West End Muses: June 2011

Sourdough - a fun new project I've been doing for about the last 5 months or so. I forgot when I started LOL. At any rate, start I did. I began one starter using regular store bought milk, unbleached flour and white sugar and another using raw goat's milk, unbleached flour and honey. I feed them both regularly. I've since moved on to all kinds of other feeds for the starter but prefer the goat's milk and honey. I always add honey, sometimes just water (spring fed water only, tis all I have and all natural to boot) and not milk. Sometimes I do add potato flakes too. I got this suggestion from a colleague of my husband's. I always use unbleached flour though, when I'm using flour as a food source.

I have to say, everything I've done has been wonderful. All results have been great, even the store bought milk and sugar. I've since just opted toward the natural because that is how I'm endeavoring to do everything now but I have to be honest and see I didn't really see or taste any real discernible difference. More piquant perhaps with the goats milk and honey, but all have been beautifully flavorful.

Since I've had this starter running now for about 1/2 a year, I'm pretty sure I have the natural yeasts that are here as well and I have to say, I don't think that the San Fransisco sourdough has anything on this area. My sourdough is excellent :-) I'm going to try and get my own yeasts for sure later this summer when the blackberries and the potato's come in (I did start the current with conventional yeast from the store) The "bloom" seen on grapes and blackberries are the yeast we want. Potato water is another way. So I will be trying those too. I can't wait! I'll try and make sure I get the posts up on that.

In the meantime, here are a few things I've been doing with the sourdough. I've done a ton of fun things, these are but a few! All with great results, very tasty!