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About Sourdough. /Part 1/The Starter.

So I feel like we have to cut this topic in (at least) half, just to make sure everything is crystal clear, because even though making sourdough is ridiculously easy, the starter is a delicate thing, you have to make sure to give the right measurements and keep it on the right temperature and probably a few other important steps to get the best sourdough you have ever dreamed of!

This post is about the STARTER. The base of our bread..(and occasionally a few other things you can make with it).

I'll share every tips and tricks that I learned, because I have to say I tried a few different recipes, not all of them succeeded...

Just keep in mind these things worked for me might not work the same for you, and that all sourdough starter is a little different, not in a bad way, it's just about ingredients and temperature and can still work as good.

So let's get into it shall we?!

Equipment

Jar or plastic container (big enough to store your sourdough)

An (electric) scale

Good quality all purpose, unbleached White flour

Good quality Rye flour/Whole wheat flour/Spelt flour (or any other flour you want to use)

Water (filtered is the best but regular tap water worked for me just fine!)

Stiring tools: spatula/fork/spoon -whatever works best for you.

Directions

First of all, you'll definitely need a scale because we're going to use gramms for measuring ingredients!

I like to use 50-50% of flours just to make it a little cheaper and lighter. So I always use good quality white flour (like King Arthur) and good quality rye flour (like Bob's Red Mill).

Its important to always use the same flour brand that you start with (different brands can play with the consistency of the starter)!

Usually I mix 300-300 gramms together in a bigger container so I make my life easier!

But you can always use just one type of flour with the same method, it's gonna work just fine.

Try to feed your sourdough starter in the same time every day, better on the morning, cause ideally at day 5 we'll feed the starter twice a day (one or two hour diffenerces are not the end of the world)!

Last but not least measure your jar (without the lid) add 40g to the number, thats gonna be your everyday number that you'll have to use as measuring the flour and water. Write it down on the jar or a piece of paper, so you don't forget it (Yep happened with me before..)!

For example my jar weights 253g (without the lid) + 40g = 293g --> this is the number I'll start with in the next 6 days.

DAY 1

(So as I said weight your jar, write the number down. Check the time, write it down.)

Your jar is on the scale, add in 40g of your flour mixture and 40g of water

Stir it together -it should look like a thick paste, ball(ish).

Set it in a shaded, warm area. (I use my oven, if it's cold with the light on, if it's warm without the light, but if it's warm enough in your kitchen you can put it on your counter where the sun don't reach it!)

DAY 2

On the next day check the starter, should be bubbly, should smell a little vinegary.

Put the jar on the scale and discard everything except that jar weight + 40g (again my example was 293g) That 40g is your leftover starter that you're gonna feed every day!

Clear the scale with the jar on it and add 40g of water and 40g of your flour mixture.

Stir til smooth (no lumps).

Put it back to the shaded area til the next day

DAY 3

If you're following along you already know what to do today!

Again check bubbles, smell.

Discard starter except jar weight + 40g.

Feed you starter with 40g water and 40g flour mixture, stir.

Set aside in a shaded area.

DAY 4

Same old, same old.

Check ( it's important so you see your starter is growing) at this point it should smell a little more tangy, but it shouldn't be a bad, unappealing smell.

Discard

Feed & Stir -if your starter is a little soupy add a few more gramms of flour (until it's firm)

Set aside

DAY 5

Again..

Check

Discard

Feed

Set aside

DAY 6

If your sourdough starter looks healthy, bubbly, it means it grows nicely so today you can feed it twice a day, ideally on the morning and 8 hours later. Same deal though.

Discard

Feed

Set aside

8 hours later..

Discard

Feed

Set aside.

DAY 7 (last day)

Same deal as on day 6 but instead of 8 hours, it's 6 hour difference between morning and afternoon feeding!

After second feeding let the starter sit for another 6 hours then it should be ready to roll!

Check - should smell a little sweeter, less accidic (because of the double feeding).

Discard

Feed

Set aside

6 hours later..

Discard

Feed

Set aside

6 hours later..

If you did everything right, your sourdough starter should reach the maturity where you can start to build a levain for "da bread".

You can check the maturity by poping a little piece of the starter in a glass of water, if it floats it's ready, if not leave it for a little more time.

If it isn't that much activity, continue to feed twice a day!

If you don't want to use it right away, when it reaches the maturity pop it in the fridge.

You can leave it there for 1-2 weeks without feeding, but ideally you should feed it every week!

Little chemistry

The sugar in the flour is creating Carbon Dioxide, that causes rising in the starter!

In sourdough:

Lactic Acid gives a yoghurty flavour.

Acetic Acid gives a vinegary flavour/smell.

Floating test - starter should be airy enough to float in a ball/glass of water (it's mature enough to use)

Refrigerating slows down the yeast activity.

Next post is going to be about building a levain and making basic sourdough bread!

My base recipe and most of the things I learned are from https://www.theperfectloaf.com

But keep in mind I changed some things in my recipe, I use simple equipment and ingredients just because that's what I had in hand and it worked perfectly for me!

