BREADS

[skyEyz_7]

Pineapple Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts
1 – 8 oz. can crushed pineapple with juice

Grease 2 loaf pans or small bundt pans or it can make one large cake. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine eggs, oil, zucchini, sugar and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients. Add the dry mixture to the zucchini mixture, stirring until well blended. Add the nuts and pineapple, stir until blended. Spread the batter into the two pans. Bake 40 to 60 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Freezes well.

[skyEyz_7]

Poppy Seed Bread

Combine in food processor or mixer:
3 cups flour
2 ¼ cups sugar
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
Add 3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 ½ tsp each almond flavoring and vanilla extract
2/3 cup oil
3 Tablespoons poppy seeds
Mix well until well blended. Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 min. or until tester comes out clean.

[skyEyz_7]

Lemon Yogurt Bread

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups lemon yogurt
2 Tbsps. lemon juice (real lemon)

1. Sift the dry ingredients; put in separate bowl.
2. Lightly beat the eggs in a large bowl.
3. Add oil and sugar; mix well.
4. Add yogurt and lemon juice and add dry ingredients-mix well.
5. Pour into two well-greased loaf pans.
6. Bake at 325 degrees F for one hour.

[patm099]

Best Ever Banana Bread

1/4 cup butter or oleo
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup sour cream
3-4 medium size overripe bananas, mashed

In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar and egg together; add bananas and beat again. Sift together flour and baking soda and add to batter. Mix well, add sour cream and blend. Pour into a well greased loaf pan (9 X 5). Bake in a 360 degree preheated oven (325 for dark and glass pans) for 45-55 minutes. Watch closely after 40 minutes.

Is a wonderfully moist bread. Freezes well.

[Cowgirl]

Sourdough Baking Part One: Everything You Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask
by John Raven, Ph.B.
This is the first in a series of articles on sourdough baking. The whole thing started when a nice gentleman named John from Montgomery, Texas sent me a picture of his prized sourdough biscuits. John volunteered to share his wealth of sourdough experience with me, and I was inspired.

Sourdough baking has been around a long time. The Egyptians were using the method some 6000 years ago. Until the middle of the 1800s, it was the only way to make yeast bread.

There are three basic types of bread: flat bread that stays flat and does not rise, baking powder bread or, “quick bread”, that rises from the action of the baking powder, and lastly the yeast-risen breads.
When we say bread “rises”, we mean that bubbles are formed in the dough and the bubbles expand and make the dough (and the resulting bread) more tender. The bubbles are carbon dioxide, they are formed either by the chemical action of the baking powder or by the yeast spores active in the batter.

Our subject this month is risen bread made with the natural yeast that lives everywhere in the world around us. The yeast spores float around in the air looking for a home. When they find a suitable place to live, they multiply and grow. To make sourdough products, we encourage the yeast spores to take up residence in a bowl of flour and water, one of their favorites habitats.

A couple of terms you need to learn are:

Starter - This is your mix of flour and water with yeast spores living in it.
Sponge - This is your starter mixed with more flour and water, used when making your dough.
The starter is a living entity; it eats and grows. The yeast spores eat the flour and their waste products are carbon dioxide and alcohol. The dark liquid that will separate from your starter is called “hooch”. That may be where the slang term for alcohol came from.

A well-tended starter will continue to live and grow for a long time. There are many documented cases of a starter being kept alive well over one hundred years. As long as the starter is fed and not frozen or heated over 100 degrees, it will thrive. Okay, let’s get on with the program.
Making your starter
Unless you live in a completely sterile house, there are yeast spores floating around in the air in your home. We are going to capture a few to make our sourdough starter. You will need

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups of warm water
If your water has a lot of chlorine in it, use bottled spring water. Mix the flour and water into a batter resembling pancake batter. Put it in a plastic, glass or glazed crockery container with a wide mouth. Never put sourdough starter in a metal container or stir it with a metal tool.
Set the sourdough container in a warm place, uncovered. In four or five days it should start to bubble up and smell sour. When it does this, you have successfully made your starter. There are starter recipes that call for anything from mashed potatoes to honey to commercial yeast, but this is the classic starter formula.

