Baking has been a nice pass time during quarantine, and based on the limited amount of flour on the shelves, I'm not the only one who feels that way. Personally I've been working to improve my sourdough, which has gone well a few times and others times resulted in a near inedible loaf. I loved learning about how making bread has changed and how the bacteria in the starter helps the bread break down easier in your stomach, and I'd only made bread that used yeast to rise. The starter is the star when it comes to this type of bread, responsible for everything from the rise to the flavor.
I'm not here to tell you how to start a sourdough starter I inherited mine from a co-worker, but it does require care with feedings. You can feed it every day or twice a day if left on the counter top or store in the fridge and feed every few days. I don't take as gentle care of my starter as I could. It goes a week or two in the fridge without feedings, but I make sure to leave it out on the counter and do a few feedings before I make bread.
When I first got a sourdough starter, I was wasteful with the discarded starter. I wasn’t sure what to do with it and it ruined the compost. Someone brought a fried sourdough starter that they made from the discard to a Soup Monday, a soup kitchen-like evening with friends throughout the winter.
This became my go-to recipe for using up the extra starter after a feeding. Simply fry it with some salt and pepper. Occasionally I get fancy and add some herbs. The final product turns out the most fluffy after the starter has been in the fridge for a week or two without feedings. A more active starter usually turns out more spongy or sometimes, so sometimes I’ll add flour to make it into more of a dough before frying.
Fried Starter Discard
Heat up a pan to a medium high heat and add in 2 tablespoons of oil, I use olive oil. Mix together a 2:1 ratio of starter to flour, or pour in. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to each side, or some dried herbs if you’d like. And flip when golden brown. This is a staple of a skata diet. You can top it with anything from pizza toppings to a spread of hummus, veggies and seeds.
I can't take credit for the rest of the recipes, but I found some inspiration from King Arthur and made some tasty stuff with their recipes after feeding my starter.
I don’t like to buy crackers unless it’s an occasion for a cheese board, and even after that they still go stale. Baking crackers, while they are a tiny bit more work, can be just the right amount to finish before they go stale. They’re also a way to use up the extra starter after a feeding, and go well with any dip. They even made my far-too-garlicky tzatziki taste good! The queen of skata herself gave me a tip: olive oil helps sweeten a dip like that if it’s too spicy.
Another quick and easy starter recipe is biscuits, and it uses similar ingredients as the crackers. Every few weekends I’ll make bread, but these are a nice treat for the less ambitious weekends. It’s been a weird time lately - treat yourself with these and a nice cup of tea or coffee. You deserve it, and the starter needed feeding anyways right?
I’m a big fan of pumpkin, so when I saw this amongst the rabbit hole of recipes, I had to make it. I cut the sugar in half for most baking recipes as a personal preference, and also left out the dried fruit from this recipe.
Doing things that are positive and eating things that are comforting has been particularly important lately. I’ve really enjoyed spending more time with the pup, working on my baking and reaping the edible benefits from practicing. How have you found some solace in quarantine? If baking has been your jam, any sourdough starter recipes you’d recommend? Hope everyone is staying safe, sane and comforted.
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