Crusty

Isn't it interesting how something will get our mind going?

My sweet friend, Karen, sent me another sourdough start down lasterday with one of her darling little boys because I let mine get *beyond-sourdough*. I fed it last night and decided to start a loaf of bread.

Sourdough isn't difficult, but it is time consuming. You mix flour, water, salt and some of your sourdough start into a medium dough and let it rise overnight, about 12 hours. Then you punch it down, shape your loaf, let it rise again for about 1-2 hours and then bake. Hands-on is only about 10 minutes total, that includes mixing, punching down, shaping, preheating the oven and dutch oven, transferring the risen dough to the dutch oven and starting the two-part baking process. Yeah, you just let it do all the work... and it works slow! My favorite part about fresh sourdough bread it the crunch, crust outside and the soft and fluffy inside.



So this is where my brain started whirring!

Have you ever considered just how much we, as women, are like crusty sourdough bread? We take a lot of time to turn out *right*. And, frankly, sometimes we want to rush that process! We want Pillsbury Dough results using a sourdough starter! Those Pillsbury Crescent rolls are yummy and FAST! And for some reason we think we have to be that fast, when really, were are sourdough all the way!

• We get sick... we want to be well YES-TER-DAY!
• We lose a loved one... we want to stop hurting YES-TER-DAY!
• We have financial difficulties... we want to be out of debt YES-TER-DAY!

Well, you see where I'm going with this.   We hold ourselves to higher standard than anyone else around us.  And you know what?

WE JUST NEED TO BE KIND TO OURSELVES!

We need to say, it's ok to take time to heal, to grieve, to dig out, to adjust, and often times, accept that we will NEVER be who and what we were before [before we lost our parent or child, went through a divorce, had surgery, moved away from a best friend, before...]  It's OK, because it has to be OK!

So my advice today is allow yourself to be like that sourdough bread that just came out of my oven:

• Crusty on the outside [read- I can do hard things.  With God I can do all things!] 
• Soft on the inside [read- don't become jaded by the negative things around you.  Fret not yourself!]

***(Yeah, and break open a jar of apricots to go along with your hot, buttery, slice of sourdough bread [read- I don't know but it sure tastes good to me])

268- Sourdough Chocolate Cake

Does the title of this one just knock your socks off? It did mine!



So, I made you all a promise and I try very hard to keep my blogging promises (real-life promises have a better percentage rate, sorry! I just forget...) to share some more of my new found sourdough recipes with you.

Let's get started! You need to start with the starter (heh, heh, heh). This lovely has been in the fridge for a couple of days and you can see that it has separated. Just stir it back together.



Measure out 1/2 c starter and mix it with flour, hot water and powdered milk to make the sponge. Cover and let it do its magic for at least 3 hours. See the magic?  See why it is referred to as a sponge?



Like any self respecting cake we need to cream together the fat, I used Imperial Margarine, (but you could use shortening or butter, just not that low cal stuff) sugar and eggs. I love this part!



Melt 3 squares of unsweetened baker's chocolate. I remember my first encounter with UNsweetened chocolate... what a sad disappointment! But it's ok here... we add it to the yummy creamed sugar. Try to resist licking the spoon, you will be disappointed too.  (Using a microwave heat in 30 second increments until melted.)



Add the melted chocolate and vanilla, of course, to the creamed mixture and mix well.  I added my soda, salt and cinnamon here too.



Now we will add the sponge. Mix gently, yet well. I used slow speed on my mixer this time. The first time I gently folded it in and had a marbled cake.

You will notice that this is a thick batter with a glutonous bread like consistency.  Don't worry, that's the sourdough doing its magic.  Spread in a greased 9 x 13 pan. 



Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool before icing.



OK, now this is where the real beauty starts! I've NEVER had a better chocolate frosting than this in my life. I call it a fudge frosting, you'll see why.  Mix more unsweetened baker's chocolate, butter, salt, half  & half, and powdered sugar in a small saucepan.  Heat to boiling, stirring constantly, until the butter and chocolate are melted.  Pour it into your mixing bowl and allow to cool.



Beat in another 3 cups of powdered sugar, perhaps a little more, to make it spreading consistency. Look at this! Doesn't it look like fudge? Smooth, satiny...



delicious... opps! I got some on my finger! What shall I do?



Spread that fudgy goodness on the cake... it makes my mouth water! I found that this made slightly more frosting than I wanted to use on a sheet cake and you would have plenty to frost and fill a layer cake. But now I have leftover fudge frosting... hmmmm.



Enjoy this marvelously moist cake. ( I love the cinnamon in the batter. It reminds me of my Mom's Chocolate Raisin Cake...)



SOURDOUGH CHOCOLATE CAKE

1 1/2 c flour
1 c hot water
1/2 c starter
1/4 c powdered milk

Mix together until smooth. Cover and let ferment for 3 hours.

Cream together:
1/2 c shortening (I used Imperial margarine)
1 c sugar
2 eggs

Mix in:
3 squares unsweetened baker's chocolate, melted
1 tsp vanilla

Then:
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Add sponge and blend well, yet gently.

Pour into a buttered 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.
Remove and cool before frosting

FUDGE FROSTING

In a small saucepan combine:

3 squares unsweetened baker's chocolate
1/2 c butter
1/2 c half & half
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 c powdered sugar

Heat to boiling, stirring constantly until butter and chocolate are melted. Pour into mixing bowl and allow to cool.