Feeding your starter
The starter is a living thing, and it must be fed regularly. When your starter has reached the bubbly stage described above, add one cup of flour and one cup of warm water. Mix the flour and water well before you add it to prevent lumps. You can now put a loose fitting cover on your starter container. If you seal it tight, the expanding gases might explode the container or pop the top off, anyway.

Your starter should bubble up and nearly double in size in an hour or so depending on the room temperature and the strength of your starter. Allow for expansion when you choose your container. About a quart size should be okay. When the starter has bubbled up and “grown”, if you are not going to use it right away, you can store it in the icebox being careful not to let it freeze. After a week or so, you need to take the starter out of the icebox and feed it again. Let it come to room temperature and then mix in the cup of flour and cup of warm water. If there is hooch on your starter, just stir it in. It’s part of the process.

Making the sponge
The night before baking day, take your starter and pour it in a large bowl. Wash the starter container and set it aside to dry. In another bowl, mix two cups of flour and two cups of warm water. When this is well mixed, add it to the starter in the big bowl. Again, mix the flour and water well before adding it to the starter. If you try mixing it directly into the starter you will have a lumpy mess.

Cover the bowl with a towel or something to keep the dog hair out of it. The surrounding temperature should be about 75 degrees. Overnight it will have doubled in size and is ready to use.

Measure out the amount of sponge called for in the recipe and return the rest to the clean storage container, feed it and then you can return it to the icebox.

If you are going to do a large volume of baking, you will need to plan ahead to have enough starter for the job. The quart size will make two loaves of bread or a batch of biscuits.

Next month we will start baking. We will include John’s famous sourdough biscuit recipe plus some tips from the master himself. So run down to the store and lay in a big sack of flour and make sure you have some fresh butter for the bread and biscuits.

[Editor’s Note: Remember that you have to keep feeding your starter regularly whether you use it or not. And the starter will keep growing. So unless you want to dedicate every shelf in your refrigerator to sourdough starter, you’re either going to have to use it or dispose of half of it now and then. It just kills my soul to pour perfectly good, living starter down the drain, so that knowledge alone keeps my household in sourdough bread, biscuits and pancakes.]

[Cowgirl]

Sourdough Baking Part Two
by John Raven, Ph.B.
Last month we wandered into the wonderful world of sourdough baking. We found what sourdough is and how it’s made. Now it’s time for Part Two. So let’s bake some bread.

Simple sourdough bread

2 cups sourdough sponge
3 cups unbleached flour (Unbleached flour just tastes better.)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
Mix all ingredients together in large bowl with a wooden spoon, or use your big mixer if you have one. Mix until a stiff dough forms.

Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead until it becomes elastic and loses its stickiness.

Put the dough in a large oiled bowl, turn to oil the top, cover and set in a warm place until it doubles in bulk. (Setting the bowl in direct sunlight works real good.) The sourdough will rise a little slower than bread made with commercial yeast, so be patient.

When the dough has doubled, punch it down and knead a few strokes. Place it on a cookie sheet for a round loaf or use bread pan if you prefer. If you use the cookie sheet, sprinkle a little cornmeal on it so the bread doesn’t stick. Spray the top of the bread with Pam or brush it with oil so your cover doesn’t stick. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled again.

With this bread, you start with a cold oven. Put the bread in the oven and set it to 375F degrees. This gives the bread a little more rising time as the oven comes up to temperature. The bread should be done in 30 to 45 minutes. When you tap on it and it sounds hollow, it’s done. Turn it out of the pan and brush all over with melted butter or oil. Put it on a rack and let it cool at least an hour before you tear into it.

Here’s the biscuit recipe from our visiting expert. You can tell by the detail in the recipe that John has put a lot of time and research into his biscuit recipe. He gives amounts in both volume and weight. He prefers to weigh the ingredients, but most kitchens are not equipped to do such delicate measurements.

