Sourdough Bread

To read about the benefits of Sourdough Bread, see my post on how to make a sourdough starter. Although I have included cup measurements, for best results, I recommend making sourdough by weight as the density of sourdough starter can be very variable.

(makes four loaves)

Ingredients

• 26 oz sourdough starter (about 3 cups)
• 43 oz wholemeal flour (about 9 cups)
• 1 tbsp yeast (optional but it gives a slightly less dense loaf)
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 30 floz warm water (3 ¾ cups) - I make it with two parts tap water to one part boiling water.

Method

• The night before, prepare your sourdough starter.
• Mix flour, salt and optional yeast in large bowl.
• Add warm water to the starter and mix

• Add the combined water/starter to bowl of flour/salt/yeast and mix until no dry flour remains. (If using shop bought flour you may need to add an extra 2-4 floz water.)
• It should be thick but runny enough that it spreads when you stop stirring.

• Divide evenly between four 2lb loaf tins and leave to rise for 8-12 hours.

Before and after rising.

• Bake at 200°C/GM4/400°F for 35 minutes.
• When ready, turn out immediately and leave to cool before slicing.

Sourdough Starter

Sourdough starter makes use of naturally occurring yeasts and removes the necessity of using shop bought yeast. Sourdough also has the benefit of reducing the phytic acid content. (Phytic acid can inhibit absorption of various nutrients.) Sourdough bread does not go stale as quickly as yeasted bread.

How To Make Sourdough Starter

You will need

• a large bowl or jug
• a tea towel or other cloth to cover bowl/jug
• water
• wholemeal flour (rye is reputed to be easier to start from scratch than wheat)

Making Your Sourdough Starter

• Place a cup each of flour and water in bowl/jug, stir, cover and leave to stand overnight.
• Each day for around a week, add equal amounts of flour and water, stir, cover and leave overnight again. (I recommend half cups to avoid being overrun with starter.)
• After a while it will start to get frothy and smell a little "beery". It will hopefully look something like this:

• After a week to ten days, if your starter has become frothy then it is ready to use.

Maintaining Your Sourdough Starter
Once you have used your sourdough starter, you no longer need to keep it at room temperature. (You can if you want but you may need to stir it every day to prevent it going mouldy.) I put mine in a small plastic tub in the fridge until the day before I will next need it. The night before I want to use it I mix up equal volumes of flour and water according to how much sourdough starter I will need in my recipe and stir in the starter from the fridge. The next day once I have used the starter, I put the remainder in a clean tub and back in the fridge.


See also:

• Sourdough Bread

Chicken stock

Chicken stock is very easy to make in the slow cooker or crockpot. This recipe follows on from the Slow Cooker "Roast" Chicken recipe.

Ingredients

• Chicken carcass
• Any juices in the bottom of the crockpot
• A slosh of vinegar
• Water

Method

• After carving the chicken, return the carcass to the crockpot.
• Add a slosh of vinegar and then add water to about an inch after covering the carcass.
• Leave on low overnight.
• Strain through a sieve to remove bones.
• Pour into sterilised jars and store in fridge.

Alternative storage method (Chicken Stock Cubes)

• Boil on hob until reduced down to 1 cup.
• Pour into ice cube tray and place in freezer.

• When frozen turn out into freezer bags and then use as regular stock cubes when required.

Slow Cooker "Roast" Chicken

or Crockpot Chicken

If (like me) you like your meat tender and juicy, this is definitely the way to cook it.

You will need

• One chicken
• One crockpot
• A little water
• Seasonings (I use black pepper, sea salt, sage and sometimes and a chopped onion)

Method

• Place chicken upside down in slow cooker
• Add about an inch of water.
• Sprinkle seasonings on top.

• Cook for about eight hours on low or about four hours on high. (You may need to adjust timings according to your slow cooker and the size of your chicken.)
• You can also use the slow cooker to make chicken stock with the carcass.

A Lazy Saturday Brunch

Ingredients

• One packet of bacon (eight rashers)
• One packet of sausages
• Four Eggs
• Three hungry people who slept in till late

Method

• Pop the sausages in the oven.
• Put the bacon in the frying pan on a low heat.
• Once the bacon is cooked, fry the eggs using the bacon fat left in the pan.
• For added laziness, serve on paper plates to minimise washing up.