Oh, Mother....
After a year of nursing along my last sourdough "mother," I finally used it up and freed my mind to wrap up my Engineering Science degree. It seems it was enough for me to just keep my many houseplants watered and tended to, along with my two fur-babies who seem to need far more attention these past few months. But I graduated in May and I am SO eager to get into baking again, and exploring the vast number of sourdough recipes available on the internet!
My last starter was created from this fun recipe at Paul Hollywood's blog
Paul Hollywood's Apple Sourdough Starter
I love this recipe because it starts with an organic apple and has a deliciously sweet apple essence all the way through the process, from developing the starter to baking the bread.
~There is another good one in the Feb/Mar Issue of MaryJane's Farm Magazine~
[Click here to purchase Magazines]
Mary Jane's sourdough process is fun and easy to follow. I have started this "mother" two different times and have been very successful with it.
In the early phases of these sourdough starters you'll be feeding the dough regularly. Paul Hollywood's recipe calls for dividing and discarding starter regularly in the initial phases.
When following this process you'll be dividing the starter BEFORE feeding it, which will keep your dough from growing to epic proportions, but causes a dilemma for those of us who hate to waste. Instead of throwing out that "discard" portion, try some of these One-Cup wonder recipes!
Sourdough Discard Scones Recipe
My favorite is the scones with dried cranberries, but I enjoyed all four of these.
I also developed a basic dog treat recipe which is how I used up the remainder of my "mother" when it became more than I could keep up with. Basically, I added bone broth (approx 1/2 cup) and mashed sweet potato, then enough quick oats to make a workable dough. I rolled it out to about 1/4 inch thickness and then just used a pizza roller/cutter and sliced it both directions to make 1 inch square pieces. I baked these at 250 degrees until they were crisp (30-45 min). It's important to make sure they are dried thoroughly and crisp otherwise they will become moldy before you can use them up. Feel free to add other ingredients such as diatomaceous earth (for worms or intestinal parasite control) or nutritional yeast (for overall health and shiny coat). This is an "organic" recipe that can grow or change as you need, just balance the broth and oats to get the dough consistency that will be workable.
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