Montgomery John’s Best Sourdough Biscuits
Eight to twelve hours before the biscuits are to be baked, prepare the sponge. Cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to stand in a warm place until bubbly and frothy.
1/2 cup (118 grams) sourdough starter
1 cup (220 grams water mixed with 35 grams dried milk)
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (156 grams)
Note: Although whole milk may be used, the exact volume and composition of the recipe is best adhered to if the designated amount of water and powdered milk is used to make up the quantity of milk required.
For the dough:

3 cups plus 3/4 tablespoon all-purpose flour (351 grams)
1 tablespoon sugar (10 grams)
3/4 teaspoon salt (3 grams)
2 teaspoons baking powder (6 grams)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (1 gram)
1/3 cup butter-flavored Crisco (73 grams)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (1 gram)
Combine all the dry ingredients except the baking soda in a mixing bowl. Cut the shortening into the mixture until it is about pea sized.
Dissolve the baking soda in about one tablespoon warm water, and stir it into the sponge. The sponge will become frothier.

Add the dry ingredients containing the shortening all at once to the sponge and stir. Remove the mixture to a floured board and lightly knead until it forms a smooth, cohesive mass. Pat out the dough to a thickness of about one inch and, using a biscuit cutter, cut it into rounds. Take care not to twist the cutter.

Crowd the rounds into a well-greased 9x13-inch pan, and spray the tops with Pam. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place or at room temperature until they are approximately doubled in bulk. Do not become impatient since this step, based on room temperature, can take up to 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees, remove the plastic wrap and place the pan on the oven middle rack. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the biscuits from the pan and serve hot.

John included some additional information learned from his years of baking experience.

The key to successful sourdough baking is the sourdough starter, its handling, activity and preservation. John says
My starter was originally developed from commercial yeast that later became sour by incursion of wild yeast spores from the air. It took me several days to establish the starter and if you think it useful I could go back into my records and outline the method for you. Frankly, I do not believe development of my starter is much different in principle from making any other active sourdough starter. The literature is filled with directions for making sourdough starters and any aspiring sourdough baker can certainly access these instructions.

Basically, my starter consists of trapped wild yeast, flour and water. The ratios of water to flour are one-third water by volume and two-thirds flour by volume. On a weight basis, the ratios become 50 percent water and 50 percent flour. These ratios are important because my recipes use them when developing the flour and liquid portions of ingredients in recipes.

Other starters are more liquid than mine and commonly have the ratio of 50 percent by volume water and 50 percent by volume flour. Convert these starters to an equivalent of my starter by adding to each one cup of the liquid starter one-half cup flour. The resulting starter will be thicker in consistency and must be allowed to stand several hours to allow the added flour to be acted upon.

When I decide to make sourdough biscuits, or any other sourdough recipe, in the early afternoon I remove the stored sourdough starter from the refrigerator and set it on the counter top. Along towards early evening after the starter has reached room temperature, I stir 1/3 cup water and 2/3 cup flour into the sourdough base, mix it thoroughly, replace the container cover and allow the mixture to stand overnight on the counter top. In the morning, the starter will have become very active, full of bubbles, and give off a characteristic sour odor. It is now expanded in volume, fully active and ready for use in baking any sourdough recipe you may choose.

Sourdough baking can only be successful with a lively and active starter combined with patience on the part of the baker.

[Cowgirl]

Sourdough Baking Part Three
by John Raven, Ph.B.
This is the last part of our sourdough baking school. I hope everyone has learned something about sourdough and the baking thereof.

Again this month, we have some words of wisdom from another faithful Texas Cooking reader. Ken, who lives in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley does chuck wagon cooking on a commercial basis. Having to turn out a large volume of product, Ken uses a bread machine to speed up the operation. Sometimes you have to mix the old with the new. Here’s some of what he has to say. Ken doesn’t use sourdough in his commercial operation, but what he has to say on Dutch oven baking will apply to the reader’s sourdough recipe.

One of my most complemented and asked-for Dutch oven dishes is my bread. I make it by the slab and, if they are return customers, they usually start with several slabs.
I use just a standard white bread recipe for a two-pound loaf. (If I want wheat bread, I replace 1 of the 4 cups of flour with whole wheat.) A standard 12-inch Dutch oven (4 inches deep) will take 4 pounds (or two recipes) of dough. I can batch my dough faster in the bread machine, than by hand or any other mixer, usually in about 4 or 5 minutes. Just allow the machine to mix on the dough cycle until smooth and well mixed, then transfer it to a larger tub. When you have enough your two recipes mixed, knead them together and allow it to rise.

