"Those hot griddlecakes the forty-niners forked from the frying pan
before setting out to dig for gold were, no doubt, sourdough
pancakes. The hot biscuits so treasured by cowboys riding the dusty
trail were most likely sourdough biscuits. The life sustaining
bread baked by pioneer women in crude stone ovens was probably
sourdough bread. After the California gold rush, when the Klondike
prospectors sailed from San Francisco to Alaska, they carried
precious sourdough starter with them--and ever since sourdough
bread has been assiciated with San Francisco. And in Alaska, a
prospector with a pot of sourdough strapped to his back was quickly
nicknamed a "sourdough".
"As the population swelled westward during the last century, the
practice of keeping a small amount of yesterday's dough alive to
"start" tomorrow's bread was carried from one coast to the next,
just as it had been carried from the Old World to the New.
Archaeologists claim that leavened bread was first developed around
4,000 B.C., when using starters must have been the only way to
accomplish leavening. Surely ancient bakers guarded their supplies
zealously, just as thousands of years later propectors would tuck
the sourdough pot into their bedroll at night to keep it warm and
safe.
"To this day, the distinctive flavor of so many European and
Russian breads, as well as the famous San Francisco version of
sourdough bread, is derived from the use of a sourdough starter. A
starter is simply a self-perpetuating yeast mixture. Traditionally
it was made by mixing flour and water with a cooked potato or fruit
such as wine grapes or ripe bananas. Organisms in the flour and the
germenting fruit attracted the wild yeast spores ubiquitous in an
unpollouted environment, and a starter was easy to begin. Today,
this method is not always reliable owing to variables such as
chlorinated water and pesticide treated flour, fruits, and
vegetables.
"We've developed an easy sourdough starter by combining unbleached
all-purpose flour, bakers active dry yeast, and water. With minimal
care, the starter can be maintained for years and stored in the
refrigerator (see box). Since yeast is a single-cell fungus, its
metabolic activity causes fermentation. As the yeast cells multiply
and feed on the carbohydrates in the flour--which in turn give off
carbon dioxide, alcohol and other compounds--the ongoing activity
gives the sourdough starter its sour aroma and tart flavor.
"Keeping a pot of sourdough going in your refrigerator opens up all
sorts of possibilities. Breads have an assertive tang and keep
longer than other home-baked breads. Biscuits share the same
distinctive flavor and are moist and fluffy. Sourdough pancakes
have a delicate texture and a subtle flavor that your family will
clamor for on Sunday mornings. We're sure that once you begin
baking with sourdough, you will become a convert for life.
Using and maintaining a sourdough starter is a cyclical process;
you must always replace what you remove from the crock. If well
maintained, a sourdough culture will last a lifetime. Each time you
take a portion of the starter for a recipe, replace that amount
with equal quantities of water and flour. For example, if you
remove 1 cup of starter to make Sourdough Country Bread, you must
replace it with 1 cup of lukewarm water (100°F) and 1 cup of
unbleached all-purpose flour. Whisk these ingredients into the
starter until blended but not completely smooth. Any remaining
lumps will dissolve as the mixture ferments. Cover and leave the
starter at room temperature for at least 12 hours or overnight.
The starter is now ready to be used again, or can be refrigerated.
Use a 2 qt non-metal crock or bowl to store the starter. This way,
the replenishing starter ingredients can be mixed directly in the
storage container.
Maintain the starter by stirring it at least once a week. This
invigorates the yeast and expels some of the alcohol. If you do not
use the starter every two weeks or so, refresh it by removing 1 cup
of the starter (give it to a friend or discard it), and adding
1 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour and 1 cup of lukewarm (100°F)
water. Whisk until blended. Cover and leave at room temperature for
12 hours or overnight before returning it to the refrigerator.
If you plan to be away or know you will not use the starter
frequently, freeze it in a sterilized, air-tight freeezer
container. Thaw the starter 2 days before you plan on baking with
it, transferring it to a 2 qt non-metal storage container. Refresh
the starter withg 1 cup each of water and flour. Cover and leave at
room temperature for 12 hours or overnight before using. It's a
good idea to freeze the starter in two containers; you can keep the
second one frozen indefinitely to serve as a backup should anything
happen to the thawed starter."
