Table Talk
Sourdough Starter
They've been running an old cooking series on PBS here in Denver-- Julia Child with Master Chefs. I'd seen most of these back when they ran this program in 2000 and even purchased a companion cookbook when I ran across it. I was particularly intrigued with the episode featuring Nancy Silverton, a master bread baker in Los Angeles (the episodes are also available on PBS.ORG). She demonstrated a gorgeous loaf of bread using a sourdough starter made with red grapes. Doesn't that sound wonderful? I just had to try it.
Day 1: To make the starter, I washed a half a pound of red seedless grapes, enclosing them in a pouch made with washed cheesecloth. I whisked 2 1/2 c.bread flour with 2 cups of water in a large jar. Then I lightly pounded the grapes with my rolling pin to crush them and plunged the whole package in to the flour and water mixture, covered it and left it on the counter.
Day 2: The mixture looks a little bubbly. Something is definitely happening in there. I gave it a stir.
Day 3: The mixture is starting to separate. The color from the grapes is seeping out and it is looking pink. It's also taking on the grape smell. I stirred it again.
Day 4: The mixture is rather gray looking. Apparently, that's normal. It smells fruity. One more stir.
Day 5: The gray color has disappeared and it is turning pink again. The sour smell is more pronounced. One last stir.
Day 6: It is a yellowish color now. The fermentation is complete. I removed the grape package, squeezed the liquid back into the starter and threw away the spent grapes. My starter smells sour and tastes a little sweet. It has a much more pronounced odor than the starter I've been using for years.
Day 6, 7 & 8: The starter is weak and needs feeding. This is a 3 day process. Each afternoon, I add 1 c. bread flour and 1 c. room temp water, whisk it and let it sit uncovered for 4 hours. Then I store it in the refrigerator.
Finally, on the 9th day, I'm ready to use my new starter.
The first test is pancakes. Since I make pancakes every weekend, I figure this is a good place to compare my new starter to my old starter.
Sourdough Pancakes
1 c. starter (room temp)
1 T. sugar
2 T. melted butter or oil
1 egg
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
I whisk this all together, and pour out 4" pancakes on a hot cast iron griddle. They bubble up immediately, taking only a couple of minutes to cook completely.
They are light, slightly sour and delicious with butter and sugar and with warm maple syrup. The sour flavor is more pronounced than my old starter, and the texture lighter. These are delicious pancakes and definitely worth the effort of making this new starter.