After the rising, knead down the dough and place it in a well-greased Dutch oven to rise again prior to baking. I use butter for the fat in the mix and lard to grease the oven. I think lard gives the flavor that people like in the finished product.

As with any good bread, allow plenty of time for a slow rise, allowing the flavors to build before baking. These loaves are usually baked in a 350-degree oven for 45 to 55 minutes. I rotate the ovens every 15 minutes to get even cooking. They should be nice and browned and sound hollow when tapped. I have a helper tip them out into my gloved hands to check the bottoms.

I normally cook three or four ovens at a time, stacking them. It gives a good visual effect, and also saves about one-third on coals. I grew up on sourdough breads and love them.

Now we get to the part you’ve been waiting for, more recipes.

Sourdough Pancakes

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 cups sponge (see Sourdough Baking, Part One
1 cup milk
3 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
Combine the dry ingredients, mixing well. Combine sponge, milk and eggs, and mix well. Combine the wet and the dry ingredients, mix well, let set 10 minutes, and mix in the melted butter. Cook pancakes on medium-hot, lightly greased skillet or griddle. Makes 6 to 8 good-sized pancakes.
To make them fancy, you can add blueberries or dried cranberries.

Sourdough Chocolate Cake
All ingredients should be at room temperature, with oven preheated to 350F degrees.

6 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sourdough starter
3/4 cup milk
3 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add eggs and beat well. Stir in the starter, milk, chocolate and vanilla.
Sift together the sifted flour, baking powder and salt. Fold into batter.

Pour into two greased and floured 1-1/2x8-inch round pans or one 9x9-inch square pan. The square pan should be done in about 40 minutes, the two round pans in about 25 minutes. They are done when toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve plain or with frosting or topping of your choice.

There are hundreds of sourdough recipes to be found on the Internet and in cookbooks. Everything from doughnuts to English muffins. All come from the oven with the unmistakable taste of the sourdough. After you’ve had a few successful baking sessions with the sourdough, you will have the urge to buy a team of mules and a chuck wagon and move back to the days of yesteryear when men were men and the women did most of the work.

From time to time the mysterious Herman and ethnic Friendship recipes come up. They are just mostly sweet sourdough recipes given a twist. They are all good, so give one of them a try.

Baking is very good therapy for anything that ails you. Measuring and mixing takes your mind off your problems. Kneading the dough is very relaxing once it comes together and stops sticking to your fingers. And, once you start baking, the heavenly aroma that fills your home says “Welcome and Peace” to all who inhale it.

We’re going to wrap this up with a couple of recipes that are fried and not baked. Don’t run off screaming about your cholesterol; fried food in moderation never hurt anyone.

Fried Sourdough Biscuits
Prepare your biscuit recipe in the usual manner. Shape the biscuits into a slightly smaller size than usual, just a little bigger than a golf ball.

In a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven, bring about four inches of oil or shorting up to 350 degrees. Use a candy or deep-fry thermometer. Carefully slip the biscuits into the hot oil. Don’t splash none on yourself. Don’t crowd the biscuits. Spoon hot oil on the tops and rotate the biscuits so they brown evenly. When they are golden brown they are done. Drain in a nest of paper towels, and keep them warm in a slow oven if you are cooking a bunch.

Here’s one of our favorites.

Sourdough Steak
You’ll need about three pounds of round steak cut into serving size pieces. Tenderize the steak with textured hammer if you want to. Then mix together:

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons onion salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper (or substitute your favorite seasonings – we like Lawry’s seasoned salt)
1 cup sourdough starter, at room temperature
Lightly dredge the steak pieces in the seasoned flour, and shake off the excess. Dip the floured steak in the starter and then back in the flour to get a good coating. Place the coated steak on a cookie sheet and let it rest about 15 minutes before frying. This gives the coating time to set.
Fry in about one inch of hot oil until golden brown.

We hope this series brings you up to speed on the now demystified world of sourdough. It has been enjoyable researching this piece, and our thanks to John and Ken for contributing to our book of knowledge.