Should I kill mother*?

I have a problem. I am no longer making sourdough bread because it takes an incredibly long time to make, ferment and proof (especially without a proofer).

So, should I let my mother die? The starter that I raised and fed for the nearly 11 months? It saddens me to even contemplate this.

Of course I shouldn't kill mother. There are two things I can do instead.
1-Freeze her.
2-Find other recipes besides bread.

But maybe I should start from the beginning of my story. Why would anyone even want to create a mother? What is a starter? Why is it called mother? Oh boy, I'm finding that I could write an awful long time about sourdough and starters, but that wasn't my original intention of this entry. Nor do I want to write all night.

What I am going to do is write about my mother's brief history, why I like non-yeasted starters over yeasted starters, why sourdough is still worth the wait and other things you can bake with a sourdough starter.

First, as I already mentioned, a sourdough starter can be made with or without yeast. *It is called a mother because, just like us human mothers, good things come from her. Some bakers also refer to a natural starter as a chef, probably for the same reasons as why it's called mother. The best way to catch wild yeast is to move to San Francisco. Just kidding. However, it is easier to catch wild yeast in a busy kitchen and in warm temperatures. There are four things that are needed to create a starter: water, bread flour, fruit peel or honey, and time.

I made my mother last April for my baking class. The original recipe calls for grapes, but because we didn't have any (nor did we have apple, orange or lemon peels) because Sisco didn't make their delivery, I used grapefruit. The key to remember is to always keep your water and flour weights the same.

Water:           6 oz
Grapes/peel:  3 oz
Bread Flour:  6 oz
-Combine and mix thoroughly
-Place lid tightly or use plastic wrap
-Store a room temp for 24 hours (70-75 degrees)

-Remove grapes

Water:            3 oz
Bread Flour:  3 oz
-Add to starter and mix thoroughly
-Cover and store at room temp another 24 hours

You will need to feed (ideally) mother every three or four days or so (I go a week). Again, remember to always add equal amounts of water and bread flour. Also, never add more than half the total weight. So, if your mother weighs 16 oz, never feed it more than 4 oz of water and 4 oz of flour. Also, the more you feed your mother, the more pungent/flavorful it will be. This is also the reason if you really like a San Francisco sourdough why you would want a natural starter versus a simple starter (yeast). Flavor is also the reason why it is worth the wait. Sourdough is and will always remain my favorite.

However, the downside of making sourdough bread is the reason why I have currently stopped making it. Time. It takes a lot more time to make since the dough lacks the amount of yeast other recipes require.
And I don't have the inclination to create a homemade proofer (cardboard box, rack, sheet pan, hot water) especially since I have started experimenting with the "Five Minute" method.

So what should I do? I have already said that I don't want to kill mother. I could freeze her. Yeast remains alive even in the freezer by going dormant until it is in warmer temperatures again (you kill yeast by baking; it dies at 140 degrees). But then I will miss her (she's like my pet).

Then that leads to the other alternative of finding new recipes where I can use mother. Enter "Baking with Sourdough" by Sara Pitzer, a Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin. You should be able to find these bulletins quite inexpensively at independent booksellers and on Amazon. Anyway, according to the sourdough bulletin, you can adapt standard recipes into sourdough recipes. On page 9, Pitzer writes the following directions.

"To adapt a yeast recipe, begin with a small amount of starter, about 1/4 C for recipes using less than 6 cups of flour and about 1/2 c for recipes calling for more flour. Mix the the starter with some of the flour and some of the liquid from the basic recipe you want to convert. Figure 1/4 C starter has replaced about 1/4 flour and slightly less than 1/4 C liquid in the recipe....In baking powder recipes (this is pretty cool...think brownies) figure the same way, but use as much as a cup of starter even in recipes calling for only 2 or 3 cups of flour.

"Allow the mixture of starter, flour and liquid-the sponge-to stand and bubble for 4 to 24 hours depending on the sourness you want."

Recipes that I have tried from the bulletin have ranged from okay to fantastic. The sourdough pancakes are absolutely incredible. You just need to know your making pancakes 24 hours in advance...and to have your starter ready to go!

So, go make your mother, be kind to her, and the next time I make the pancakes, I will be sure share the recipe.

So easy, so why is it in a jar?

In our busy world, sometimes it is indeed easier to purchase "ready" items. I love canned tomatoes. Is it easy to concasse tomatoes? Yes. Does it take A LOT of time? No. But am I going to get a great tasting tomato in the middle of winter? No. And is it kind of a pain? Yes. Dei Fratelli is my favorite brand of tomatoes, by the way. In fact, we did a taste test in my purchasing class last semester, and Dei Fratelli was the winner hands down in taste AND price.

However, when it comes to pre-made sauces, I have an issue. Although even bolognese sauce takes more effort than opening a can (but so worth it!!!), Alfredo sauce and Marsala really do not. Not only are these sauces easy to make, you are using real ingredients instead consuming all of the extra stuff that make industrial canning possible. Alfredo sauce only has THREE ingredients and takes less than 10 minutes to make. I have included the recipe below.

Fettucini Alfredo  (4 servings)

Pasta,                                               8 oz
  ideally fresh, but dried and even GF (Tinkyada) will work
-Boil, keeping slightly undercooked. Refresh and drain.

Heavy Cream                                12 oz
Unsalted butter                                2 oz
Parmigiano reggiano, grated            2 oz (or more to taste)
-Combine, bring to boil & reduce slightly

Salt & pepper
-Add pasta to sauce, season accordingly.
-Boil until sauce is thick and pasta is cooked.

**To really finish it off, temper an egg yolk at the very end.

A new way to make bread

Wow! It's been awhile. I am finally recovering from a sourly mix of pneumonia and bronchitis.

Needless to say, I've spent a lot of time lounging around reading. One of the books that has intrigued me is Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. I have made their master recipe, and it was quite good. I really like the idea that I premake my dough and then pull it out 40 minutes or so before baking. However, I will not be convinced until I try some of their other recipes (these are very small loaves, and I need to play around with the recipes). The secret is that you use a wet dough. It is almost poulish-ish (starter) like in consistency. Stay tuned.

Other books read during the last month:
Garlic and Sapphires - Ruth Reichl
Watier Rant - The Waiter (Steve Dublanica)
Zingerman's Guide to Good Eating - Ari Weinzweig
Major Barbara - George Bernard Shaw