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See Also: Article on Sourdough

SOURDOUGH TIPS

Baking hints:
• Sourdough starter may be used as a leavening for pancakes, cakes, cookies and quick breads as well as for traditional yeast breads. Above all, be creative and don’t limit yourself.

• To substitute starter for yeast in breads, use 2 cups of starter for 1 package of yeast. Decrease the liquids in the recipe by 1¾ cups and the flour by 1 cup. If milk is the reduced liquid ingredient, stir in enough dry milk to make equivalent milk amounts. For example: 1/3 cup of dry milk makes 1 cup liquid milk, and would be substituted as such. No extra liquid would need to be added and no other change would be necessary. The starter used by itself works very slowly. Bread made with starter only is sometimes quite firm and chewy; adding yeast will give the bread a lighter texture.

• For best results with yeast breads, use bread flour. All-purpose or cake flour are suitable for pancakes, cookies and cakes. Avoid over mixing cakes, cookies, pancakes and batters. Over mixing will knock out the gas used to leaven baked goods.

• If whole wheat flour is preferred, use 1 cup of starter, 1 cup whole wheat flour and 2 cups of warm water. Let stand 24 hours.

Storage: When not in use, date and refrigerate the freshened or replenished starter in a sealed container. Fermentation is slowed during refrigeration, so the starter may not need to be used or freshened for a couple of weeks. Always bring it to room temperature.

Wheat Foods Council www.wheatfoods.org