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Loaded Banana Bread.

Yes we simply just going to call it banana bread. It’s a difficult relationship.

There are carrots, coconut, lemon and whole wheat flour..just to many things that can make you say omg, no thank you but trust me, you are going to like it, especially because of that lemon glaze on top! And it’s super healthy..mostly.     It seams like a lot of ingredients, but it’s really easy to put together.

What you’ll need:

1/2 cup ww or white flour              

1/2 cup quick oats

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup carrots

1/3 cup milk

2 big or 3 small bananas

1/2 brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 shredded coconut

For the Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tbsp milk

2 tbsp lemon juice + 1 tbsp zest (if you like it lemony)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Mix wet and dry ingredients in two separate bowl, then stir the two together, do not OVERMIX). Leave some coconut for the top!

Bake it for around 40 minutes or til a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool it down before icing.

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Berry Heaven

If you didn’t know this about me- I don’t really know how that happened- I love simple things when it comes to cooking/baking. If I don’t have the mood to prepare something for  hours (what can be incredibly delicious let’s be honest) but I still want to have some good bites, I just put something together that I find in my fridge and hope for the best.

Now what will happen is that I’m going to have something disappointingly disgusting oor... something that I can share with the human society!

So that’s what happened everybody and here I am sharing it with you, hoping that you will try it out too!

You will need: (makes 4 little glasses)

2 cups heavy whipping cream

splash of vanilla extract

1/4 cup powedered sugar

1 cup fresh (or frozen) berries -I used blackberries

1 orange

oats (optional)

Directions:

Prepare your ingredients: in a large mixing bowl, whip up your cream with the sugar and vanilla and set aside. Discard a few of the berries for topping. For the rest I used a fork to mix and mash them a little bit (this way the color is going to come out a little better at the layering). Peel and cut your orange into little cubes or slices.

Basically you are done...at least with preparing your ingredients, now get yourself little jars, glasses, bowls any kind of dish that you want to use and starting with the mashed berries, layer your ingredients in it, starting with the mashed berries, cream, oranges, oats (-you can use sliced almonds, walnuts, could be even crashed graham crakers..) and again... til you are out of space.

Use the rest of the berries to top it and yuor Berry heaven is just waiting for you to eat it!

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Winter Favorite: Orange-Cinnamon Rolls.

So I love Christmas it isn’t a question and I love “christmas flavours” even more, cinnamon, orange, warm apple cider,hot chocolate, all spice, ginger bread cookies..I’m melting already! but the point is you can convert any kind of ordanary recipe to a warm & exciting christmas dessert with a house-fulling smell.

 Obviously mine but it’s gonna be your favorite too when you try this gooey and soft Roll recipe!

What you’ll need,

for the Dough:

3/4 cup warm milk

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup butter, melted

3 cups flour

a pinch of salt

1 Tbsp greated orange peel 

for the Filling:

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp all spice

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 Tbsp greated orange peel (optional)

for the Topping:

juice of 1 orange 

1 Tbsp grated orange peel

about 1 cup of powdered sugar

a dash vanilla

Directions

Seams like a lot of work but it’s really not that hard just make sure you make it ahead of time so your dough can rise in pease and you can save your nerves too. This dessert will take about 3 hours to make!

So start with the dough, put the warm milk in a large mixing bowl (shouldn’t be hot but warm enough so your yeast can start to work) add the yeast and let it sit for a couple of minutes then add the melted butter, your (room temperature) eggs and sugar and stir it together. Now you can add your salt, orange peel and flour and here comes the fun part I like to work with my hands feel the doughand see how the gluten structure is building so I knead it by hand for about 8 to 10 minutes (if you are using a mixer knead it for 8 minutes on medium speed).

 After that you have to let your dough rise for about 2 hours (should double in size). At the last 15 minutes you can preheat your oven to 350F.

Combine your sugar cinnamon and allspice, roll out your dough to a desired thickness, brush your dough with the melted butter and sprinkle your filling on it evenly.

At this point you can deside how big or small you want your rolls, I prefer smaller ones so I don’t feel ashemed when I eat three at a time... if you want bigger  ones go for that! Just roll up your dough tightly and cut into equal pieces place them on to a greased pan and let them rest for 20 minutes, then bake them on 350F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown, if you want your cinnamon rolls to be moist and gooey be careful don’t overbake them!

Take it out of the oven let them cool down a little bit but pour your topping (Mix your powdered sugar and vanilla with enough of the orange juice so you’ll get a thick but still runny icing)  on it when it’s still warm so it will  run in every little crack. And you’re done!

Eat it warm or cold there is really no bad way to do it! 

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Quick Coconut Bonbons.

This basic a 3 (+1) ingredient recipe is quick & easy and surprisingly delicious. If you don’t have time to bake something but still want to impress your guest this is the recipe for you! 

The +1 ingredient in my case is lime but if you want to make it more fancy and adult friendly use a drop (or three) of a good quality rum.

