From Emily’s kitchen to yours….

I’ve heard stories of sourdough starters lasting for over 100 years. I have a friend who recently acquired a sourdough starter from a lady who had years ago been given some by my friend’s grandmother.  Some people leave an inheritance and some leave a sourdough starter.

I probably won’t be one of the latter, or the former, but we won’t get into that.

I’m on my third starter.

Supposedly you can’t kill them.  Or it’s very difficult. Or you are me.

I have just reached a new sourdough record. I have kept my starter alive for over a year and I use it once or twice a week.

My son, Clayton, has food allergies and he is allergic to yeast and yeast extract so I make all the bread we use. It’s taken me quite a few years but I’ve finally found a recipe that we all enjoy and that makes really good sandwich bread.  It also makes good cinnamon rolls. I discovered this after I tried to squish all the dough into 2 loaf pans (and you’re in luck, I do have a picture of that first try).

The recipe really does make 3 loaves.  Not having a third loaf pan, I started experimenting with the “extra” dough.

At least that’s my excuse for eating cinnamon rolls once a week.

A sourdough starter is required for this recipe. If you don’t have one, ask around.  Most people I know that make sourdough would love to grow their starter and share.  Or you can order a starter through the mail (they come dried and you have to reconstitute them).

Sourdough White Sandwich Bread

1 cup sourdough starter

1 1/4 cups unbleached white flour

1 cup warm water

(I always double the above measurements and then remove half of this mixture in the morning to feed my sourdough starter.)

Mix these ingredients in a large bowl and allow to stand in a warm place so the mixture can ferment and bubble for 10 – 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake the bread, heat gently in a small saucepan:

1 1/2 cups milk

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons butter

Just until butter and honey are melted. Let cool to room temperature, mix into the sourdough mixture (make sure you’ve removed some dough to feed the starter) along with approximately:

6 1/2 cups unbleached white flour (this is what the recipe calls for but most of the time I use about 3 cups white flour and the rest a mixture of rye, spelt, white and red wheat)

Beat in just enough flour to make a dough you can handle.

Turn the dough onto a floured board (or counter), cover with a damp cloth and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before kneading. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Don’t skimp on the kneading.

I got a massage once and the massage therapist commented on my very strong forearms. She was amazed to learn that people still make bread by hand!

After kneading, place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth.  This will keep a thin crust from forming on your dough.  Allow to rise until double.

Once the dough has doubled, punch down and cover with the damp cloth and allow to rise again. Each rising can take about 2 hours.

Once it has doubled again, knead it down and divide the dough into thirds.

Shape into loaves and place into greased loaf pans.  If you want to make cinnamon rolls with part of the dough, only fill two loaf pans and set aside the remaining third for a minute or two.  The dough should only fill the pan about 1/2 way. Cover with a damp cloth and put in a warm place until double in bulk. This could take about a hour.

Bake in a preheated 375 F degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until the loaves are nicely browned and sound hollow when tapped.  Remove from pans and let cool on racks. For a really tender crust, brush with butter and cover with a dry cloth as they cool.

Cinnamon Rolls

These are more bread-like and not very sticky or gooey. I like them this way because then my children do not end up all sticky and gooey and do not require a bath immediately after breakfast.

Roll out the remaining third of the dough into a rectangular shape about 1/4 inch thick:

Mix together:

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Spread this over the dough.

Sprinkle 1 cup brown sugar over the top of this and mix in slightly.

This gets a little messy.

Sprinkle cinnamon  and just a dash of nutmeg over the top. I didn’t measure but I did take a picture of what it looks like, so if yours looks like this, you’re probably good.

One variation is to sprinkle  ground cardamom instead of cinnamon. We refer to these as “dirt cinnamon rolls” because my kids think the ground cardamom looks like dirt.

Add raisins or nuts, if you so desire.

Roll up. Tuck in the ends a little as you go so all the filling doesn’t ooze out.

Cut into 1 1/2 – 2 inch pieces.

Place in greased 9 x 10 pan, cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise until double in bulk.

Cover with saran wrap and put in refrigerator until the morning.

Next morning remove rolls from the fridge, remove saran wrap and place in cold oven. Turn temperature to 375 and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Enjoy!

I hope you stop by next week for homemade soaked granola.

–Emily