Chelsea's Sourdough Bread

To Feed Your Starter

1. Before feeding, let your starter come to room temperature. It will separate, so mix with your stir stick and then feed it. The consistency should be like a thick frosty. Once you feed it, it will bubble up. It can over or under ferment. 

2. Add a generous 1/4 cup of quite warm water to your starter.

3. Add a scant 1/2 cup of bread flour and give it a rough mix.

4. Let it rest, covered, for one hour.

Always keep an inch of starter at the bottom of your mason jar. It can stay on the counter for a few days, or in the fridge for up to two weeks before it needs to be fed again. 

Chelsea's Sourdough Bread

1. Begin with 1/2 cup of fed starter and add 1 1/2 cups of quite warm water.

2. Next add 2 1/2 cups of bread flour plus 1/8 cup whole wheat flour. 

3. Mix and let rest, covered, for an hour.

4. Add 1/2 Tbl of SALT - do not forget this step!

5. Do a stretch and fold then let rest for 30 minutes.

6. During second stretch and fold, put in the add-ins and let rest for 30 minutes. 

ADD-INS for one loaf: 

1/2 cup cranberries and 1/2 cup white chocolate

1/2 Tbl minced garlic and 2 Tbl fresh rosemary

1/4 cup jarred jalapeño and 1/2 cup chunked sharp cheddar

cinnamon and raisins (plus salt on top)

Pink Himalayan salt on top

7. Do two more stretch and folds with half hour rest periods. If making two loaves, split after all the stretch and folds. If doing different mix ins, split before. 

8. Shape your bread into a circle. 

9. Dust bread bowl with flour and let loaf rest there for 6-8 hours. (If you start at noon, put it in the fridge. When you take it out, wait two hours or until it comes to room temperature).

10. Shape loaf again and let it rise for 1-2 more hours. It should almost double in size.  Preheat oven with pot in it 30 minutes before you want to start baking.

11. Flip loaf over onto parchment paper without popping bubbles and score loaf. 

12. Lift paper into preheated pot and bake for 30 minutes with the lid, 10 minutes without the lid. Keep an eye on it for a browned top.

Two Loaves of Sourdough

Generous cup of starter

5 cups bread flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

3 cups quite warm water

1 Tbl salt

If you want two loaves of bread for Sunday dinner, then: 

On Saturday take out your starter at 10am. Let it warm up until noon. Feed it and let it rest. Feed it again at midnight. 

On Sunday morning at 6:00 am, start it and let it rest one hour. 

Start stretch and folds at 7, 7:30, 8, and 8:30.  Shape it and let it rest until 2:30. Reshape it and let it rest for 1-2 hours.  At 4, preheat the oven to 450. At 4:30, bake for 30 minutes with lid on, 10 more with lid off. First loaf done at 5:10, second done around 6pm.

Besta's Bread

 

Ingredients: 

3 C warm water 

2 T sugar 

7-8 C flour 

2 T yeast 

2 T oil 

1 T salt 

Directions: 

Mix together and knead until smooth. Rise until double. Divide in half and shape into loaves. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Raise for 20 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. 

Tips: 

•    Make 3 loaves, not 2 

• Make three slits on top of loaves and if you want 

• Bake on a lower shelf so top doesn't overbrown and bottom is sure to get done- better to bake a few minutes extra than underdone 

• Pound and work that dough a lot when kneading to activate the gluten- this makes it like Grandma Sycamore's toast! 

   Best enjoyed with homemade jam! 

Heather's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

3 ½ c. flour
2 c. pumpkin (about 1 can)
2 tsp. soda
1 c. oil
1 ½ tsp. salt
3 c. sugar
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. chocolate chips
1 tsp. cloves 4 eggs
1 tsp. nutmeg

Mix together dry ingredients, then add the rest of the ingredients.
Oil bread pans and cook at 325 for 1 ½ hours.
Cool on racks.
Makes 2 bread-sized loaves

Dixie's Banana Bread

Cream 2/3 c. sugar, 1/3 cup shortening, & 2 eggs.
Then add 2 ½ mashed medium bananas (1 cup).
Add 2 c. flour, 1 t. baking powder, 1 t. baking soda, and ½ t. salt.
Add 3 T. sour milk or buttermilk to creamed mixture. (Sour milk is 1 t. lemon juice per 3 T. milk.)

Put in loaf pans or 9 X 13 pans.
Let stand for 20 minutes.
Make a ditch in the middle of the loaf pans.
Bake for 50 – 60 minutes @ 350.
Spread with butter cream frosting if desired.

Mountains (German Pancakes)

In the blender, combine:

7 eggs
1 C flour
1 C milk
dash of salt

Heat oven to 425 (400 for glass pan). Place 9x13 pan on middle rack with 3/4 stick of butter. When it melts and is sizzling hot, disperse batter among butter and return to oven for 23 minutes.

Eat quickly, mountains will collapse. Serve with fresh fruit, syrup, lemon, powdered sugar or whipped cream.

Moist Cornbread

I made this recipe this weekend and I swear the whole pan was gone in five minutes. It is YUMMY!

2 cups Bisquick
1 c. sugar
1 c. milk
½ tsp. baking soda
4-5 heaping Tbsp. yellow cornmeal
3 eggs
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, melted
Mix together in ungreased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Serves 12.
Enjoy! (Compliments of Sheena S.)

