electricity, when both of us left for more than a week, sometimes we'd come home and find the sourdough ugly colors.

Once I didn't get around to makeing more until that winter. I didn't think it would work, but I'd heard that if you bake bread often, you can sometimes make sourdough in your kitchen and it will work. So, I made some and just set it on the warming shelf of the cookstove. Worked great!

Were you talking about making the bread without starter, then setting it outside to catch the wild yeast to make it rise? I've never tried that, but wondered if it would work. Our goats and chickens sometimes didn't understand boundaries, and I never wanted to risk my bread. Once I was busy one day baking loads of Christmas cookies on a snowy day. Chuck wasn't feeling so good that day, so was taking a long lunch break and was reading. The house was hot from all the baking, and I had to go outside so left the door open. Suddenly Chuck started hearing all this stomping around and wondered what I was so mad about all of a sudden. When he looked up, he found two of our goats eating my cookies ! ! We decided we'd have to save up to put a fence around our house if we were going to freerange the animals.

Anyway, I want to try your recipe

Jenny
Alaska HOMESTEADING Journal

[smwon]

Jenny... sthingy... yup, I think we all know what that is! ;D

"Were you talking about making the bread without starter, then setting it outside to catch the wild yeast to make it rise? I've never tried that, but wondered if it would work."

No I was trying to make sourdough starter, kinda like you did with wild yeast. I could get it to foam and rise in the container, but when I went to make bread, it wouldn't rise. I just don't know what I did wrong. I read somewhere about how they did it differant, I will have to find it....

P.S. My sourdough made with the wild yeast made really good pancakes and waffles though! Just can't figure why it wouldn't make bread, hummm

Oh and are you going to try making that without adding yeast... if so will be interesting to see if it works!

[Rovingarcher]

I've enjoyed my sourdough start for years, but they recomend you pour off the hooch, but I just mix it back in or my starter gets too doughy.Some folks like to useyogurt in the starter, but I'll just stick with the whole wheat start I have.GR

[Jenny]

If I get started too late to make REAL sourdough bread, I'll make up some other kind of bread using yeast, but decrease the water or milk a little and add some sourdough starter just for the flavor. Not as good as the real thing, but still gives it a nice flavor and a little different texture.

I stir the hooch back in, too. (though never heard it called that before ;D). It does get doughy if you pour it off. Also, if you stir it back in, seems to keep the stronger flavor. Some folks don't care for that I suppose.

When I make biscuits, I usually add about a cup (or whatever I can spare) of sourdough starter. Like with the yeast bread recipes, the addition of sourdough starter just adds a nice flavor and a little different texture. I don't do anything else differently. But I usually use butter since we rarely have lard. My dad likes flat hard biscuits, so he wouldn't like mine at all . Chuck's brother from KS, on the other hand, thought they were one of the highlights of his visit to the homestead several years back That was the first time we'd ever met, so I was glad he liked my cooking.

Jenny
Alaska HOMESTEADING Journal

[Freeholdfarm]

This thread made me hungry for sourdough bread! I don't bake much anymore, because several years ago I found out that my youngest daughter and I both have celiac disease (my mother has it, also), and we have to be on a gluten-free diet. I did try gluten-free sourdough once, and may try it again someday, but gluten-free bread is such a poor substitute for the real thing that it's hardly worth bothering with.

Wish I could smell you'all's bread baking! ;D

Kathleen

[smwon]

I have heard it called 'hooch' before, Jenny and I just stir it back in. I don't like real sour.. just very slightly sour is nice I think.

I wish I could let you smell my bread, Kathleen ... I love homemade bread, although I don't care much for the store bought stuff.

[Rovingarcher]

Sourdough bread is good stuff, but around here we don't make it too often(maybe for the holidays) as it never gets time to coolbefore it's gone ;D

[Chuck]

Rovingarcher said:

Sourdough bread is good stuff, but around here we don't make it too often(maybe for the holidays) as it never gets time to coolbefore it's gone ;D

Isn't that the truth!

[smwon]

I Love this starter that was sent me. I don't use the original anymore, but I do keep it active by feeding it every couple of weeks or so, BUT

I do have a flour starter I made from the original starter and it has the most awesome little yeasty beasties! It almost consistently rises wonderfully even with 100% whole-wheat flour! It is just amazing to me. This flour starter has a very slight tang to it, just barely noticeable, but it adds such a wonderful flavor to my breads made with it. I made waffles yesterday and they rose well and were very good... I feel confident I will never have to buy yeast again…<br>
Picture of the bread rising today... 100% Whole Grain. I am just so amazed! I have tried so many times and well, I found it!



Now to figure out how to keep the tart down without electricity...

[Chuck]

Just can Fed-X them right on up. ;D

[smwon]

;D

[smwon]

After I get moved and settled on my property, I plan to try making starter again from scratch, no yeast added. Last time I added a leaf from a grape plant... worked well. I think I may know how to do it this time and get it to actually raise my bread...

[pinkroses]

I'm new here. Mom use to make the homemade French bread with a sour dough starter. It was sure good. Sheila from Virginia.

[smwon]

I had dried some of my original sourdough starter... I had forgotten! However it got wet in the fridge but I smelled it and it smelled ok... so today I have fed and started it again. If it is good I will dry some again to take with me. I also have my potato starter that I will feed and dry to take with me as well. Hope it works.

I HATE packing! That's why I keep taking breaks and come in here! ;D