Well I ordered my kombucha culture a while ago and when it didnt do anything I wrote to the company and told them what I did and how it didnt do anything. They nicely emailed me back and said that they would be sending out a new kombucha that day and gave me some more suggestions on how to make it work. When I opened the package not only was there the kombucha culture in there but they had also included a sourdough starter as well. Score! Just was looking into starting my own and there it was for FREE! So I started the kombucha - it's still in my closet the warmest spot in my airconditioned house and still not doing anything but I have hope... I started the sourdough and it's working!!!!! So cool to not to have to use yeast. So I made two loaves of sourdough bread. They rose nicely and looked good but when I opened the oven they were pretty flat. Kinda disappointing but they tasted really good. Froze one loaf and kept the other one out for eating with our eggs. DH only had one complaint though...said it was a little sour...hmmm. Told him to put some apple butter on it. Sad face turned into a happy face! Ohh it tastes good with this on it. Of course the wife is always right about sweet things... lol. So I told him if he ground some more wheat for me I would make some more bread and pour off the hooch...strange name for the watery stuff that rises to the top of the starter.
Friday I was in the mood to experiment a little bit more with my sourdough so I made lemon blueberry squares. Kinda flat again but tasted really good like a blueberry buckle sorta. DH liked those. And yes I poured off the hooch before making them.
Today I decided to try to make zucchini bread with the sourdough. It's in the oven right now. Smells really good. Afraid to look though....it's probably flat. Anyone know how to get it to raise more? My sourdough has lots and lots of bubbles...Any help would be appreciated!
Talk to ya later!
Denise
I am no expert, but I always feed it for a least a week or two before I used it. It seems to get better with age. I also do a very long rise, that way if the starter is not ready, the dough can pull some yeast from the air. Don't cover with plastic, I use a towel so things can pass through. Also maybe your starter is not liking you area. The yeast from where it was started doesn't combine with what you have in your air. Not sure. See what happens with it next week.
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ReplyDeleteSorry Jane I didnt get on here and accept your comment until today. I seemed to have better luck with the zucchini bread maybe because I let it sit for a while and also added baking powder as per the original recipe. I will be letting my bread dough raise for a longer time. I was only letting it raise for 4-5 hours. Thanks for your help. Oh and I never use plastic wrap anymore just a damp towel like grandma used to except I dont make bread in 100 degree weather in an un-airconditioned trailer like she did in the 70's...
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