As part of my recovery having been inspired by the movie Julie on Julia, I am baking my way through Beth Henspergers' THE BREAD LOVER'S BREAD MACHINE COOKBOOK with 300 different breads. I started this project as something I could do outside myself, and get me out of my head-space, and give me something to do during a move from SF to Chico where I now reside.
Sourdough were my greatest fear, and they are becoming one of my greatest loves. The first couple I mode I used commercial starters. For this one I am using a starter that I did from scratch called the German Beer starter. About a week and a half ago I started making the German Beer starter, Life has been rolling along, and the starter has only gotten better, and I fed it twice.
GERMAN BEER STARTER
3/4 cup unbleached flour
2 tablespoons rye flour
Large pinch of bread machine yeast
1 cup flat beer.
Being in Chico, and it being October, I used Sierra Nevada Octoberfest beer. I wisked together the ingredients in a small crock I have, which I then covered loosely with plastic wrap. Within 6 hours the mixture was showing signs of life, and expanding, I let it sit on the counter for 2 days, whisking it a couple of times a day. It smelled strongly of fermentation, then I fed it another cup of flour and 3/4 cup of purified water. For an added kick, I stirred ion 1 teaspoon of active live culture Greek yogurt.
I* let it sit in the fridge for a week, while life happened. then last night I took it out of the fridge and left it out on the counter to get back to room tempature so I could use it this morning in my Sour Dough Whole Wheat Bread.
1.5 Pound Sourdough Whole Wheat bread
1 Cup German Beer Starter
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons 2% milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1.5 teaspoons Alder Smoked Pacific Sea Salt
1 3/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast
While at a Pasta shop in Berkley I found there are TONS of different types oc salts that one can use, and they lend different flavors to the dough. I bough a few different salts, and decided that I would try smoked salt in the Whole wheat bread, hoping to have a little bit of smoky flavor, as if they bread was cooked in a fire oven and not a machine! Time will tell!
The ingredients went into the machine in tghe order given. Set the machine Whole Wheat, Dark Crust, and start. The dough ball was a little dry so I ended up adding 2 extra tablespoons of milk.
MANY HOURS HAVE PASSED....
Life has happened and the breaqd has baked. I went to the Chico DMV to get a replacement front license plate, and unlike SF, where it is an all day event, I waited an ENTIRE 17 minutes to get my turn at the DMV person to order replacement plates. 17 minutes, WOW, another greatr thing about Chico, there just are fewer people here, so EVERYTHING runs smoother, though the pace of life is slower. Life is just less drama here. The DMV guy was really pleasant, and I asked about getting Disabled Veteran plates for my car, and he gave me all sorts of advice and explained exactly how to do it, and explained that I REALLY need to attach a copy of my DD-214 to the paper4 work, along with my letter stating my disability, my Blue Placard number, and to really speed things along, a letter from my doctor stating that my disability impacts my mobility. He said if I submit all that it will take a week or two, instead of months of back and forth .... WOW - a helpful DMV person, I took his picture, I love Chico!
So for lunch I made a Bacon wrapped Chicken breast, stuffed with cream cheese and peppers. And with that I had a slice of the still warm Sour Dough Wholewheat bread with butter. WOW, it was wonderful. Came out really great. 2 things surprised me, first, the smoked salt DID NOT impart a smokey flavor, and second, the beer starter did not add even a hint of beer flavor to the bread, it tastes like a REALLY GOOD sourdough, that is it!
This bread moves up to myt second favorite bread I have made!
1. Shepherd's Bread
2. Sour Dough Wholewheat bread with Molasses
3. Sour Cream Bread
4. Yogurt Bread
5. French Bread with Egg Whites
Tomorrow is Levain Loaf. Which I am bstarting today. The sponge has to sit for 24 hours!