Beat in:
3 c powdered sugar (perhaps a little more)
Add enough sugar to make a good spreading consistency.

263- Homemade Sourdough Bread

Last Thursday was a Relief Society activity at friend-Vicki's house. She demonstrated how to home bottle meat and then friend-Kelli, her daughter (yeah, and why do I cry every time I talk to Kelli? That's what I'd like to know!), demonstrated how to make sourdough bread! Yum! Sourdough bread has got to be Gordon's most favorite bread in the whole world!

Can't you just smell it?  It just came out of the oven.  Don't you wish you were here?



I've played around with sourdough starters and recipes before, but there is something special about this one! I got my starter from friend-Karen (if you live locally and would like a starter just shout it out!) but you can also make your own (directions at the end).

The first step is to make a *sponge*  (batter) with your starter.  You always want to use pottery, glass or plastic with your start, NEVER METAL!  I just happened to have this darling old bean pot that belonged to my Mom.  It made me happy to pull it out and give it a job... I think it made my mom happy too.



So I mixed up 2 1/2 cups flour and 2 cups hot water and then stirred in the starter, put on the lid and let it do its thing over night. Then this morning I had a crock of bubbling sour goodness! (my photo was too blurry to post)  Can you guess what decade my canisters were purchased?  Yup, 1970... gotta love that burnt orange and avocado green!



Always measure out 1 cup of starter and store in the refrigerator for next time.

Now mix up the bread dough. Watch out... this is the hard part! Add 1 cup of warm water to the remaining sponge.  Add 1 teaspoon salt and then stir in 4-5 cups of flour until it is a soft dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about 2-3 hours. This is what it looks like after the rising. Turn it onto a heavily floured board or counter top.



Sprinkle the top with flour, flatten out dough and fold over in half. Repeat 3 more times. Shape into a round loaf and place it on parchment paper.

I am a little bit controlling with my dough and didn't want it to spread all across the counter top so I put mine in a pie dish. Sprinkle the top with flour and cover with a tea towel and allow to rise until nearly double about 1-2 hours. (Or, if you are like me... forget about it, come back in 3 hours, reshape it into a round loaf and start the rising time over again... just sayin'.)



Ah, look at that fluffiness. Doesn't it make you want to poke your finger into it?



Now, enter the hero! This is where the magic happens. This little beauty... a Dutch oven. Put it into the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Yep, the empty Dutch oven.  (I got mine at Sam's Club it is a Member's Mark 6.5 quart Dutch Oven.  I couldn't find a link online so if you want one you'll have to go to Sam's)



When the oven has reached 450 degrees remove the Dutch oven and carefully transfer the dough into the hot Dutch oven. Just grab two opposing corners of the parchment paper and lift. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and return to the hot oven. Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the lid, lower the oven temperature to 400 and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes.



Behold the beauty! Remove bread from Dutch oven, remove parchment paper and cool on rack... or be like me and cool it on the cutting board because I NEED to have a slice of hot sourdough bread with butter... right now!



TO MAKE SOURDOUGH STARTER

For best results, use glass or pottery containers. Never use a metal container or leave a metal spoon in the starter. A good starter contains only flour, water and yeast. It has a clean sour mild order. The liquid will separate from the batter when it stand several days, but this does not matter. If replenished every few days with flour and more water, the starter keeps fresh. If the starter is not to be used for several weeks, freeze or dry it to keep it from spoiling. To carry it to camp, add enough flour to shape it into a ball and place it in a sack of flour. In the dried form, the yeast goes into the spore stage which will keep inert for a long time. Water and warmth bring the yeast back to the active state.

Mix well in a large bowl:
2 cups flour
1 package of yeast (1 Tablespoon)
2 cups warm water

Place in warm place or closed cupboard overnight. In the morning, put 1 cup of the starter in a pint jar with a tight cover and store in the refrigerator or a cool place for future use. This is the sourdough starter. The remaining batter can be used to start a sponge.

BASIC SOURDOUGH SPONGE (batter)

2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups hot water
1 cup sourdough starter

Use a wooden spoon or plastic whisk to mix flour and water until smooth. Add starter. Mix well and cover. Set in a warm place overnight or 10-13 hours. before using.

Always remember to take out 1 cup from the sponge to use for your next starter. Keep in covered jar or crock in the refrigerator until needed for next basic sourdough sponge.

SOURDOUGH BREAD

1 recipe of basic sourdough sponge minus 1 cup
1 cup warm water
1 tsp salt
4-5 cups flour  (maybe a smidge more)

• Stir warm water and salt into basic sourdough sponge.  Using a wooden spoon mix in enough flour to make a soft dough. 
• Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about 2-3 hours.
• Sprinkle the top with flour, flatten out dough and fold over in half. Repeat 3 more times. Shape into a round loaf and place it on parchment paper. Allow to rise in warm place until almost double.
• Preheat oven and empty Dutch oven to 450 degrees.
• When the oven reaches 450 degrees remove the Dutch oven and carefully transfer the dough into the hot Dutch oven. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and return to the hot oven. Bake for 30 minutes then remove the lid, lower the oven temperature to 400 and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes.

I have more recipes that I'll share in the next few weeks.