You will need

1 cup condensed milk

3 cups shreded coconut

1 cup dark chocolate + 1 tsp coconut oil 

1 lime (optional)

Directions

In a big bowl mix together the coconut and the condensed milk if it feels too dry add a little more of the condensed milk until you can shape a ball in your hands.  Grate your lime (not the white part) and juice half of it, put it in the mixture, then roll golf sized balls of it.  

Put it in the fridge for a half an hour. Melt your chocolate with the coconut oil.

Coat your balls with the chocolate then put it back to the fridge til the chocolate harden. And you’re pretty much done. Eat them all at once or keep them in your fridge.

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Chocolate Banana Bread.

So originally this isn’t qute my idea but I made some changes add more sugar and love and definitely made to my style of a good banana bread what couldn’t be more chocolatey and delicious with a little kick of the peanut butter.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 bananas

1/2 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup  light brown sugar

1/2 cup oil

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup dark chocolate chip

Directions

Mash those bananas in a little bowl, add the egg, oil, vanilla extract, and the melted peanut butter. Stir dry ingredients together in a seperate bowl then combine with the wet mix.

Stir in half of the chocolate chip,pour it in a desired pan (I used a 9 inch round pan)  sprinkle the other half on top and put it in a preheated oven on 350° and bake it for 50 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean).

Enjoy it as breakfast, lunch or dinner!

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Two words: Eaton. Mess.

Okay so first of all LEFTOVERS. 

We know them, we hate them but sometimes just the best thing on busy day ooor to be creative with what you have in your fridge (hopefuly not for weeks).

Now you would think wow this girl is super lazy I know, I know.. but HEY, big part of the best dishes I make are coming from my leftovers so I don’t complain neither you should.

Second of all I have to confess I messed up my meringues two days ago.  Yes. I know. Such an easy one. But learning from your mistakes are the best way to learn.

And I sware it never happens again..except if I want to make this MESS again because it became delicious!

So todays recipe is standing for saving my (let’s just say way too crispy) meringues!

Ingredients

2 cups of heavy whipping cream

a batch of (rock hard) meringues -around 10

half a cup of powdered sugar

1 can of sliced peaches

1 tsp of allspice

1 splash of vanilla extract

1/4 cup of caramel sauce

Directions

First the meringues. It can be store bought or homemade if  the second one there are many recipes on the internet, the best advice I can give:

-your egg whites need to be room tempriture, no yolks please! if you want it  crispy bake it on reeealy low for.. longer than you think, if you prefer chewy ones bake it on higher heat for shorter amount of time.

Back to the recipe.. Whip your (cold) cream slowly add sugar( you can raise the amount but the meringues and the caramel are going to sweeten the dessert already) , vanilla and allspice (my christmas turn on the recipe). Cut your peaches as you wish, I cut them to thiner slices.

You can layer it or just put everything together and mix it gently it’s your choice. Serve it in a big bowl or in little individual ones.

I layered them in a glass bowl so you can see every little detail when it’s done.  

I crushed the meringes to the bottom, drizzeled some caramel sauce (for me it’s home made and leftover) add a few spoons of cream on top, smooth it out and add some peach slices continue until you run out of the ingredients (I did 3 layers and saved one meringue for decoration). It’s better serve fresh but you can keep it in the fridge up to 3 days.

It’s really that easy and you don’t even have to be fancy with it, it’s gonna end up in your belly anyway. ;)

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Orange-Rosemary Sponge Cake

FIRST RECIPE ON THE BLOG!

This cake of mine is a heart-warmer for these cold november days.

Michigan winter has already started and that makes me feel like baking, (just like every other season really) and I love chalange myself with new recipes and see what I can make from scratch but there are some days when I want to just sit down  and enjoy a rediciously easy and (just as) delicious dessert.

Now if enybody ever felt like that here don’t worry anymore this cake is just for you and your sweet tooth!

Ingridients

200 g butter

200 g sugar

200 g flour

pinch of baking powder

pinch of salt

3 large eggs

1 orange

1.5 teaspon of rosemary

half cup of sliced almonds

Directions:

In a large bowl mix together the softened butter and the sugar until it’s fluffy.

Then add the eggs, one by one and mix it well.

Add the flour, the baking powder and the salt, (you can even sift it for a smoother consistensy but it isn’t necessary) stir everything together until you get a smooth batter.

At this point you want to grate your orange and juice half of it, 

then grind the rosemary ( I recommend fresh for this recipe) add those to the batter with the sliced almonds and stir it just til it’s combined.

Bake it in a preheated oven on 340 F for 25-30 minutes until it’s golden brown.

If you want to be even more fancy make a Rosemary simple syrup!

For that combine half cup of water with half cup of sugar, bring it to a boil than add one or two  stalk of rosemary (depending on your taste),

simmer it on low heat for 5 more minutes.

Let it cool down a little bit then pour it on top of your cake.

And this is just my version of this cake, simple doesn’t mean that you can’t be creative, try it with other combinations too!

It works with thyme, levander, pecans, walnuts, lemon, apricots,the possibilities are endless!