Mom’s Musings

These sourdough starter recipes are from my friend Lisa M.:

Sourdough Starter

Dump into a glass bowl:

2 cups thick potato water

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 cups flour (more or less)

1/2 tsp. yeast (optional)*

Boil potatoes with jackets on until they fall to pieces. Lift skins out; mash potatoes making a puree. Cool. Add more water to make sufficient liquid, if necessary. The richer the potato water, the richer the starter. Put all ingredients in bowl. Beat until you have a smooth creamy batter. Cover. Set aside in warm place to start fermentation (until bubbly; may take up to a week). *Use yeast only to speed action.

Grated Potato Starter

2 raw potatoes grated in bottom of the Sourdough Pot.

1 yeast cake, diluted in

2 cups warm water

2 Tablespoons sugar.

Flour (enough to make a smooth, creamy batter)

Beat well. Get all lumps out at this time so it is not necessary to remove any flour lumps later when ready to use the Starter. Cover. Place Sourdough Pot on the shelf in a warm spot, free from drafts. This Starter takes longer to start working, but in a week it will be bubbling.

Don’t use up all the starter when you do some baking. To the starter which you reserve, add one cup flour and one cup warm water. Stir the starter daily. Try to replenish the starter about once a week.

These rolls are delicious with homemade soup. Alternately, you could make two small loaves of bread with this recipe. Enjoy!

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

4 ¼ to 4 ½ cups unbleached white flour (or half whole wheat)

1 cup sourdough starter (room temperature)

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup butter, softened

1 egg

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese

2 teaspoons salt

In large mixer bowl soften yeast in ¾ cup warm water (110 degrees). Blend in 2 cups of the flour, sourdough starter, sugar, butter, egg, and 2 teaspoons salt. Beat 3 to 4 minutes with mixer. Add soda to 1 cup of the flour; stir into flour-yeast mixture. Add cheese and enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on floured surface till smooth (5 to 8 minutes).

Place in greased bowl; turn once. Cover; let rise till double (1 ½ to 2 hours). Punch down. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Divide into 24 pieces; shape into balls. Place on greased baking sheets. Cover; let rise till double (25 to 30 minutes).

Bake at 375 degrees about 20 minutes. Makes 24 rolls.