Lite Sourdough Rye Bread

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Terry

Yesterday, I got out the white bread starter to “exercise and feed” it as I do from time to time. I scooped out about a cupful from the container and then added fresh flour and some water. Instead of discarding the cupful that was removed, I decided to make some bread with it. To use up the starter, I just threw together some dough without really paying attention to strict measurements. Now I wish that I had. The bread turned out really good.
Here’s what I “think” I did. It should be pretty close.

Lite “Sourdough” Rye Bread

Ingredients:

For the sponge:

1 cup starter
1 cup bread flour
water

For the dough:

3 cups bread flour
1 cup rye flour
1 cup soy milk
¼ cup oil
¼ to 1/2 cup molasses
1 Tbs caraway seed
1 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp salt

Preparation:

Build an active sponge with 1 cup white bread starter and 1 cup bread flour. Add enough water to make a very wet dough with the consistency of a very thick batter.
Allow to rise until the volume has increased to around 3 cups ……. more or less.
In a large bowl mix together the sponge, milk, molasses and oil.
In a separate bowl, combine and mix the two flours, caraway seed, cocoa powder and salt.
Add the flour to the sponge and mix into a dough.
Knead on a floured surface for 10 minutes. Dust with flour as necessary if the dough is sticky and difficult to work. Take care to not add so much flour as to make the dough too dry. A dough that is a little on the wet and sticky side will rise better than one that is too dry.
Lightly coat the surface of the dough with oil.
Cover in a lightly oiled bowl and let rise until doubled in volume. I use plastic wrap to cover the bowl.
Punch down, knead a little and form into two loaves.
Place the loaves in 8 inch pans, cover and let rise until doubled in size. I use plastic wrap with cooking spray applied to the bread side to cover the pans.
Bake for 40 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees.
Remove from pans and cool on a rack.

Rye bread with caraway seed.

I had a slice plain with morning coffee and then another toasted with breakfast. Breakfast consisted of the toasted rye with home made peach preserves, venison sausage and garlic seasoned potato slices, both fried in canola oil. There was home made pecante sauce for the potatoes and a banana with cottage cheese sprinkled with flax seed meal. Of course there was another cup of coffee.
A person could grow fat in his old age eating this way; but it sure is good.

Breakfast.

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Fishin’ On The Front Porch

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Terry

Two year old grandson, Zach, and the wife and I had an educational session about “fishin” on the front porch this weekend. It’s never too soon to start teaching grandkids about the really important things in life, you know. Important things like …… how to crank the handle on a fishing reel.

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Sourdough Onion Rolls

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Terry

After getting a loaf of whole wheat bread going with commercial yeast, I thought that I would try making onion rolls with sourdough starter. It turned out fairly decent.

Dry ingredients:

  • 3 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 2 Tbs onion flakes
  • 2 tsp parsley flakes
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbs sugar
  • sesame seeds and coarse salt for topping

Wet ingredients:

  • 1 cup rye starter
  • 1/2 cup soy milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/3 cup melted margarine
  • 1 egg (beaten)
  • egg white for basting

Preparation:

Combine and mix dry ingredients, except the sugar.
In a separate bowl, combine and mix the sugar and wet ingredients (except the egg white).
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and work into a dough. This will be a wet and sticky dough.
Cover and let rise until doubled.
After doubled, knead for five minutes; sprinkling with flour as necessary during kneading.
Divide into equal portions and place into oiled muffin tins or a muffin pan. The dough is wet and sticky and needs the support of a baking dish of some sort during the final rise.
Let the dough double in size again.
Baste tops with egg white mixed with a little water and sprinkle with coarse salt and sesame seeds.
Place in an oven preheated to 375 degrees.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool in pan or tins for a few minutes and then pop out and finish cooling on a rack.

Wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls.

 

Ingredients mixed in separate bowls.

 

Ingredients formed into a wet dough.

 

After kneading, place the dough into oiled rings.

 

Let rise for second time.

 

Remove from rings and cool.

 

Served with basil chicken over pasta.

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Sourdough Starter

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Terry

My sourdough starter began with commercial yeast about a year and a half ago. It has picked up native yeast as I have used it, and is no longer the same culture as it was originally. It lives in the refrigerator and I get it out from time to time to make a loaf or two.
Most often, I use the starter as a replacement for commercial yeast and the mixing and rising process is similar. Used this way, the starter turns out bread that is not “sour” but with a different flavor than when using packaged yeast. To get “sour” bread, the process begins with a “sponge” mixture of flour and starter and the rising time is greatly extended.
In a way, bread starter is kind of like cast iron cookware. The best way to keep it in good shape is to use it.
I began with with a culture made from bread flour and then later used a little of that to get a rye starter going.
On the Internet, there are many sites that describe different ways to make your own starter. There are also folks who will share a sample free of charge.

White starter

 

Rye starter

 

 

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