The sun just dropped below the tops of the hills. It's time to start a fire again. But we had our windows open for a bit this afternoon, enjoying the fresh 50-degree air and tantalizing hints of spring (despite the snow and ice clinging relentlessly to the ground).
Part of our laundry is drying on the old-fashioned rack in front of me. The rest is in the dryer, awaiting folding. We don't have room in our house to air-dry all our clothes in the winter, but I hang out what I can. I can't wait for the days when the breeze has enough warmth that I can hang our clothes on the line again.
I just set out the sourdough starter to try my hand at Aunt Dixie's Sourdough English Muffins in the morning. This winter I finally got some sourdough starter from my mother-in-law, and so far my husband has enjoyed the results. We've made sourdough waffles, and two different kinds of sourdough bread (the one without any added yeast or soda took forever to rise!), but I'm looking for more recipes using sourdough starter. Any suggestions? My starter is made with white flour, but I just read in Mary Jane's Cookbook that you should always use whole wheat flour for your starter--
maybe I'll start adding whole wheat flour to it instead. And I cheat and stash it in the refrigerator to get it out of the way, but I'm looking for a small old crock or the perfect Pyrex bowl so I can keep it out all the time and remember to use it more often.A neighbor lady invited Ruth and me to tea today. The ornate tea cups and maple pecan muffins made me miss Lanier and Natalie, and all the other members of our tea parties in Kansas City. And I came home to the sad realization that I don't own any tea cups--just mugs! I may be a farm girl, but even a farm kitchen needs tea cups. I think I'll have to start collecting the floral patterned FireKing cups and saucers I've been eyeing so long. They would be a nice complement to my Pyrex and FireKing bowl collection. And a must-have for those promised visits from Natalie and Lanier...
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Check out Bernard Clayton's "New Complete Book of Breads" There is an entire section on sourdough. I started a sourdough starter Wednesday (in my $2 bargain crock from the Salvation Army! ;) and I'm anxious to get some biscuits going. A friends mother told me that she had a hard time using whole wheat for sourdough breads (didn't say anything about the starter) as it tends to be too heavy. Bread making is so fun! I can't wait until it stays warmer so I can get my garden started, chicken coop up, and a clothes line strung.
Blessings!
LeAnna
Oh, Gretchen! I always love to hear the snatches of your life that you share.
I've only just opened a Google account, but I've been a faithful reader of YLCF for years, and I feel as if I know all of you!
Take care of yourself and sweet little Ruth Ann! : )
~Emily
Hi Gretchen,
I recommend the book "Alaska Sourdough" by the late Ruth Allman. Amazon.com has it from $4.95 to $12.95 at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Alaska-Sourdough-Ruth-Allman/dp/0882400851
Or just do a search for ""Alaska Sourdough" Allman" on Google.
She lived in Juneau and was the hostess - tour guide at the "House of Wickersham" (territorial Judge James Wickersham in Alaska). She was Judge Wickersham's niece and was famous for her Flaming Sourdough Waffles which I witnessed in 1976 on a school outing.
Belated congratulations to you and Merritt on the birth of Ruth! I enjoy reading about your family.
Best Regards and God Bless,
David K. in Alaska
It depends on what you're going for in making sourdough. I'm a California girl living in Texas and I missed the strong sour flavor of California sourdough, so I learned to make my own sour bread. Having it rise fast is not important to me.
Sourdough takes a long time to rise because the yeasts are wild ones, not the pampered yeasts you buy in packets at the supermarket. Supermarket yeast is efficient but short-lived. You don't want to mix supermarket yeast with your sour starter; it will throw off the balance between the wild yeasts and the bacteria that create that delicious sour flavor.
The longer you let the bread rise, the better the sour flavor will be. I intentionally slow my bread dough to rise for about 18 hours total before I bake it - most of that is spent in the fridge overnight.
A mix of whole wheat and white flour is fine to use in the starter and in the dough. Starter tends to LOVE rye flour, though. I keep a little on hand for when I need to give the starter a kick in the pants. When I make bread it is just over half white and just under half wheat flour.
And it's good for the starter to live in the fridge if you aren't planning to use it for a while. If the starter isn't kept in the fridge, it needs to be used or fed at least twice a day, and that gets old (and wasteful) real fast.
I used this for my starter recipe: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/233
There's lots of great info on that site about sourdough!
Can you tell this is one of my favorite hobbies? :) Good luck with your bread/biscuits/waffles/and all!
Hi my name is Hailey. I apologize in advance for leaving a completely unrelated comment on your blog. But...I've been reading posts on YLCF for a few years now and I was wondering if there was any way I could start corresponding with another Christian girl.
I don't know anyone personally that really shares these old-fashioned values and conversing with someone who does would be great!
So I was wondering maybe if you could give a shout out when it was convenient for you to someone who was willing to do this, I would really appreciate it!
A little about me would probably be a good idea. My name is Hailey. I'm 22 and in my final semester of college. I've been a Christian all my life but I never took it very seriously until I was 17 or so.
Some of my biggest inspirations towards learning more about femininity and Godly womanhood have been Elisabeth Elliot and Eric and Leslie Ludy.
My E-Mail: jedihooey@gmail.com
I know you are probably very busy especially with your little one. =D But thank you for your time!
God bless!
Hailey
Hey Gretchen -
I'm sorry to contribute to the postings that are not exactly related to this post, but I didn't know another way to get you a message. I am reading the autobiography of Fanny J. Crosby (hymn-writer and poet and blind, lived 1820-1915). She wrote a poem for friends of hers in honor of their daughter Ruth and I thought of your Baby Ruth:
"Like the lily bells that blossom
In the bowers of Eden fair,
All their pretty leaves unfolding
To the breeze that murmurs there,
Like a jewel bright and sparkling
From the peerless brow of Truth,
Like a birdling with the autumn,
Came your winsome Baby Ruth.
"There are feelings deep and tender,
There are joys you could not know
Till a cherub in your household
Bade the hidden fountains flow.
Now, a love its smile reflecting
From the peaceful eye of Truth,
Like a radiant star is shining
O'er your gentle Baby Ruth.
"In a fancied dream I linger,
As the evening time draws nigh,
And I listen to the carol
Of her mamma's lullaby,
While her papa, grave and thoughtful,
As in years of vanished youth,
Lays his hand with fond caressing
On the head of Baby Ruth.
"By a holy consecration
That will ne'er forgotten be,
You have answered Him who whispered
'Bring your little ones to me.'
You have brought her, pure and lovely,
To the Way, the Life, the Truth,
And His seal is on the forehead
Of your precious Baby Ruth.
"May you train her in the knowledge
And the wisdom of the Lord,
May you teach her to be faithful,
And obedient to His word.
With the lamp, whose beams are kindled
At the throne of sacred truth,
May you guide the coming future
Of your darling Baby Ruth."
Fanny J. Crosby circa 1850s
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