Noelle's notes:
I really did mix this all in the pan and it worked. Totally saves you from washing a bowl. It would work in a bowl to and may be a little simpler, but then you'd just have one more dish to wash.

The tasty parts are obviously the 1 c. of sugar and the 1 c. of butter, so it's relaly more like a corn cake, but it is delicious and it is definitely worth trying!

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 4 cups sugar
• 2 cups oil
• 4-5 cups shredded zucchini
• 6 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 (12 ounce) package miniature chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Beat together eggs, sugar and oil.
3. Add zucchini and remaining ingredients, mixing well.
4. Bake in 4 well-greased loaf pans for about one hour.
5. Freezes well, if there's any left after your family goes through the kitchen.

I lifted this verbatim from a recipe website, but now I can't remember which one! Sorry. Rick wasn't convinced he'd like it based on the name, but once he tried it, the zucchini bread loaf was not long for the counter.

Best Blueberry Muffins

Anyone else in the mood for some blueberry muffins? I've been craving them a lot lately. That and strawberry rhubarb pie. We'll see if we can't find a great recipe for that and stick it up here too!

This recipe is from Wondertime and it claims that they freeze beautifully and also work well as raspberry muffins if you want to substitute those for the blueberries.

Makes 24

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
16 ounces sour cream
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups blueberries (if frozen, do not thaw)
2 tablespoons sugar

Heat oven to 375.

Line two 12-cup muffin tins with muffin-cup liners. This recipe won't work without them. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs with sour cream until thoroughly combined. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt together butter and brown sugar, about 3 minutes. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, then beat this mixture into egg mixture. Stir in oats.

Fold in flour mixture and then — very gently — fold in berries. Fill muffin cups about three-quarters full. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar onto the top of each muffin.

Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until edges are medium brown and tops are firm.

Cool for 5 minutes, then remove muffins (in their papers) and finish cooling on rack.

Dixie's Pizza Crust

2 cups of quite warm milk (or 2/3 cup powdered milk and almost 2 cups of water)
1 Tbl. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbl. oil
1 Tbl. yeast
4-5 cups of flour

Mix well on bread hook, add flour until dough is only slightly tacky to the touch. Divide dough in two and shape into balls. Let rise five-ten minutes. Knead, toss, roll, poke. Prebake crust at 425 for five minutes. After placement of toppings, bake ten to fifteen minutes until cheese is light brown. Mangia!

Featherlight Rolls

Ingredients:
1 TB dry yeast
1 TB sugar
1/3 cup hot, but don’t kill it, tap water
1 cup boiled milk
½ cup sugar
1 cube margarine
½ tsp salt
½ cup instant mashed potatoes
3 eggs, beaten
3 – 4 cups flour (or more until it feels like play dough)

Directions:
Combine first 3 ingredients and set aside to let rise, Boil milk and add to the next 4 ingredients,stir and cool to room temperature. Add yeast mixture and stir well. Add 3 beaten eggs into mixture,Add flour and knead it until it is smooth. Put into a greased bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight. (if you start this early in the morning you can just let it rise for 4 hours or so in a warm place)

Take out the dough next morning and let it sit for 2 hours,Cut dough in half and roll out on surface with flour until about 14 to 16 inches in diameter each. Use pizza cutter and cut into 14 to 16 pieces

Starting with the outside end roll up into croissant and place onto greased cookie sheet. Let it rise again for 4 to 5 hours and bake at 325 for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Brush with melted butter (after baking)

courtesy of Julie T

Challah

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup honey
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tablespoon salt
8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon poppy seeds (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over barely warm water. Beat in honey, oil, 2 eggs, and salt. Add the flour one cup at a time, beating after each addition, graduating to kneading with hands as dough thickens. Knead until smooth and elastic and no longer sticky, adding flour as needed. Cover with a damp clean cloth and let rise for 1 1/2 hours or until dough has doubled in bulk.

2. Punch down the risen dough and turn out onto floured board. Divide in half and knead each half for five minutes or so, adding flour as needed to keep from getting sticky. Divide each half into thirds and roll into long snake about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Pinch the ends of the three snakes together firmly and braid from middle. Either leave as braid or form into a round braided loaf by bringing ends together, curving braid into a circle, pinch ends together. Grease two baking trays and place finished braid or round on each. Cover with towel and let rise about one hour.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

4. Beat the remaining egg and brush a generous amount over each braid. Sprinkle with poppy seeds if desired.

5. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 40 minutes. Bread should have a nice hollow sound when thumped on the bottom. Cool on a rack for at least one hour before slicing.

Courtesy of Allrecipes

Soft Bread Sticks

To make 18 or 36, put in a 9x13 pan.

1 T. yeast (1 pkg)
1 1/2 c. warm water
2 T. sugar
3 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1 cube butter

Mix together the yeast, water and sugar and let stand a few minutes. Add the flour and salt and knead lightly. allow to rest on floured board for 10 minutes. Melt one cube margarine in pan, roll out dough to 9 inch width, divide dough into 18 bread sticks. Place in buttered pan. You may then cut these in half if you wish. allow to raise 20 minutes and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Courtesy of Julie T

Banana Bread

2/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. shortening
2 eggs
2 mushy bananas
2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3 T buttermilk

Cream sugar, shortening and eggs. Then add bananas and sift in dry ingredients. Add buttermilk, put in pans and let sit for 20 minutes. Make a ditch down the center and bake 45-50 minutes at 350.

Courtesy of Julie T